Sheryl Riggs 0:01 Thank you for meeting us at the intersection where the worlds of energy and technology come together. Thank you for meeting us at The Intersection for those of you listening for the first time, welcome, and for returning listeners, welcome back. I am UTC President and CEO Sheryl Riggs. And today we are recording a special in person episode of The Intersection at our 2022 UTC telecom and Technology Conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I'm in for a treat today special guests is a UTC legacy member. And when I say legacy member, I am talking about a lady who has led many committees for many years. And many of us look to her for guidance, leadership and a knowledge exchange like none other. But she is also a lead telecommunication engineer at Leidos, and I want y'all to welcome with me and sit back and listen, Miss Sheila. Wells. Sheila Wells 1:03 Thank you, Thank you. Sheryl Riggs 1:05 Yes. Thank you for joining us. And can you please tell our listeners and our viewers, anything you'd like to share about yourself? Sheila Wells 1:13 Well, Sheryl, I will tell you, I am an engineer, been in the utility industry and engineering for over 30 years now. And engineer rocks, having a great time being on the cutting edge of technology. It's a great, great field. So I would encourage any one who is listening to look at engineering, a wonderful field, wonderful field. Sheryl Riggs 1:48 That definitely sounds inspiring and encouraging. And I'm sure 30 years. Wow, so many things, accomplishments that we can list that Sheila is bringing to the table, she brings to the table. But I'm sure you have so many stories and to share with us over the 30 years. And yes, your engineer but you also many other things. So we will-- Sheila Wells 2:09 I am ! I am! I'm a mom and a wife, I am! Sheryl Riggs 2:13 Yes, I'm gonna multitask. And that that is and doing it well. So you know, let's dive right into this discussion. Because I mean, as I mentioned in the intro, we're recording this live right here from our 2022 UTC telecom and technology in Oklahoma, and I'm going to be talking to us a little bit of a pun. I know this isn't your first rodeo. So what advice would you give those first time UTC event attendees, whether it's our annual conference or at a regional regional event? Sheila Wells 2:45 Well, I will tell you, first of all, if it's in a city, as hot as Oklahoma, you may want to bring a fan that may be one of the first things that you want to do. But being seriously. One of the things the advice that I would give for our first time UTC event attendees would be network and I have more than one piece network, engage, meet people explore and enjoy. UTC offers so much. You meet people from all over the world, in the utility industry. So if you have a project that you're working on that you need some guidance, you can find that person here. If you have a product that you need some support, or maybe you're looking for selection for a product. We have vendors from all over the world, that you can go to the exhibit hall, whether it's a regional meeting, or an annual meeting, and you can have that one on one conversation engage, it's important for you to be able to meet these people. And that would be the thing that I would say, I would give the advice for a first time UTC event attendees. Sheryl Riggs 4:17 And that advice is excellent. And I can tell you, I mean, I haven't been in the industry for 30 years, and I could definitely tell you all of the advice that Sheila just share with you she's given to me and guided me, networking, learning, meeting people from all over and enjoy. You can actually have so much fun. We just, I mean, that was really good advice that I will-- I still use today. And I'm sure many of us do. Because it is so valuable and people can't even imagine how much you can get. So I really appreciate that. Sheila Wells 4:54 You would think problem solving would be [unintelligible] Sheryl Riggs 5:00 Well, some people make it more fun than others. And you're one of them. Sheila Wells 5:03 Well, Thank you. Sheryl Riggs 5:04 Yes. And one of the ways we talk about networking and getting involved. Right off the bat, you know, UTC has many committees and divisions that meet on a monthly basis. And of course, we're going to encourage all of our members, and if you're not a member, figure out how to get to be a member or get involved in some way. And take advantage of this opportunity to make long lasting professional and personal connections. As Sheila said, Sheila has served on several committees, from the audit committee, Utilisite, but currently serving as the membership division chair. As UTCs membership, which we are member driven. So this is one of our critical critical committees, division chair, what benefits do you have as being part of a committee? And what are some of the things you do within your committee? Sheila Wells 5:54 Well Sheryl, thank you for the opportunity to be able to discuss this. I'm glad you didn't say benefit, because there's more than one benefit. And I would have had a hard time trying to narrow it down to one. So I'm glad I had an S on the end of that "benefit" of the other two committees that I have participated in was knowledge and learning. And also before, Utilisite, there was an IT committee, where we were working on getting on Networks, we were building our profiles, we were doing a lot of interaction, so that we were creating that Utilisite. So that little, some of them no, she didn't know Sheryl Riggs 6:42 I didn't know about that is very interesting. I also want to emphasize, you know, because she'll share with us that she has 30 years of experience as an engineer, but where I've worked closely with Sheila was on the audit committee, very different. So once again, to her point, how you can meet people from all backgrounds everywhere, and still really gain such a lifetime experience. So I just really wanted to share that it's not limiting. Sheila Wells 7:11 So you're right, but the benefits that I have experience, training experience, being behind the scenes to see all the hard work that the UTC staff is doing and continues to do. And I want to thank you for that. I would say intimate engagement with members also. And closing the gap on meeting members needs help. So let me take this one by one training, what I mean about training. Before COVID, UTC, allow me to experience virtual, meaning working through Microsoft Teams or the Zooms or Webex, holding sessions talking to people interacting.Guess what? When COVID came, I was already there. So you actually made me a better employee, because you strengthened that skill that I never had to use, because at the utility company I was at, we were always in the office. We never used virtual until COVID. So I was already prepared. I was way ahead of the curve. So in addition to I can say with Utilisite, I remember working with wireless co-location didn't know what it was, until getting really involved into the Utilisite committee and being able to network and talk with people about what is dark fiber? How do you build out your fiber network? How do you learn how to pay for your fiber? How do you serve the customers? What is it that you need to do to get customers and then when you get customers, how do you keep them? How do you help to build your operations fiber network? I learned so much the joint use, the pole attachments when the regulatory came in, I learned so much more for my job to be a better employee through the Utilisite committee. The great thing about that is on my performance appraisal, I had goals and guess what, because of UTC, my networking, my engagement, I was able to meet and exceed those goals. So that was the great thing with the training from UTC. And I can even say the experience, to one of the things being behind the scenes, to see all that the UTC staff what you all do, at the meetings, being part of the audit committee, making those budgets work. It's amazing. So you actually are able to experience how it all comes together. It's like a fine, well oiled machine. And I thank you for that, oh, year after year. Being part of the committee also allows you to have that intimate, intimate engagement with members that you, you, you see it at a conference. But that's once a quarter or once a year, depending on when you attend. A committee allows you to have that monthly engagement. Love it. Love it and closing the gap on meeting member needs. Sometimes we forget we're members too.. So what is it that I want from UTC? Yeah, I'm being a little selfish. But what is it that I want out of my membership along with my peers? we get together we talk, we bring that to UTC, so that it is developed. That is what I see as a benefit of being part of the committee. Sheryl Riggs 11:38 Wow. I mean, you've actually made me think about some things. I mean, yeah, the committee engagement, it is more of a not necessarily day to day, but it's more intimate. And there's so many more opportunities to learn and develop, not just for yourself, but in your industry in your profession. Yeah, that thank you for that those are definite benefits that I think all of us can value. And if we'll be quite honest, we can utilize that in our personal life as well. Because as you said, your mother and wife and many of us, we have several responsibilities and joys that we share in our lives. Sheila Wells 12:22 I think in my last session, I said buy one, get one, buy one, get three free. It was such a value, and I still believe that. The membership has unlimited benefits. Sheryl Riggs 12:39 Yeah, and I think I'm gonna, I'm gonna paraphrase. And I hope I'm not mistaking what you're saying. But what I'm hearing is, yeah, UTC you make UTC sound really good, too. And we are, we are but it's some of a lot of it is you. What do you want, like, I love that you said you were being selfish, really, you were not being selfish, you were being selfless, because you were sharing with us how we can work together to really get so much more out of it than we even designed or imagined. So definitely, that's the key takeaway for me as we go forward. Well, you know, we could be here all day, because there's like seven year legacy, you know, so But speaking of legacy, UTC is about to celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, they call it yay, go. Amazing. And we're gonna hope to do quite a bit. One of the things we celebrate this occasion, we're planning a gala in August, and it's going to be a black tie event featuring keynote addresses, entertainment, dinner, and much more. Of course, we hope to you'll be there so that we can honor you as well. Sheila Wells 13:47 I plan on being there Sheryl Riggs 13:49 Yes, and 75 years a big deal. So we will have to do a bit. But as we look back on those 75 years of UTC, we're asking some of our legacy veteran UTC members to give us their top three UTC moments. And if you want to share with us right now your top three, top one, top two, we'll take it but what are some of your top moments at UTC? Sheila Wells 14:15 Wow. Can I narrow it down the 3? Sheryl Riggs 14:19 We have to continue. Sheila Wells 14:20 I will say I'll say first becoming a member of Utilisite and being the Utilisite chair because it helped me get out of my comfort zone as I tell you a lot. Engineers, most technical people, we like people so every engineer that's listening to this is probably laughing said "Yes, she's right." We like to problem solve, give us our toys, let us go fix it, put us on the computer. Let us problem solve that. What...gets us, that's what turns us on. That's what lights that fire. Well guess what? Utilisite I brought it out in a different way. And it showed me how to interact with people, to be able to present and socialize and have fun. And okay, you can get away from that computer. And it really helps you with your team building skills. A lot of times when you're in the utility industry, they're not that many people in an area. So a lot of times you have to do a lot of individual work, you may have one person doing several tasks. I would say Utilisite, helped me to be able to be part of a team thats spread all over the world, and to accomplish great tasks. Which comes to my second proud moment is we had a successful Utilisite meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, my hometown, that I was proud for everybody to come and see people all over the world. We had wonderful topics. Everybody had a great time, and we enjoyed and learned a lot. So that was my second moment. My third moment, and I'm gonna cheat on this one. I'm gonna say awards. And the reason being is they were memorable, because Connie Dorsett I received that award, I was with Connie, on Friday, Connie passed away on that Monday. So it was very touching for me to be able to receive that award. She was a wonderful lady, we had a great time, saw the direction that she wanted to take the organization. So it was touching to be able to meet someone like that, get the award, and then have that experience, as well as the Meehan meaning the Meehan family wonderful family. Wonderful, wonderful experiences that I will never forget. And once again, thank you UTC for the opportunity. Sheryl Riggs 17:44 Wow. I mean, thank you, Sheila. And I have to say, you know, everything that your three moments that you touched upon, I wasn't here for all three of them. Just like some of our listeners, you like you may not but I tell you, I feel like I've been there with you now. And I'll take tell you the awards, that is very touching when you talk about Connie Dorsett. She was she was a visionary. And I believe that's an appropriate word to use to describe for the work you've done and for you, is a visionary. And I'm taking that back to your moments one or two with Utilisite. I was here when the-- you had the event and the event was successful. And I was-- I saw the magic. And I'll be honest, you know, of course, all of our members in our committee chairs do wonderful work all the time. And every now and then we get to see something that we did not imagine to see. And that's what I call magic. And I saw that magic with Utilisite. So it inspired me and many others on the team and many other committee members. I want that magic, I want to see what we can do to make our committee engage and have great meetings and share this great information like you talked about this career path forward for so many. So I just wanted to say to those that it goes way beyond just being a part of it. Sometimes I can't think of the word but that magic, you can feel it too, wherever you are, and you can want to be a part of it. So that was wonderful. And lastly, the Meehan family, you know, I often say it is an honor, it was an honor to meet them. And I feel like I'm part of your family too, you know, and so I could definitely see how, those moments were just just out of this world and I'd love to I know you have many more but those were well chosen. I just want to thank you about that. As I said we could be here all day. But as our time comes to an end on our podcast, and we want to go back to enjoying the conference because I'm sure many people want to talk to you catch up since it's been a few few years, we're COVID. What are you looking forward to doing most at this conference, TNT 2022. Sheila Wells 20:09 Well, going to the educational sessions, because that's what UTC is about to bring back the new ideas back to our team to know, what is the next step in technology, networking, then engaging with our members through the sessions in the exhibit hall, I get to talk with utility partners, in addition to utility members, and talk about what I love most, problem solving,. This is what we do catching up. And being able to experience as she said that magic. Meeting new members is always fun and connecting members, one of the things about connecting members just talk with someone who, at the board meeting, who is having some issues with their 700 megahertz system, we talked about it. And then they didn't realize, Wow, there is a 700 megahertz working group under the technical committee, I believe. And so we get ready and we started talking, and now it was actually to our around members, they're actually going to be involved there. So sometimes things are going on so much stuff here at the annual conference that people just don't know. So I want to be able to connect them with the right person. And that's what the membership committee is about, is connecting people to the right Committee, to the right area, so that we in the utility industry can do our jobs better, because we are the power and the source of power for a lot of major cities. And lastly, having fun. We're gonnalearn, but we're gonna have fun. So that's what I plan to do while I'm here at UTC. Well, it has, it has been great catching up with you. I want to thank you again for meeting us at The Intersection. And I hope so many more will meet with us. I mean, I don't typically do this. But I feel like we need to have a part two. I'm not just made with you, but we've had some of our other legacy leaders on because I would love to also hear for those that are don't even know anything about the industry. Just some have a story. How did you get into this industry, your journey and talk about that. And I'll leave everybody with that. And I'm leaving everybody wanting to meet us at The Intersection for part two, with Sheila, and possibly another legacy member to talk about what's your journey, because everybody's story is different. And there's no one way to meeting us here at this intersection, which as Sheila just said, in many of our previous podcasts guests have said, and magic, I'm going to use that word there is a magic It is. Sheryl Riggs 23:31 And I don't know why anybody wouldn't want to be a part of it. So we want to give you more information because I know people got to hear more information because she'll just say she's a wife and a mother. So you've got to be wondering, how did you-- because sounds like a very busy schedule, very demanding schedule. She still had fun doing it as a 30 year tenured engineer, a wife, a mother and so much more giving herself selflessly to the work of the association to build not just UTC at all, but the industry, the future and so forth. But I'm gonna stop right there. Thank you again for meeting us at The Intersection Sheila, and let's have fun. Thank you. Unknown Speaker 24:14 Thank you for beating us at the intersection. For more information about the Utilities Technology Council, visit utc.org Transcribed by https://otter.ai