Promote! Update on Strategic Plan for Energetic Women and an Opportunity to Help
Cindy Norlin, DTE Energy

The Energetic Women’s Leadership Team met in December for the annual Leadership Retreat. The purpose of this meeting was to ensure the plans are progressing for the June conference in Scottsdale and to set the 2009 strategy for Energetic Women.

The plans for the conference are going extremely well and we anticipate providing another rewarding, energizing session. We have secured Rayona Sharpnack, CEO of the Institute for Women’s Leadership and author of “Trade Up! Five Steps for Redesigning Your Leadership and Life from the Inside Out” as the keynote speaker. Based on your feedback from the 2008 conference, there will again be breakout sessions and panel discussions. Don’t hesitate in signing up for the conference. We anticipate selling out all the rooms at the FireSky resort, which means we will be “taking over” the resort and transforming it into a Women’s learning, supporting and mentoring environment!!! You need to be a part of this!

Sage Presence assisted the Leadership Team by facilitating a lively discussion regarding setting our strategy. We recognized the challenges facing the industry including an aging workforce and limited initiatives to create career paths for women, especially in the non-traditional operations and engineering roles in utilities. The group feels Energetic Women has the potential to be a catalyst to help the industry attract, develop and retain talent, specifically by increasing the pool of promotable women in our companies.

We acknowledged that we do not yet know how Companies across the industry perceive Energetic Women, specifically as a resource to help them attract, retain and grow women leaders. We realize that steps need to be taken to talk with companies, individuals and other organizations in the industry to learn about their vision of what long term success looks like, their plan to achieve it and how Energetic Women can be a resource. Those conversations will enable us to identify the gap between their expectations and our current state. We developed an action plan to ensure we complete these conversations in 2009. Actions include:

1. Generate a contact list, focusing on energy companies across the country
2. Outreach to Foundations
3. Leverage our connections to establish/build relationships and awareness
4. Utilize Association networks to help develop grass-roots awareness ( examples: AGA, SGA, NEGA, EEI, WEI, APGA, SWE, ASME)
5. Ask all of the above; how can Energetic Women best serve their needs
6. Develop a “getting to know you” webinar for the connections we make and host sessions as needed

Here’s where you can help. You can be involved in this exciting process by helping us make contact with the people we need to talk with. This not only provides you an opportunity to help move the mission of Energetic Women forward but, depending on your developmental needs, may provide you an opportunity to work on an area you feel you need to strengthen. You can forward your interest and any contacts you can provide to Stephanie Menning at stephm@midwestenergy.org.

Thanks for your help and support with this effort. We’ll be providing you updates throughout the year.

Support! Experiencing a Tight Budget? Get a FREE Webinar!

Energetic Women is proud to support you in a tight economy by hosting free webinars! With topics chosen by you, these popular events allow you to stay focused on your success until we meet again at the next Energetic Women’s Conference.

Our first webinars were for those who participated in the Network Teams for peer-to-peer and mentor/mentee relationships. In November we hosted “Dynamic Leaders, Powerful Brands” with Lauri Flaquer, Saltar Solutions, LLC. We gathered 86 registered participants and learned how to unlock our communication, values, and passion for a clear picture of our brand or “how we see ourselves and how we would like others to see us.” How did you rate it? With a 20% response rate to the evaluation (almost 20 people) 76% said it was worth your time; 77% said the topic was above average (25%) or excellent (52%) and 94% said Lauri was above average or excellent in her presentation (47% each). Thank you for participating!!

What’s next? On January 23rd at 2:00 PM Central, we’ll host “How Do I Get THAT Job?” A panel discussion with experienced leaders on techniques, actions, and exploring opportunities on how you can gain the necessary skills needed to stand out for the next promotion or job change.

Space is limited so sign up now by clicking here. In February, we’re hosting a “Getting to Know You” webinar, which simply to introduce Energetic Women to anyone who has not had the opportunity to learn about this fantastic group. Stay tuned to the website for more information in the coming weeks.

Connect! Energetic Women 2nd Annual Conference Plans Set!

The Leadership Team met in December to finalize plans for the Energetic Women 2009 Conference. For a full conference schedule, click here.

Back row: Juli Wagner, Kris Nichols, Patty Shea, Cindy Norlin, Mary Palkovich; front row: Stephanie Menning, Mary O’Toole, Amy Dlugokecki, and Heidi Swanson (not pictured Lisha Coffey).

Registration Discounts Available!
Register by February 13th and receive a $25.00 early bird discount. In addition, we have the “Take Five” (5%) for companies registering 5 or more individuals from the same company. Sending 10 people from your company? Then take advantage of the “Perfect Ten” (10%) discount. You’ll need special administrative access to register more than one person, see details below.

Visit www.energeticwomen.org and click on Conference Schedule for more information or click on Registration to register to attend. A log in and password is required to register. If you need a log in, password or admin access for multiple registrations, contact Larissa Presho, MEA’s Database Administrator, at (651) 289-9600, ext. 115 or larissap@midwestenergy.org.

Sponsorships Available!
Get your logo in front of hundreds of energy operations and engineering professionals! Premier Sponsorship includes your logo on the conference web page with a link to your website, program promotion and signage at the event.

Reception Sponsor: $500
Education Sponsor: $1,000
Premier Sponsor: $2,000

Reception Sponsorship includes: signage and program recognition at the Welcome Reception on Tuesday, June 16 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. featuring a special networking event.

Education Sponsorship includes: signage and program recognition at all Conference Events and in the Learning Journal distributed to all attendees.

Premier Sponsorship includes: All of the above, plus your logo with a web link on the Energetic Women website. To reserve your sponsorship now, click here and complete the registration form.

HURRY! If you sponsor at any level prior to February 13, 2009, we'll acknowledge your company in the Conference brochure to be mailed to thousands of energy professionals in March.

THANKS to 2009 Premier Sponsor:

- Envision Your Logo Here!!

Recognize! The Maverick Award

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS! Submissions Due March 1st!

The 2nd Annual Energetic Women’s Conference will feature the first-ever Maverick Award. This special recognition will be awarded to any leader (male or female) who has set the standard in promoting, connecting and strengthening female leaders in energy operations and engineering. To nominate your candidate, submit a 500 word document outlining their contributions in leadership, mentoring and advocacy on behalf of women specifically in energy operations and engineering. Complete details on how to submit your candidate can be found on the Energetic Women website or click here for a .pdf submission form.

Energetic Women and Social Responsibility
We specifically chose the FireSky Resort by Kimpton as they support Dress for Success, a non-profit organization that helps low income women entering the job market, Trust for Public Land to ensure every child enjoys access to a park or playground, Red Ribbon Campaign supporting the fight against HIV/AIDS and Kimpton Earthcare as they use eco-friendly products and services.