Our Local Partners
Diversity and Inclusion
MISO Core Values
Recognizing the important attributes of women in the energy field, the organization Women IN Energy was formed. Women IN Energy held its third annual conference in October of 2019, bringing together energy professionals from across several sectors to discuss innovation, technology and the role women play in the industry. Many women from MISO are members of Women IN Energy.
Nearly 600 employees actively participate in the MISO Employee Resource Groups sponsored by our Diversity and Inclusion Council
A message from our CEO
Message from our CCO
We at MISO have been shaken and horrified by the recent brutal killings of George Floyd and other African Americans in the past several months. The systemic racism that continues throughout our society causes us to seriously evaluate how we conduct ourselves when it comes to diversity and inclusion. To that end, MISO leadership is actively listening to the concerns of our African American employees to ensure that MISO expands and enrichens its diversity and inclusion initiatives (more about that later).
These are very exciting and challenging times in the energy industry. The rapid evolution of the changes we face necessitates that we plan and execute with great precision and with an eye toward continued progress and success.
MISO ensures that safe and cost-effective electrical power is delivered to 42 million customers across 15 states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. To give you a sense of our size, we operate one of the world’s largest energy markets with more than $29 billion in annual gross market energy transactions. We provided $26 billion in benefits to our members in 2019. MISO accomplishes this by working collaboratively and openly with our stakeholders and providing efficient and innovative markets.
Our vision to be the most reliable, value-creating RTO includes positively impacting the communities we serve throughout our vast footprint. We do this by delivering on an important core value – commitment – and by giving our time, talent and other resources to help make other people’s lives better.
Two direct ways we impact our communities are by the number of people we employ in well-paying jobs (956 in 2019) across three states and our continued support to ensure that diversity and inclusion are woven throughout the fabric of MISO. Diversity of thoughts and ideas and inclusion of this diversity at MISO are our guideposts.
National Partner
Corporate stewardship runs deep at MISO. Our employees believe that by working together we truly can make a difference in our communities – especially in bringing joy to children in need. We do this by supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation and volunteering to serve in our communities.
Since 2007, MISO has supported Make-A-Wish with the hope that our contributions will help brighten the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions and their families. Over the past 13 years, MISO employees have donated over $1 million, granting more than 125 wishes.
25
Wishes
Granted!
Educational Partnership
The positive feedback that I’ve received from the interns and their MISO sponsors is overwhelming. The students have an immersive experience where their academic knowledge can be put into practical, real-world use. I’m always pleased when an intern tells me that their experience with MISO was exceptional and they hope to have a career with us one day.
Greg Powell
VP, Human Resources
On behalf of the MISO Board of Directors, I applaud the collective efforts of the CEO, senior leadership team and employees as they work together to enrich the lives of those in the communities we serve. By embracing and respecting our differences, we will grow the trust, safety and sense of well-being that make us strong.
Phyllis E. Currie
MISO, Board of Directors Chairperson
We are overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of MISO employees, who, in 2019, contributed more than $260,000 to Make-A-Wish. Together, we funded wishes for 25 deserving families.
Melissa Brown
MISO, Chief Financial Officer
MISO's talent development team was awarded the 2019 Training Top 125, a worldwide ranking of organizations that excel at training and human capital development, as determined by "Training" magazine.
of the electric power workforce
is female
22.8%
Colleges & Universities
Visited
Interns
12
36
2019 "AABE" National Conference - Energizing the Future for Customers and Communties
Women IN Energy Annual Conference
We encourage employees to build diverse and inclusive partnerships through organizations, like Women IN Energy or the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Likewise, they give their time, talent and financial resources to other worthy organizations, like Make-A-Wish, Habitat for Humanity and local food banks.
Our strong belief in fostering and sustaining a vibrant and diverse workforce is supported by a philanthropic desire that enables MISO to fulfill its vision of being the most reliable, value-creating RTO.
Another national organization that brings much-needed diversity to the energy arena is the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE). The 2019 AABE National Conference brought together energy industry experts, visionaries and corporate executives to lead discussions around emerging policies, technology advancements, innovative solutions and partnering opportunities designed to create a sustainable future. MISO Board of Directors Chairperson Phyllis Currie and MISO executives, Todd Hillman, Greg Powell and Andre Porter participated.
Employee Resource Groups
Get to Know
the People of MISO
2019
MISO
Community Impact Report
The five MISO Employee Resource Groups help us move the needle by improving understanding of our similarities and differences, encouraging community engagement and supporting employee development. This peer-to-peer engagement among employees fosters important mentoring opportunities.
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National Partnerships
Educational Partnerships
Diversity and Inclusion
Employee Resource Groups
MISO Core Values
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Local Partnerships
Whether it’s volunteering at food pantries or building homes, MISO employees are here to serve the communities where we live and work. Our spirit of helping others is guided by our Core Values and continues to be a MISO hallmark .
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Our Local Partners
Our stewardship is very evident at the local level. In 2019, MISO staff completed 4, 718 hours of our annual 4-3-2-1 challenge. MISO employees receive four hours of paid community service time each month. Our Community Service Resource Group challenges MISO employees to use 10 percent or, 4,321 hours, of the alloted community service hours to do volunteer work in their communities. Our goal is not only to serve our local communities, but to bring MISO staff together beyond our individual departments and divisions. We believe this goal was achieved because of the efforts of those who participated.
Hours of
Community Service
4,718
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Support from local partners, like MISO, is so crucial to the work we do. Your monetary contributions in 2019 alone will help us secure over 6,700 meals for our neighbors in need! We are incredibly grateful for your ongoing partnership and dedication to our mission of ending hunger together.
Maddie Archbold
Second Harvest Heartland of MN
I have had the opportunity to witness MISO’s impact on Central Arkansas as I c,oordinate with local community nonprofits on behalf of the employees based in Little Rock. The time and money we have contributed to organizations, such as the Arkansas Foodbank and local pantries, help feed families across the entire state. For the past five years, MISO has been a Top 10 donor for several initiatives at the Foodbank, including the Summer Cereal Drive. I’m proud to work for an organization that allows its employees to volunteer time to reach out to those in need, providing dignity, hope and a brighter future for all Arkansans.
Lovita Griffin
MISO, Senior Analyst- Operating Energy Services
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"My two internships at MISO confirmed that working for an ISO was going to be a good fit for me ... "
My Meals on Wheels volunteer experience is very fulfilling. It feels good to know I am helping my community, and I am thankful MISO encourages its employees to give back.
Gurmanpreet Kaur
MISO, Sr. Engineer Outage Coordination
Make-A-Wish Radiothon
Little Rock, AR
Make-A-Wish Radiothon
Carmel, IN
"The experience is valuable, and the people encourage you to work towards your best potential... "
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Empower works to create a more culturally aware organization by providing insight, advice and recommendations on African-American workplace, workforce and community subjects.
MISO CEO John Bear (center) with Make-A-Wish guest speakers and wish recipients Lydia Check (center) and Lauren Weghorst (far right).
Carmel, IN
My internship with MISO jumpstarted my career in the energy industry by presenting opportunities to practically apply graduate studies in the real world while providing a robust network of colleagues to expand my industry knowledge. A member of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) and mentor connected me to MISO and encouraged me to apply for the program in 2018. I worked with the South Region External Affairs team to better understand the needs of the customer. I had such a positive experience that I was offered another internship in 2019 to work with the Customer Experience (CX) team to build our Customer Insights survey program and helped lead the 2019 Annual Customer Opinion Survey. I would highly recommend MISO’s internship program to undergraduate and graduate students. The experience is valuable, and the people encourage you to work towards your best potential.
Michael Jefferson
Volt Program Participant - Strategy & Business Development
My two internships at MISO confirmed that working for an ISO was going to be a good fit for me. I was a graduate student focused on power systems, so I was aware of MISO and the important role that it plays in ensuring that the lights stay on. But the internship let me experience the corporate culture, and I really enjoyed both summers through the work and the people I met. As an intern, I appreciated working on real-world projects that made an impact on the engineering work being performed and the opportunities to learn about all the different parts of the organization. The internship experience gave me a great overview of the different parts of the organization, which has benefited me in my work now that I’m full-time. I definitely recommend an internship with MISO, and since joining the company I'm able to help recreate my positive experience through the Intern Buddy Program.
Hilary Brown
Engineer III - Policy Studies
At MISO, Diversity and Inclusion is key to addressing the challenges facing both the company and the industry. MISO values the unique perspective that each employee brings to the table. By recognizing our similarities and embracing our differences, we create a culture that thrives. The three main intiatives of the Diversity and Inclusion plan are workforce, workplace and community.
The three initiatives together build a strong foundation for our culture and are essential to the attraction and retention of talent, while creating a destination company - a place people choose to come to and choose to stay.
MISO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Male
Female
Minority
44 %
56%
33 %
MISO has been an integral part of AABE for nearly two decades, providing support at both the local and national level. Our leadership makes participation in AABE events a priority for themselves and for every employee involved with the organization. In 2019, the Indiana Chapter of AABE served as the host chapter for the national conference where more than 50 MISO employees attended, volunteered and participated at all levels of the conference, including serving as panelists. It makes a difference when your leaders are as passionate as you are about ensuring the organization’s success.
Carmen Clark
Manager, Client Services and Readiness and
AABE, Indiana Chapter Vice President
MISO Senior Vice President & Chief Customer Officer, Todd Hillman, speaks on Innovation in Customer Service: What do my customers want? at the 2019 AABE Annual Conference
Phyllis Currie, Chair of the MISO Board of Directors and Former General Manager Pasadena Water & Power, sits with other executive leaders from across the energy industry to discuss customer expectations at the 2019 AABE Conference- Conservation with the C-Suite panel.
MISO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GENERATIONAL DIVERSITY
(Total Population: 956)
MISO vs INDUSTRY
We embrace MISO’s vision, mission and goals. Our employees are committed to providing the best customer experience possible.
We actively seek to understand diverse voices and be inclusive. Our employees find valuable solutions by collaborating with our stakeholders and each other.
Delivering MISO's vision by harnessing our collective strengths, embracing differences and creating a workplace where employees can thrive.
Our Vision
Lead the Diversity and Inclusion effort for the organization as well as shape and execute on the Diversity and Inclusion strategy.
Make linkages between the organization's Diversity and Inclusion strategy with the business strategy.
Engage in Employee Resource Group initiatives, recruitment events and education or community activities.
The council members will model the inclusive behaviors expected of the organization:
Create Connection: Get to know one another
Ensure Diversity of Thought: Invite others to the question
Assume Noble Intent: Seek to understand
“As we continuously seek to develop our combined strengths, we encourage employees to recognize and embrace the diversity within MISO and the communities we serve.”
Claire Moeller
President
RESPONSIBILITIES
Meet our
Diversity and Inclusion Council
Diversity and Inclusion Council
The Women’s Resource Group’s mission is to enable sustainable talent infrastructure and to ensure professional development of women through mentoring, growing and retaining women at MISO and to address issues of concern to women at MISO by sharing ideas and experiences.
AMP’s mission is to develop MISO’s next generation of employees by connecting, growing and embracing MISO’s young professionals.
The Community Service Resource Group supports volunteer efforts
throughout the organization. Their goal is to encourage employees
to use their paid volunteer hours to serve the communities where
we live and work.
IDEA is focused on bringing current and future Subject Matter Experts together to grow capabilities and skills to tackle the ever-growing difficulty of process improvement.
We always do the right thing. Our business is one of public trust and integrity is at the heart of what we do – it is core to our everyday decisions.
We craft innovative solutions to create value for our customers, stakeholders and employees. By looking through a creative lens to improve our processes, we work hard to improve the value we create every day.
We are self-motivated and flexible to change as we learn about our industry/profession. As our customers’ needs change, we must be on the leading edge to provide value and reliability to our stakeholders.
*Data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics. January 2018.
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution.
Brian Kiefer
Manager, Operations Support Engineering
Diana Vasquez
FTR and Pricing Engineer
Kenny Thomas
Engineer
Laura Rauch
Director, Resource Adequacy Coordination
Andre Porter
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Greg Powell
Vice President, Human Resources
Michelle Lake
Director, Talent Management
Zakaria Joundi
Director, Information and Analytics
Yok Potts
Manager, FTR Market Administration
Durgesh Manjure
Director, Grid Operations
Keri Glitch
VP and Chief Info Security Officer
Todd Hillman
SVP and Chief Customer Officer
Justin Stewart
GIA Negotiator
John George
Volt Program Participant
This conference was created to celebrate diversity, providing a space where women and allies can learn, connect, support and empower one another along their journey in the energy industry. The “why” behind the conference is even more important given the current climate of the U.S., the racial uproar and navigating the pandemic. Through this conference, lives are changed and people are inspired to become the best versions of themselves.
Tameka McNair
WIE, Co-founder & Senior Technical Program Manager
Diversity and Inclusion
We value, respect and appreciate our employees. The pride they feel exists not only inside our buildings, but also in the communities we serve.
2019 National Conference
2019 Annual Conference
Community partnerships throughout our vast 15-state footprint enable MISO to work collaboratively with dozens of community-based organizations. Food banks, Habitat for Humanity builds, donations for a women’s shelter, contributions to the American Heart Association and holiday charitable drives are some of the activities where MISO employees give their time and talents each year to help those in need. Also, the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s children with life-threatening medical conditions are a major beneficiary of the financial contributions from MISO employees with over $258,000 donated in 2019.
Our successes are best measured through our most valued resource: our employees. With this in mind, we pledge to continue our efforts to treasure our employees and further MISO’s commitment to help others thrive.
Todd Hillman
SVP, Chief Customer Officer
As you will see throughout this report, MISO employees are very proud of their work to help fulfill the MISO vision: to be the most reliable and value creating RTO for our members and customers. MISO intentionally invests in individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds who are willing to bring their best insights to very complex problems. Those insights manifest into processes, technologies and often patents that help push our industry forward.
We value, respect and appreciate our employees. The pride they feel exists not only inside our buildings, but also in the communities we serve through more than 4,000 hours of volunteer work done by over 2/3 of MISO employees throughout the year.
Our employees are eager to be involved in every aspect of our work and serve as strong advocates for the development of others. Led by an internal Diversity and Inclusion Council, our MISO colleagues create programming through our internal employee resource groups as well as external groups that support diversity. In fact, many are members of Women IN Energy and the American Association of Blacks in Energy that provide training and development opportunities throughout the year.
MISO is in the business of serving people – 42 million across 15 states and the Canadian province of Manitoba – and we take our role of being a strong community partner seriously. Beyond our efforts to deliver secure and reliable electric service, we are committed to enhancing the well-being of others by reinvesting in the communities where we live and work. MISO employees receive paid time off to serve where they are led. In fact, in 2019, our employees gave 4,718 hours of their time and talents to various community service projects across our footprint. These acts of stewardship reflect the five MISO Core Values and their importance to the success of MISO.
Paul Guckenberger
Director, Corporate Applications
Whether it’s volunteering at food pantries or building homes, MISO employees are here to serve the communities where we live and work. Our spirit of helping others is guided by our Core Values and continues to be a MISO hallmark.
John Bear
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Through partnerships and our spirit of volunteerism, MISO humbly provides support to children, families and communities. Our employees spent 4,718 hours in 2019 in volunteer activities in many communities. Our generous contributions of over $260,000 from our employees to Make-A-Wish in 2019 has given many medically fragile children the chance to have their wishes come true.
As you will see throughout this report, MISO employees are very proud of their work to help fulfill the MISO vision: to be the most reliable and value creating RTO for our members and customers. MISO intentionally invests in individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds who are willing to bring their best insights to very complex problems. Those insights manifest into processes, technologies and often, patents, that help push our industry forward.
We value, respect and appreciate our employees. The pride they feel exists not only inside our buildings, but also in the communities we serve through more than 4,000 hours of volunteer work done by over 2/3 of MISO employees throughout the year.
We encourage employees to build diverse and inclusive partnerships through organizations like Women IN Energy or the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Likewise, they give their time, talent and financial resources to other worthy organizations like Make-A-Wish, Habitat for Humanity and local food banks.
Our strong belief in fostering and sustaining a vibrant and diverse workforce is supported by a philanthropic desire that enables MISO to fulfill its vision of being the most reliable, value-creating RTO.
Five Core Values form our foundation and are at the heart of all that we do: integrity, collaboration, commitment, creativity and adaptability. We serve our members and stakeholders with vigor and pride when we bring our best ideas and solutions to the table that are built upon the framework of our Core Values.
Whether it’s volunteering at food pantries or building homes, MISO employees are here to serve the communities where we live and work. Our spirit of helping others is guided by our Core Values and continues to be a MISO hallmark.
John Bear
MISO Chief Executive Officer
MISO, 31%
Industry*, 22%
% Female:
% Minority:
MISO, 25%
Industry*, 22%
MISO vs INDUSTRY
*Data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics. January 2018.
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution.
MISO vs INDUSTRY
*Data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics. January 2018.
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution.
We value, respect and appreciate our employees. The pride they feel exists not only inside our buildings, but also in the communities we serve.
We value, respect and appreciate our employees. The pride they feel exists not only inside our buildings, but also in the communities we serve.
We value, respect and appreciate our employees. The pride they feel exists not only inside our buildings, but also in the communities we serve.
Our MISO, Our Values
,
MISO, 31%
MISO, 25%
% Female:
% Minority:
Industry*, 22%
Industry*, 22%
MISO, 31%
MISO, 25%
% Female:
% Minority:
Industry*, 22%
Industry*, 22%