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Power Perspectives™ Podcast: How Can Utilities Build a More Inclusive Workplace? (with Sam Hartzman of Duquesne Light Company)

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In today’s episode of the Power Perspectives Podcast, Sam Hartzman, Chief Diversity Officer at Duquesne Light Company (DLC), joins to guide a much-needed discussion of the energy industry's current state of transformation—not only in technology and sustainability but also in workplace culture. Specifically, the growing focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) sees some utilities at a crossroads, and Sam joins host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to discuss how DLC is leading this DEI charge. Listen in as Sam shares insights into the company's initiative, A Duty to One Another, which emphasizes a collaborative, grassroots approach to fostering inclusion. The discussion covers:

  • How Duquesne Light's DEI efforts differ from traditional, top-down approaches.
  • Overcoming challenges in a climate where companies are facing pressure to adjust their DEI initiatives.
  • The connection between DEI and corporate performance, including financial and operational metrics.
  • The role of DEI in advancing Duquesne Light’s mission for a clean energy future.

If you're curious about how a utility company is navigating the complexities of DEI while staying committed to its broader mission, this episode is a must-listen.

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Thanks to the sponsor of this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast: West Monroe

 

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TRANSCRIPT

Jason Price:

Today we're diving into the critical but often challenging aspect of the utility workforce transformation. We're talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI. Joining us to discuss this from the unique perspective of the utility is Sam Hartzman, Chief Diversity Officer at Duquesne Light Company. I'm Jason Price, your host coming to you from New York City, and with me as always from Orlando, Florida, is Energy Central Producer and Community Manager, Matt Chester. Matt, we've seen a recent shift on DEI at some corporations, how prevalent is the topic of DEI with the Energy Central community?

 

Matt Chester:

Thanks, Jason. And I'll say that whenever we do get coverage of DEI in the utility space on the Energy Central platform, it garners a lot of attention, positive feedback and questions. But overall, I would say that the community, it's definitely seeking even fuller expertise from the utility corporate structure to highlight what are the wins, what are the strategies, what's the changing landscape of this important topic in the power sector and its enterprises. So I'm hoping that today's episode and today's conversation will really dive into DEI in a way that'll kickstart more of these conversations on Energy Central and help us really just take a better pulse of that current status of the industry while looking forward to how our community members can be better agents for any necessary change within their organizations.

 

Jason Price:

Thanks, Matt. And before we dive into today's episode, I want to give a quick thank you to West Monroe, our sponsor of today's show. As a much anticipated guest for us in today's episode, Sam has been leading an initiative at DLC called A Duty to One Another, which is driving cultural evolution within their company. Today we're eager to unpack how this initiative is shaping the workplace culture at Duquesne Light Company and what and how peer utilities can learn from the leadership at DLC. So without further ado, Sam Hartzman, welcome to the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast!

 

Sam Hartzman:

Thanks, Jason. I'm really excited to be with you and excited to talk about this important topic.

 

Jason Price:

Fantastic, and we're thrilled to have you here, Sam. So I want to quickly give you a chance to share more about your background. You've been with Duquesne Light Company for seven years, and you came to the company to guide their ESG strategy coming from outside the utility background. What was your previous experience like in leading DEI efforts and how have you found the challenges and solutions in the energy sector compared with other industries you've touched?

 

Sam Hartzman:

Yeah, Jason, it's a great question and my career has covered a lot of different sectors and disciplines. I actually started in the nonprofit sector out of college working in community-based programming actually in Philadelphia. And as I learned more about what it meant to give back the community I had to think about ways to apply that where I could have the most impact. So that's really what led me to pursuing a career in corporate social responsibility or ESG or sustainability. And when I landed at Duquesne Light seven years ago, Duquesne Light was just beginning to explore what diversity, equity and inclusion really looked like for the utility. And my experience at my previous company where I was participating in our employee resource groups and leading those efforts helped me be a very critical voice as Duquesne Light was starting its journey. And that's how I was able to really develop a passion and foster all of the skills that I brought to the organization thus far into advancing a culture of DE&I. I was named the second chief diversity officer for the company.

So we really haven't been doing this for all too long, but I feel that I've been able to bring a unique perspective given my background in corporate social responsibility and even in my time working in the nonprofit sector.

 

Jason Price:

That's great context. So let's dive into the initiative I mentioned in your intro. A Duty to One Another. Can you share how this initiative came about and what it represents for Duquesne Light Company?

 

Sam Hartzman:

Absolutely. Before jumping in, maybe it would help our listeners if I read the statement very quickly so they could hear what we've crafted for Duquesne Light and maybe understand how there are ways they can apply this to their company. So I'll just read it very quickly, "A Duty to One Another. At Duquesne Light Holdings, we expect every employee to do their part in providing a safe and equitable workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and energized. We are committed to fostering an environment that empowers us to interact with one another in ways that drive a high performing culture where we can depend on our coworkers to lead with integrity. Together, we are building a community of inclusion and we recognize diverse perspectives are critical in making impactful decisions. Like the grid, we are all connected and at DLH, we're united in building a larger than light clean energy company for all."

So you asked a little bit about the genesis of this statement and where it came from. And I will say that as we've made progress in our DE&I journey, we sort of recognized that there were a little bit of a gap between where some of our employees were in terms of understanding and embracing a culture of DE&I and where some of our employees still needed a little bit more support. And we created A Duty to One Another as a way of establishing a common language within our workforce that is actually built around our values, which are safety, equitable, dependability, integrity and community. And so it was really important for us to create something that would foster this culture moving forward with our organization around something that they were already familiar with. And the statement actually was generated by a group of employees who are participating in our DE&I council, and they really saw this as an opportunity to articulate to the organization the expectation of what it means moving forward to create and foster a culture of respect and inclusion.

 

Jason Price:

Sam, you talk about this ethos of trying to create a culture where employees take ownership of fostering inclusion. Okay, so how does this approach differ from traditional D&I programs and how does that create a unique outcome for the professionals you work with?

 

Sam Hartzman:

Yeah, that is a great question. I would say traditionally, or at least where we are in our journey globally with DE&I is that it lives within the DE&I function. So whoever's responsible for championing DE&I within that company is sort of solely accountable for the work that happens in that space and the success that organization sees. For Duquesne Light, bringing this statement to the organization was a way hold all of us accountable for the culture that we're trying to build. It's not to diminish the role that I have as a chief diversity officer, but really reinforce that everybody's responsible for fostering this culture of inclusion and everybody is responsible for seeing the value that diversity brings to the company. And I think that is a little bit of a unique approach. And we emphasize that even in the statement, if you heard me use words like, "Together we're building a community," "Like the grid we're connected." It really tries to reinforce that we're all in this together. And so everyone's success in this space will make the organization a better organization.

 

Jason Price:

In our pre-call, we talked about what's going on elsewhere, and you described that the environment is often, for DE&I, a top-down initiative. But at Duquesne Light, it's more collaborative. Grassroots effort. So what challenges have you encountered in this approach and how have you navigated them?

 

Sam Hartzman:

I think it's fair to say that in this space, in DE&I, there are always going to be challenges. I often reflect on my peers and folks who've come before me and they talk about this environment where if you're not creating some type of friction or if you're not getting a reaction, then you're probably not doing it well. So I encourage folks who are in this space or who are trying to champion DE&I to stay the course regardless of any pushback they receive. For Duquesne Light, specifically, we've seen that our employees are at different stages on their journey and we're moving at different paces across the organization. For utility, you have a lot of folks who grew up in the utility and certain norms and behaviors and cultures exist in this organization that are a huge asset to who we are and how we've been able to weather every storm and stay focused on our community for the last 150 or so years. And so it's very important that you continue to foster that while bringing them along on the journey.

And that's where we have the most opportunity to continue to work with our workforce, is making sure they understand that, one, they're extremely critical to us getting to where we want to be and, two, that we will work with them at a pace that is comfortable so that they feel that they're being included in this journey towards a more respectful and inclusive environment.

 

Jason Price:

Sam, we've seen some very public companies move away from DE&I initiatives. We've seen pressure from board members and such, and really questioning the need for this. How are you dealing with changing sentiment from some of your members, from DLC stakeholders? And what keeps DLC committed to these goals?

 

Sam Hartzman:

That is a great question, and I'm sure it's one that a lot of folks have today as we talk about this topic. For Duquesne Light, we're extremely fortunate to have an ownership group and board and leadership team that is committed to DE&I. We have it baked into our values. We have it baked into our vision for the company. It is very much part of our DNA, and I think that that's really what keeps us going on this path. And I think as a company really focusing on the value that DE&I brings to your organization. In a lot of ways, similar to ESG, DE&I is about risk management. It's about seeing the opportunities that are ahead of us and trying to go after them proactively. And it's not about trying to distill it down to sort of those basic concepts of DE&I, but really embed DE&I in the framework of your business and in your strategy as a company so that everybody understands that there is value to continuing this investment and this work.

I think that our company is similar to a lot of companies in that we're early in our journey and there's definitely times where folks might want to throw in the towel, but we have such a strong, committed leadership behind us that it makes it very easy to get up every day and do the work and stay committed to it.

 

Jason Price:

Yeah. That's interesting. Sam, you mentioned that A Duty to One Another is about creating a common language for how employees engage with each other and the company's mission. Can you talk a little bit more about that and how has that impacted corporate financial performance and other performance metrics, which ultimately is what we're all accountable for?

 

Sam Hartzman:

Yeah. So something I haven't touched on yet is actually the way that our DE&I strategy is formulated around three pillars. Those pillars are workplace, marketplace, and community. And we're starting to see a shift in the industry around how DE&I shows up more holistically. So it's not so focused on just the talent side or the people side, but it's really trying to create a link between what are you doing in the workplace, what are you doing in the marketplace, and then what are you doing in your community, and then how are all of those things coming together to create a stronger story for the company? And when we talk about KPIs and financial performance, it all shows up in that framework. I think about our talent metrics and how we're trying to retain, develop the diverse talent that's going to push us forward, that's going to help us be more efficient and effective as a company.

From a marketplace standpoint, we're focused on supplier diversity and the way that we support our customers, which drives affordability and efficiency for the business. And then on the community side, it really underpins those two pillars and helps us ensure that we're going to hit those targets by partnering with stakeholders outside of the organization and investing in our local communities. Duquesne Light is so uniquely positioned to be part of the service territory that we serve that it's in our best interest to be part of the economic vitality of this region. And our DE&I strategy really reinforces that, that if the company is thriving then the community should be thriving and vice versa. So we really see it as critical to our future and continued success.

 

Jason Price:

That's very interesting. And no doubt all this work is, of course, tied into ESG goals as well as what we're all trying to do across this country and this industry, which is a cleaner energy future for all. So I want to ask you about that. Can you speak about this relationship? Broadly speaking, we often hear about DE&I's impact on workforce dynamics, but how does it affect Duquesne Light's broader mission of a cleaner and sustainable grid for all?

 

Sam Hartzman:

Yeah, we always talk about that in our vision statement. We were very intentional about that "for all" piece, right? A clean energy future for all. It's so important that we bring everyone on the journey. It's so important that we think about every customer, wherever they are, and ensuring that they have the access to the products and services and tools that we can provide at an affordable and equitable rate. Right? And we say the same thing for our employees. 70% of our employees are our customers. So when we're talking about customers at Duquesne Light, we're talking about our employees. And it's very important that we see those links and we continue to foster that culture of showing up for our customers, showing up for our community, and showing up for our employees. And I see those as being very integrated into the company's vision and our ability to really secure that vision for everybody that we support and all of our stakeholders.

 

Jason Price:

Nicely stated. That's very interesting and thank you for sharing that. So, Sam, we've learned a lot about your role and your work. Now we want to learn a little bit more about you, the person, rather than just the professional. So before we wrap up and give you the final word, we want to move to what's called our lightning round where we get to ask you a few questions. We ask you to give us back a short answer, one word or phrase or even a sentence or two. Are you ready?

 

Sam Hartzman:

I'm ready.

 

Jason Price:

All right. So with Edison in the name of so many utilities, you seem to be the exception. Where does the name Duquesne Light Company come from?

 

Sam Hartzman:

Yeah, what a great question. And first I'll say that Duquesne is not a word that is easy to pronounce. So we've had a lot of folks who've read it and have struggled, and I can appreciate that. Being from Pittsburgh, it's common language, but when you're not from the area, it's one that might be a little unfamiliar. So Duquesne is really a Pittsburgh word, name. References fort Duquesne. So we've got a lot of history in our own region that we sort of borrowed from. But, as a company, we're very much tied to the history of the electric industry. We talk about Westinghouse and Tesla and Edison and all of the folks that really pioneered electricity. That rings true for us a hundred percent. It's very much part of who we are, and we really embrace that legacy. But Duquesne itself really references the city and the region and our own local history.

 

Jason Price:

What's your guilty pleasure snack?

 

Sam Hartzman:

I love this question. Anything s'mores flavored or s'more is something that I have to have. So ice cream, cookies, s'mores themselves. I'm a big fan of s'mores.

 

Jason Price:

What is your best kept secret or local favorite for anyone visiting the city of Pittsburgh?

 

Sam Hartzman:

Yeah, what a great question. And actually this past weekend I had a chance to visit one of my favorite places, which is the Phipps Botanical Garden here in Pittsburgh. It is such an awesome place to go. It helps you recharge your batteries. It's beautiful. They change it out every season. So there's always something new to explore, and it's one of our favorite places to visit.

 

Jason Price:

What's the best gift you've ever received?

 

Sam Hartzman:

So there's a little bit of a story behind this one, but the best gift I've ever received is a dinner at the Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia, which is a Michelin star awarded restaurant. We have a family connection to the chef, Patrick O'Connell, and my dad called them up right before my 24th birthday and said, "Is there any chance you can squeeze us in for dinner?" And they said, "Absolutely." And it was the best meal I've had in my entire life, and I don't think any meal has ever come close to that.

 

Jason Price:

Wow. That's a great response. Thank you for sharing that. Sam, we do ask previous guests to ask questions to future guests. So this next lightning round question comes from David Schleicher, the CEO of NOVEC in Northern Virginia. He recently challenged the future guest with the following question: what have you done to pass on the legacy of your knowledge and your experience in this most vital industry to the next generation of leaders?

 

Sam Hartzman:

I love this question because I feel so fortunate to be in the space that I'm in and have the work that I do drive so much impact both for the company and for our stakeholders. So one of the ways I give back is by mentoring. I participate in our company's mentoring program, but I also love talking to folks who want to get interested in working in corporate social responsibility or ESG or DE&I, partially because I've had such a non-traditional path to getting to where I am today and I want others to see that opportunity for themselves. So anytime someone reaches out and says, "Hey, I'm interested in the work that you do. Can we grab coffee? Can we talk?" I'm absolutely on board. I really want to help people understand how they too can end up in a role where they can add value not only to the organizations that they're in, but for themselves and for their communities.

 

Jason Price:

Very nice. Now it's your turn. What lightning round question do you want to challenge a future guest to answer? And of course it can be topical and related to energy, or it can be any off the wall question.

 

Sam Hartzman:

Well, my gift question might sort of allude to this, but I'm always curious what people would say around having sort of the dinner party of their dreams and who would they invite and what would they serve? So I'm very curious about that. I love to entertain. I love to build community over food and culture comes about in that way. And so I'd be curious what some of your other guests would have to say.

 

Jason Price:

Sam, you covered the four corners of the earth on your responses here, so I'm really interested in hearing this final question. What are you most motivated by?

 

Sam Hartzman:

Yeah, I think for me, I am most motivated by impacting the lives of others and really ensuring that whatever my legacy is, wherever I am, that it's positive, that it helps folks be the best versions of themselves, it helps organizations become the best version of themselves. I'm really focused on the impact that I can have as an individual. Given the limited time that we all have on this planet, I want to make sure that it's time well spent and that I've done my part to ensure that future generations and those who come after me have a better opportunity and better access to things that will make them successful moving forward.

 

Jason Price:

Very nice. And, Sam, you know that our listeners are leaders in utilities. People who are making decisions every day similar to your own. Knowing that you're talking to this audience of key decision makers, what single piece of advice do you wish to share with your peers across the industry?

 

Sam Hartzman:

I would say going back an earlier response, really just keep going. When it feels tough, you know you're making a difference. Things are happening. It may not feel like it, but you have to keep going and you have to push through it. And that's the most important thing that I can share with folks, especially those in spaces like ESG and DE&I where there a lot of opportunity to continue demonstrating how those bring value to an organization and an individual and so not being afraid of pushback and just powering through is the most important piece.

 

Jason Price:

Fantastic. Sam, I'm sure our listeners will have lots of questions and comments and will even want to follow up with this important conversation. And, as always, we invite them to leave those in the comments section of the Energy Central Post of this episode. And when they do, we'll invite you, Sam, to hop in and keep the conversation going. Until then though, we just want to thank you for sharing your insights with us in today's episode of the podcast.

 

Sam Hartzman:

Thank you. I've such a great time.

 

Jason Price:

Fantastic. As have we. You can always reach through the Energy Central platform, where she welcomes your questions and comments. We also want to give a shout out of thanks to the podcast sponsors that made today's episode possible. Thanks to West Monroe. West Monroe is a leading partner for the nation's largest electric gas and water utilities working together to drive grid modernization, clean energy and workforce transformation. West Monroe's comprehensive services are designed to support utilities in advancing their digital transformation, building resilient operations, securing federal funding, and providing regulatory advisor support. With a multidisciplinary team of experts, West Monroe offers a holistic approach that addresses the challenges of the grid today and provides innovative solutions for a sustainable future. And, once again, I'm your host Jason Price. Plug in and stay fully charged in the discussion, popping into the community at energycentral.com. And we'll see you next time at the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast.

 

 

About Energy Central Podcasts

The ‘Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast’ features conversations with thought leaders in the utility sector. At least twice monthly, we connect with an Energy Central Power Industry Network community member to discuss compelling topics that impact professionals who work in the power industry. Some podcasts may be a continuation of thought-provoking posts or discussions started in the community or with an industry leader that is interested in sharing their expertise and doing a deeper dive into hot topics or issues relevant to the industry.

The ‘Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast’ is the premiere podcast series from Energy Central, a Power Industry Network of Communities built specifically for professionals in the electric power industry and a place where professionals can share, learn, and connect in a collaborative environment. Supported by leading industry organizations, our mission is to help global power industry professionals work better. Since 1995, we’ve been a trusted news and information source for professionals working in the power industry, and today our managed communities are a place for lively discussions, debates, and analysis to take place. If you’re not yet a member, visit www.EnergyCentral.com to register for free and join over 200,000 of your peers working in the power industry.

The Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast is hosted by Jason Price, Community Ambassador of Energy Central. Jason is a Business Development Executive at West Monroe, working in the East Coast Energy and Utilities Group. Jason is joined in the podcast booth by the producer of the podcast, Matt Chester, who is also the Community Manager of Energy Central and energy analyst/independent consultant in energy policy, markets, and technology.  

If you want to be a guest on a future episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, let us know! We’ll be pulling guests from our community members who submit engaging content that gets our community talking, and perhaps that next guest will be you! Likewise, if you see an article submitted by a fellow Energy Central community member that you’d like to see broken down in more detail in a conversation, feel free to send us a note to nominate them.  For more information, contact us at [email protected]. Podcast interviews are free for Expert Members and professionals who work for a utility.  We have package offers available for solution providers and vendors. 

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