The Women Who Inspire session (formerly known as Women in Utilities) is a crowd favorite at Itron Inspire, and for good reason. This year’s discussion was nothing short of excellent and highlighted leaders who are driving their careers forward in a male-dominated industry while inspiring others along the way. Session moderator, Dr. Andrea Nuesser, director of customer strategy & experience, Hydro One, sat down with panelists Mary Bailey, senior vice president of finance, San Antonio Water System; Robin Dail Massanopoli, manager of metering solutions, Dominion Energy; and Brianne Jordan, senior manager of customer projects and system support, Pepco Holdings, to hear firsthand about the panelists’ career journeys and how they’ve evolved into the exceptional leaders they are today. 

Here are a few of the highlights from the discussion: 

Q: As a professional, what is your superpower and kryptonite?  

Brianne: It’s probably a result of my tendency to over analyze, but I’ve always had a strong intuition with the ability to predict risks and outcomes. In terms of kryptonite, I find it challenging to sit back when I have the answer and let others figure it out. I don’t want to see anyone struggle, but it makes me a better coach and leader to let people work their way through a challenge.  

Robin: My superpower and kryptonite are the same: truth. Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows that I tell it like it is. It’s not in my DNA to tell people what they want to hear. Over the years, I’ve learned to use better language and improve my delivery, but it’s still not always easy or what they want to hear. It’s helpful to me in most situations, but it can be difficult. 

Mary: I am very analytical, so my superpower is my ability to find solutions. From a kryptonite perspective, I have no poker face. If someone says something I don’t agree with, you can usually read it all over my face. I need to watch that, but I’ve worked with a lot of great people over the years so those moments of ‘what the heck’ are few and far between. 

Q: I love that this session has been renamed to Women Who Inspire. Let us in on your secret - how do you inspire others in your job and your daily life? 

Robin: I’ve had a lot of opportunities to talk to people and give guidance. I try to ask questions and listen to someone else’s concerns before asking, “Have you thought about it from this perspective?” For the person in it, it can be hard to see the forest through the trees. But if you just give them the answer, which of course would be easier, it doesn’t inspire them to think from a different perspective or find a solution.  

Andrea: I love that – listening more and then speaking, empowering others to make decisions and then having their back. 

Mary: I had one of my employees tell me that people consider me tough, but fair. I said, “I’ll take that,” because I know that I do have a reputation of being tough, but I want to make sure people feel like I treat them fairly. I set the bar very high for my employees, but I set it higher for myself. I’m willing to do anything and everything that I would expect my employees to do. 

Andrea: That’s a really nice summary. If your personal values align with how people see you, I see that as a huge accomplishment. 

Brianne: Mentoring, volunteering and servant leadership are my jam. It has become a big part of what inspires me every day. Whether it was when I was a teenager trying to navigate life, going to college 12 hours away from home, or being a new mom while navigating my career – these were all different stages of life where I needed support. The opportunity to offer that to someone else – being there, being open and supportive, letting others know I have their back – is what I like to bring forward in my leadership.  

Andrea: Listening to you, an image of a candle comes to my mind. A candle doesn’t lose its brightness by illuminating others and I think that’s a beautiful way to lead. 

Q: As leaders, we know life isn’t always easy or inspiring, but we still need to keep it together somehow. Can you share an example of a time you struggled and what you learned from it? 

Mary: When it gets difficult, that’s when I double down and say, “We’re going to fix this and find the solution.” In the last few years, SAWS has had a number of interesting challenges. Texas had a horrible winter storm and because of that, we had to deal with our customers going without water for a week. Right before that was the pandemic. We were constantly dealing with high-profile customer situations but eventually came up with solutions to turn them around, and we are now viewed as a supportive utility that truly cares for our customers. There’s always a solution – you just need to work through the situation and rely on your team.  

Brianne: The past few years have been a challenge, and it centers mostly around COVID. My youngest daughters were home, and I was already working in a hybrid environment but had to transition to mom, caregiver, employee and teacher all at once. Trying to manage the work environment and the constant bouncing from my children, their workload and mine, the house and everything in-between was difficult. I’ve learned to give myself grace and seek support from my colleagues.  

Robin: I had a personal situation happen that resulted in a health crisis. Prior to that, I was very result-driven – I was going to get it done and didn’t have a lot of consideration for bringing people along. Going through that crisis gave me an appreciation for the fact that adults experience hardships and you can’t always check it at the door when you come to work. People aren’t robots – they have lives, loved ones, friends, etc. with a lot going on and we need to make space for that at work.  

Andrea: Going through some personal issues made me a better leader. For me, leadership was always about being the person who knows everything. I’ve learned that it’s actually about asking myself the question, “How do I empower others to be their best?” By empowering my team and making them better, they make me better as well. Learning to focus on others and how to help them was a big step for me in my leadership journey. 

A special thank you to Dr. Andrea Nuesser, Mary Bailey, Robin Dail Massanopoli, and Brianne Jordan for their candor, honesty and vulnerability during this engaging discussion. To watch the full session and many others on demand, you can register here.