DLC is commemorating Women’s History Month by highlighting a woman employee who takes up a pivotal role in the organization to continue its mission of providing affordable electricity and utility services to customers
Director of Regulatory Legal at DLC Tishekia Williams said a significant reason she joined the successful team at Duquesne Light Co. is because of its role in the ever-changing energy industry.
“We went from centralized, large, generating plants that flow one way to the in-use customer,” she said. “Now, with the proliferation of distributed energy resources, microgrids, batteries, and all of that stuff, the grid has become a bidirectional tool–which brings a lot of opportunities for the industry and to the customer.”
Williams said that’s one of many reasons why she enjoys her role at DLC. She can “influence that process to ensure that we can continue to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable service for all customers.”
Williams serves on the host committee of Gwen’s Girls, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young girls to become self-sufficient adults. The nonprofit is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a roaring ‘20s-themed gala on May 12 at the Wyndham. You can purchase tickets here.
“It’s about honoring the legacy of the founder, Gwendolyn Elliott, who was a commander in the Pittsburgh police and founded this organization to serve Black girls living in less than ideal situations,” said Williams.
After graduating with honors from the Indiana University of Philadelphia and then obtaining a J.D. from Rutgers, Williams has been commemorated with awards like the Smart Grid Customer Innovation All-Star and was recently named a member of the 2020 cohort of the Executive Leadership Academy.
We caught up with Williams to learn more about her roles, inspiration, and family.
Start by telling us a little about yourself.
Williams: I was born and raised in Philadelphia. I’ve been in the Pittsburgh area for about 10 years. I reside in the Fox Chapel area with my two children. I love theater; music and dance are two of my favorite things. My daughter is into dance–I’ll freely admit that dance parties at my house are a regular occurrence. I’ve got a pretty full life with my job at Duquesne and some of the community service that I do. I’m on the board of the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity and Inclusion Coalition. I’m also on the post committee for Gwen’s Girls, so I don’t have much free time. What I do have is typically reserved for my family.
What do you love most about working at DLC?
I came [to DLC] because I understood that the energy industry was changing dramatically. As the Director of Regulatory Legal, I lead a team of attorneys and paraprofessionals in handling matters for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, which regulates our distribution business [and] the federal energy regulatory commission. DLC is a wires-only company overseen by those two entities. Our infrastructure investment [and] the way we deal with our customers…is regulated, and we handle that.
What do your awards mean to you?
In 2014, the New Pittsburgh Courier was one of the first entities to award me with one of their 50 Women of Excellence awards. I’m just grateful and humbled to have my community and peers value the work I do both within the utility space and the community abroad. They’re meaningful to me in that regard.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
My children. Being a mother is the hardest and most important job in the world. I’m proud of my two kids, particularly my daughter, who is dyslexic, maintains straight As, and is on the honor roll. I highlight her because it’s Women’s History Month. As I work to break the bias, I do so in part so that she experiences less of it as she grows up.
Who is your greatest influence?
Overall, it’s my dad. He passed away from [Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis] in March 2019. As painful and difficult as it was to watch a close loved one face their mortality, I learned so much in those conversations with him. What I learned from [our] conversations is that the things that matter most aren’t professional accolades. It’s the connection and influence that you have on the people that mean the most to you and on your community.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Two little people, literally. Also, my desire to leave the world better for my kids and generations to come [and] how I can serve my community and add value through my work. That’s what keeps me going.
If you could travel back in time 10 years and tell yourself one thing, what would it be?
Not a thing! It’s been my experience that you have to be ready to receive information. I don’t necessarily know that I would’ve done something different had I known differently [at the time]. I’m grateful for the journey.
What message do you want Black women to hear?
It’s important to understand that Black women are not a homogenous group of people. There’s diversity within the community. When I think of Black women, I think of a passage from Corinthians 13: “Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” If you replace the word “love” with “Black women,” that’s how I see Black women. I hope to share my vision of Black women with the world, which often doesn’t see us the way we see ourselves.
Share a pivotal moment in your career and how you grew from it.
During a Corporate Counsel Women of Color panel, all of these women who were distinguished in their careers shared failures and things that didn’t go as expected. I think it was the first time I openly heard about someone experiencing significant setbacks and still trying. You often see the outcome, but you don’t see the journey. That was probably the most powerful thing for me because I was a very young attorney at that point. It reminded me that I can stumble a bit and still rebound.
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