First to the Scene

It’s 8:00 a.m. on a Tuesday morning at our Mass Ave work center in Boston, and MJ Johnson is just finishing up her overnight shift. While most people were sleeping, Johnson was overseeing a team of troubleshooters repairing electrical equipment down in a manhole to restore power to our customers. As part of her work, Johnson also coordinated with other first responders to make the area safe, as well as with critical facilities affected by the resulting power outage in need of backup generators. It was just one call in the life of one of our Response Specialists Organization (RSO) Supervisors.

Johnson, Karen Spirito, Dana Teague, and Dominique Washington are among a historically short list of female troubleshooter supervisors here at Eversource. They’ve been charting a path of firsts throughout their careers, and they’re among the first to the scene when there’s a power outage or emergency that requires Eversource’s support—24/7 across the commonwealth.

Boots on the Ground

“What’s my job like? It’s getting out to the scene of a crash and someone’s trying to get out of their car—and there’s a live wire on it,” said Washington, who was recruited to Eversource for the strong leadership skills that she developed working as an IT system administrator for the U.S. Army. “Our immediate priority is making the area safe, and then we’re calling vendors for generators, reaching out to critical facilities like hospitals and schools, calling the communications company if it’s their utility pole. Most people think that it’s just Eversource, but there are a lot of parties involved in responding to major incidents like a car crash involving our equipment.”

“You have to be available for anything that comes your way,” said Spirito, who traveled the country as a supervisor for a construction company that dredged channels and harbors before joining our team last year. “There’s no schedule—you have to be ready to answer the call at two o’clock in the morning to serve as a first responder until crews can be dispatched. It’s a lifestyle where you’re really dedicated to the company and the customer.”

“We’re the boots on the ground as soon as that phone rings,” agreed Teague, who started in IT and worked her way up through field project management to her role as supervisor. “Our team works in 24-hour shifts, and we’re responsible for anything that happens in the cities and towns that we cover.”

Team Spirit

In addition to their dedication to our customers, Johnson, Washington, Spirito, Teague, share a strong commitment to being there for our troubleshooters, who serve as the first responders to everything from car crashes involving our utility poles, to fires and other emergencies. Washington calls it a partnership, and Spirito describes her relationship with the all-male team of troubleshooters who she works with one of mutual respect.

“I’m nothing without my team,” Spirito said. “When you care about people and demonstrate that you’re there for them, they’ll meet you there if you raise the bar. It feels like a level playing field at Eversource, and that’s what I’ve always wanted—to be in an environment where you’re in the position that you’ve earned.”

Blazing the Trail

These women aren’t uncomfortable with being first to the scene.

“I was the first female underground splicer in 20 years when I started in 2007,” Johnson said. “When I was in the manhole doing the work, I had to jump into the trench with the jackhammer and a lot of it was learning on the job. Once the guys saw that I was dedicated, I was one of the team. I fought for the respect that I got.”

As they’ve achieved success and blazed a trail for the next generation workforce, our female RSO Supervisors appreciate that they’re role models for young women who want to pursue similar careers. Their advice to other women interested in pursuing careers in male-dominated fields? Just go for it.

“It’s brave, and groundbreaking,” Teague said. “I think it’s important for an organization to have diversity of thought because if we all have the same way of looking at something, we’ll never solve the problem.”

When it comes to applying for career opportunities, Johnson urges other women not to hold themselves back—especially if it’s because they think that they don’t meet every qualification in the job description.

“Remember that job requirements are multidimensional,” she said. “While you may lack experience in one area, you could be the strongest candidate in the areas that matter the most.”