56. How to Lead the Energy Transition with Xcel's Alice Jackson

Energy Thinks with Tisha Schuller

Tisha Schuller welcomes Alice Jackson, former president of Xcel Energy - Colorado, to the Energy Thinks Podcast. Since the recording of this episode, Alice has been promoted to chief planning officer and senior vice president of System Strategy at Xcel Energy.

Tisha and Alice discuss:

· Xcel’s affordability and reliability guardrails around energy transition efforts;

· Three strategic principles for engaging employees amid the transition;

· Team development and the natural tension of balancing current and future system needs;

· The value of listening to communities to find a shared path forward;

· Xcel’s dedicated workers and the pride they have for delivering life essential services; and,

· A huge solar project!

Listen here for the Coal at Sunset: A Colorado Town in Transition podcast mentioned in this episode.

Alice started working in GTT and IT positions at companies including Enron Energy Services and Oxy, Inc. before becoming director of energy ventures at Oxy in 2004. She became the regional VP of rates and regulatory affairs at Xcel in Amarillo, TX in 2011 and served in the same position a few years later in Denver, CO. While in Denver in 2016, Alice earned the title of VP of strategic revenue initiatives, which she held until May 2018 when she became president of Xcel in Colorado. She also has been a board member of the American Red Cross (donate here) since 2015. Alice has a B.S. in management information systems from Texas A&M University and has completed the Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School.

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Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on May 6, 2022]

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tishaschuller.substack.com