Mrs. Velda Otey VP and CIO American Electric Company, Retired

American Electric Power Retired Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Velda Otey said she wished she had known at the beginning of her career about the energy profession. “My only exposure coming into the energy business was to pay the utility bill on time,” Otey said matter of fact. “I did recognize the importance of energy to the sustainability of modern living, specifically in the areas of health, comfort, commerce and even entertainment.

When Mrs. Otey entered the industry there were no organizations around like the AABE, but she wished there had been. “I was fortunate enough to have a mentor early in my career that saw the importance of exposing me to other areas of the company,” she said.

This led to the development and understanding that to be effective in your career it was necessary to love all aspects of your company and industry. In a young person’s path to acquiring employment in the energy industry both classes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and also business would be a very advantageous foundation.

Mrs. Otey divulged several crucial interpersonal skills that would be very important to the ones success in their career in energy. They are listening, inquiry, communication, conflict resolution and also humor.

“The ability to manage your own emotions and the emotions of others or, emotional intelligence, is also crucial in the success of anyone in this field,” In order to pass on experience and help motivate others to become interested in careers in energy Mrs. Otey maintains membership in a women’s leadership development organization and she also speaks at many career programs. These have allowed her to develop a network of relationships with women and minorities in all industries and expose them to opportunities in the energy field.