2017 Woman of the Year Finalists Announced by PennWell and POWER-GEN International

TULSA, Okla.  and NASHUA, N.H., Oct. 17, 2017  /PRNewswire/ -- The POWER-GEN Women in Power committee is pleased to announce the finalists for the POWER-GEN 2017 Woman of the Year Award. The purpose of the award is to honor the women in the industry who are role models for young women to pursue and advance careers in energy.

The finalists were selected from 33 nominations received from the global power community and represent diverse facets of the industry. Twenty-one percent more nominations were received in 2017 than in the previous year, making the selection of the three finalists difficult.

The finalists are as follows:

• Azeb Asnake, CEO of Ethiopian Electric Power, a company that is rapidly expanding power generation in the country. Asnake is responsible for overseeing the construction and operation of all generation assets. The company has more than 10 GW of projects under construction and Asnake is working to install more than 17 GW of energy capacity by 2020. 
• Pamela Rauch, Vice President of External Affairs at Florida Power and Light, the third largest integrated electric utility in the U.S. Rauch is responsible for all local government relations, economic development and community relations and outreach in Florida, a state that is growing at a faster rate than the national average.
• Caroline Winn, COO of San Diego Gas and Electric, the first California utility to deliver 33 percent of its energy from renewable resources ? five years ahead of the state's 2020 mandate. Winn became COO in January 2017 and previously served as chief energy delivery officer, overseeing all energy delivery activities, including electric distribution operations and gas services, customer services, and external and state legislative affairs.

The Woman of the Year finalists were selected based on three categories with the most weight given to how she advanced the power generation industry. In addition to their advancement of the power industry, the committee considered their leadership abilities and the impact that the nominees made on their communities.

In order to encourage more women to enter the power industry, PennWell Corporation decided in 2013 to recognize and award female trailblazers in the global power community, like these 2017 POWER-GEN Woman of the Year finalists.

Each of these finalists has dedicated her career to working in the traditionally male-dominated field of energy and each woman has exhibited determination and the expertise needed to get where she is today. Estimates of the percentage of women working in the power industry vary but in general, the number hovers around 25 percent. And as you climb the ranks, the percentage of women in leadership roles gets smaller.

"We hope that these inspiring women will serve as examples to young people considering careers in power," said Jennifer Runyon, Chair of the Women in Power Committee.

One of these three finalists will be named the 2017 POWER-GEN Woman of the Year during the Keynote session of POWER-GEN International, on December 5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The 2017 POWER-GEN Woman of the Year will give a short keynote speech during the Women in Power Luncheon on December 5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Following her speech, the finalists will participate in a panel discussion during which luncheon attendees will be able to ask them questions about their careers.

Registered POWER-GEN attendees can attend the Keynote. Tickets to the luncheon may be purchased when registering for the conference. More information about the conference is available at the POWER-GEN International website.

 2017 POWER-GEN Women in Power Committee

Robynn Andracsek, Burns & McDonnell Engineering
Mary Ann Bunn, Siemens Energy
Jennifer Delony, PennWell Corp
Teresa Hansen, PennWell Corp
Lola Infante, Edison Electric Institute
Elizabeth Ingram, PennWell Corp
Kim Lewis, Wood
Joan Matthews, Matthews Law, PLLC
Paula Mints, SPV Market Research
Nancy Mohn, Consultant
Una Nowling, Black & Veatch Corp
Regina Parundik, Cobblestone Communications
Jennifer Runyon, PennWell Corp
Leah Wilkinson, Wilkinson + Associates

About PennWell

PennWell Corporation is a business-to-business events, media, and marketing services company producing 150 print and online magazines and newsletters, 40 conferences and exhibitions around the world, plus an extensive offering of books, maps, websites, research products, digital media, and database services.

About POWER-GEN International

As the World's Largest Power Generation Event, POWER-GEN International is the industry leader in providing comprehensive coverage of the trends, technologies and issues facing the generation sector. More than 1,400 companies from all sectors of the industry exhibit each year to benefit from the exposure to more than 20,000 attendees. Displaying a wide variety of products and services, POWER-GEN International represents a horizontal look at the industry with key emphasis on new solutions and innovations for the future.

Media inquiries:  
Jennifer Runyon
Chair, Women in Power Committee
PennWell Corporation
[email protected]
603-891-9363

SOURCE PennWell Corporation