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Diane Leopold & Carter Reid
Hear from Chief Operating Officer, Diane Leopold, and Chief of Staff, Carter Reid, about their experiences as women making history at Dominion Energy, and their hopes for the future of our workforce.
This article is about:
How women are making history at Dominion Energy.
The future of our workforce.
Carter Reid: I first came to Dominion Energy in 1996 as a lawyer. As is the case now, there were more women in finance, legal and administrative services positions than in operational roles. But there were certainly fewer women in leadership roles. From my first assignment as a lawyer, working for our then General Counsel Tom Farrell, I was given incredible opportunities. But I was often the only woman at the negotiating table as a lawyer, and what was different at the time was the overall workplace culture.
Diane Leopold: There was only one other woman in my college graduating class. When I started my career in 1989, I was the first female power station engineer at Pepco. Over the years, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work in many different roles throughout Dominion Energy since I joined the company in 1995. But it was not uncommon for me to be the only woman at the power or natural gas facility, construction site, negotiating table or industry meeting.
CR: For a good part of my career, I was seen first and foremost as a woman. I was not Dominion’s General Counsel, but Dominion’s “female” General Counsel. And I heard comments made that indicated early promotions were because I was a woman. That being said, I never felt as though I was held back because of my gender.
DL: In a few cases, I was told that I did not belong in a power station. One time, at a business dinner, I was even told to “go with the wives” while they discussed business matters before dinner. But this was certainly not the norm, and because of that, I did not allow it to interfere with doing my best at work every day.
CR: I think the mindset has changed tremendously – I know that is the case within our officer team. We now see each other based on our talents, our values, and our unique contributions to our company.
DL: Today, far more often than not, other women are in the room, and at all levels. So, while there are still relatively few women, particularly in technical and operational roles, that’s a big change and it continues to improve!
CR: Well, I have worked for former CEO Tom Farrell for over 25 years, and something I have admired most about his leadership is that he surrounded himself with those he viewed as most committed to our company’s values and mission – not those that shared a similar background or similar attributes to him. As a result of that, the senior leadership team of our company went from all white males when I started, to a team that was 50 percent diverse, with three women and a black man as part of his senior most team, when he retired as CEO.
DL: Fortunately, there has been a huge shift in the Diversity & Inclusion mindset. In the beginning of my career, diversity was discussed in a way that I felt like people were being asked to “accept” or “tolerate” diversity. Later, programs were developed that helped our colleagues better understand and appreciate the value of diversity.
CR: First, it’s important to note that reaching 50% diversity on our senior leadership team was not intentional. It evolved because each individual was valued for their uniqueness and contributions, and as a result, the leadership of our company became a more diverse group. For me, that is the goal - that we as women are at the table not because we are women, but because we have earned the seat at the table because of our contributions and everyone else understands that.
DL: We’ve all heard the various stereotypes about gender in the workplace. None of the women I know are, as the saying goes, trying to be a man in a man’s world. The women I work with across our company and industry are smart, engaging, motivated and kind. They bring a unique richness and perspective into the workplace that has helped me understand more deeply why it is so important to move from Diversity to Diversity & Inclusion.
CR: As is the case with the importance of women earning a seat at the table, the same should be the case for our minority employees. We will continue to become a stronger, better company as we continue to increase our overall diversity but, more importantly, continue to develop a culture that is inclusive of all and allows each of us to bring our best and full self to work each day so we can excel for our fellow employees, customers, and communities.
DL: We have made wonderful improvements in Diversity & Inclusion at the company. Recently, however, we have learned that we have not gone far enough. Diversity & Inclusion is about welcoming and celebrating the unique experiences everyone can bring to Dominion Energy. That certainly includes women, but it is about building a more diverse workplace and an inclusive culture for all.
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