Dress for Success New Orleans is one of 140 affiliates with the mission of empowering women. They offer several programs that impact local women, including a suiting program, where clients can receive professional interview attire. DFSNO also sponsors an employment retention program, workshops to help women embrace technology, mentoring programs and assistance with resumés, cover letters and interview skills.

The mission of Dress for Success is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

When women succeed, societies succeed.

The Dress for Success vision is a world where women do not live in poverty, are treated with dignity and respect, and are strengthening their families and shaping their communities.��Our employees are proud to volunteer with this organization to enhance our communities, and we were pleased to recently host DFSNO clients to a night at the theater as part of Broadway in New Orleans presented by Entergy (photo below).��  

Learn more about DFSNO at .

At Entergy, giving back to the community doesn’t begin and end with January 16 but continues throughout the year. Dr. King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Our employees respond through action. Last month, Entergy volunteers across Louisiana collaborated with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and Healthy Blue committed to sponsor 200,000 meals at food banks and other organizations addressing hunger in Louisiana. Over 600 volunteers from all three organizations helped surpassed the 200,000 meals goal and address hunger in Louisiana.

�ճ���dzܲ����������Ի���‘s “Feed the Funnel” program, volunteers packed the meals at a series of events in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is a National Day of Service. These actions are a part of our commitment to a more inclusive company for our employees, customers, partners and the communities we serve.

“Volunteerism is an integral part of Entergy’s mission,” said Patty Riddlebarger, vice president of corporate social responsibility. “Our participation in volunteer events like the Day of Service is one of many reasons why Entergy has been honored the past seven years as one of 50 most community-minded corporations in the U.S. by the .”

The packing parties were full of excitement. The DJ set the tone at the  event in New Orleans. Volunteers were joined by special guests from the New Orleans Pelicans NBA team, the Pelicans dance team, the infamous “King Cake Baby” and Pelicans player Naji Marshall.

Volunteer events across Louisiana included:

• 250 volunteers packed 78,336 meals in Baton Rouge.
• 150 volunteers packed 50,010 meals in New Orleans.
• 125 volunteers packed 44,706 meals in Monroe.
• 30 volunteers packed 10,080 meals in Thibodaux.
• 30 volunteers packed 16,116 meals in Lafayette.
• 20 volunteers packed 10,260 meals in Lake Charles.
• 12 volunteers packed 4,822 meals in Shreveport.

Under Leonard’s leadership, Entergy’s low-income initiatives were created and continue to this day, providing solutions for households that struggle to afford their utility bills, while working to break the cycle of generational poverty and helping families achieve economic stability.

Serving the New Orleans community and the surrounding area since 2017, the center has:

• Helped participants save an average of $1,500 within six months and reduce their debts by $300.
• Assisted with $15.5 million in asset purchases through the .
• Granted over $1.3 million in mortgage and rental assistance.
• Prepared 5,800 tax returns at no cost.
• Provided over 1,400 one-on-one coaching sessions and 102 financial education workshops.

Learn more about the J. Wayne Leonard Prosperity Center reopening .

Entergy employees volunteered in-person and online, providing conference attendees with helpful information about job opportunities at the company. Entergy technology and inclusion leaders participated in a panel discussion, while another group of employees hosted a digital tech demonstration.

During the panel discussion, “What Drives Innovation?” Entergy leaders discussed how inclusion enables innovation; how working remotely impacts innovation and collaboration; what obstacles they personally had to overcome to become the leaders they are today; how diverse perspectives and backgrounds can benefit teams; and much more. The leaders included Michael Cross, vice president, innovation; Taiwan Brown, vice president, diversity and workforce strategies; Michael Rhymes, vice president, chief information officer; and Ann Delenela, vice president, information security officer. The moderator for the panel discussion was Michelle Delery, director, customer, employee and communication services.

Michael Rhymes, vice president and chief information officer, shared his thoughts on working remotely, saying Entergy’s employees and teams take great pride in setting a standard of excellence. “The question in the way ahead is how do we sustain that? We must be intentional in our expectations as leaders. The need to feel included, the need to feel a part of something, the need to understand our co-workers and have open and honest dialogue. That’s the key. We have to be intentional in taking that feedback and coming up with different and better ways to get to know our customers and employees to keep a positive, fluid and sustainable environment.”

​​​​​​​During a live demonstration breakout session, the company’s intelligent automation development and operations team within the continuous improvement organization broke down a few ins and outs of intelligent automation. The discussion covered the use of the primary tool Automation Anywhere; supporting over 200 production automations at Entergy; and how automation support spans across the enterprise, including supply chain, finance, nuclear and utility services.

Wade Rivero, intelligent automation analyst, discussed the different types of automation support bots the team creates. Emphasizing the importance of intelligent automation in advancing continuous improvement, he said Entergy has developed approximately 200 automation support bots. “By doing this, we can positively impact productivity by decreasing the number of different systems needed to get the information separately, saving our customers thousands of hours to complete the same project, while also increasing the accuracy of the data.”

During the closing of Black Tech NOLA, founder and CEO Sabrina N. Short, recognized Entergy for its support of the conference.

Entergy was the presenting sponsor of the American Heart Association’s 2022 STEM Goes Red event on March 24 at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. The event encourages young women to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Fifty high school girls assembled for the first in-person event since 2020, engaging in a daylong event of hands-on STEM activities and mentorship. The day kicked off with a talk by Taiwan Brown, vice-president, diversity and workforce strategies, on increase diversity in STEM fields for women.

Students networked and explored STEM in small groups with industry experts and mentors who volunteered their time and experience. The girls alternated through four breakout sessions covering each field of STEM. The day also included speed mentoring with experts in their field. Patty Riddlebarger, vice president of corporate social responsibility, wrapped up the day with closing remarks.

“Entergy is proud to partner with the American Heart Association on STEM Goes Red to engage the next generation of young women in STEM�����Ի���develop tomorrow’s future,” said Riddlebarger. “Supporting opportunities such as STEM Goes Red means inspiring bright minds to pursue complex solutions for today’s energy, environmental, health care and engineering problems.”

Entergy’s participating mentors and panelists included:

• Kenyon Webber, senior engineer, transmission design, basis standards.
• Mandy Anderson, senior manager, IT project management.
• Lauren Carpenter, Louisiana water lead, senior analyst, power generation.
• Rachel Mogilka, manager, substation design, transmission engineering.
• Alicia Clay Jones, manager, policy and performance, chief security officer organization.��
• Vonda Flentroy-Rice, IT business analyst, senior.

“Since heart disease continues to be the number one killer of women, ensuring more women are at the forefront of developing science, technology, education and math solutions has never been more critical,” said Nicolle Psilos, director, New Orleans Go Red for Women. “STEM is our future, and as a science-based health nonprofit, STEM is at the heart of who we are and what we do. We’re so thankful to our sponsors at Entergy for aiding in putting this wonderful event together for our local students.”

Go Red for Women

In February, Entergy was also the lead sponsor for the American Heart Association 2022 New Orleans Go Red for Women Luncheon. Riddlebarger presented local honorees with the Women in STEM award including Erin Hodges, vice president, continuous improvement. The award celebrates female leaders who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment and impact in the STEM field.

“At Entergy, we have always taken pride in creating a truly inclusive workplace,” said Kathryn Collins, senior vice president and chief human resources officer. “We are honored our efforts in diversity and inclusion are being recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation 2022 Corporate Equality Index, which measures public commitment to the LGBTQ community.”

The 2022 Corporate Equality Index assesses employers based on:

• Workforce protections.
• Inclusive benefits.
• Supporting an inclusive culture and corporate social responsibility.
• Responsible citizenship.

“Together with our LGBTQ employees and allies, we remain committed to fostering an authentic and inclusive culture for each other and our customers,” said Julie Harbert, senior vice president, corporate business services, and executive sponsor of the Pride employee resource group.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has worked for 40-plus years advocating for LGBTQ equality and increased understanding and inclusion for its more than 3 million members and supporters nationwide.��For more information, read the .��

Dr. King’s service to others was through acts of civil disobedience. His life’s work led to the signing of important legislation including the and the .��

Service to others empowers individuals, strengthens communities, creates solutions and moves us closer to the dream of equality for all. Service breaks down barriers by bringing people from different backgrounds together, and it benefits those who choose to serve their community.��

It’s important for Entergy and our employees to to the communities where we live and work.��We are helping to rebuild after storm damage, tutoring students in after-school programs, picking up trash, planting trees, or sorting food and packing boxes for the .��

MLK Day of Service supports Entergy’s mission to create sustainable value for our communities through volunteerism and philanthropy.

“Entergy is a trusted partner for our nation’s veterans,” said Kathryn Collins, senior vice president and chief human resources officer. “Veterans are an integral part of our team, bringing invaluable skill and passion to their roles and strengthening our mission to becoming the premier utility.”

The company meets rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages; availability of veteran-specific resources; leadership programming; dedicated human resource efforts; pay compensation and tuition assistance programs.

The recognizes job creators who successfully recruit, employ and retain veterans. The 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Program Demonstration allowed the Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service to raise awareness and enable employers to gain acknowledgment. Awardees must have a veteran organization or employee resource group – like Entergy’s Veterans ERG – a leadership program, dedicated human resources professionals, and pay differential and tuition assistance program. The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is the only federal award recognizing exceptional achievement in veteran employment.

To learn more about our military hiring efforts, and how we support and retain veterans check out the .

Delenela leads Entergy’s continuous work to protect its digital systems and information in a world of continually changing cybersecurity risks. Her professional expertise spans more than 25 years in information technology, information security and cyber/physical security management.

She shared her belief that advancement is a shared responsibility.

“Women must advocate for themselves, but there is also a corporate responsibility to develop and cultivate female talent,” said Delenela. “A great way to help achieve that is through mentoring not only women currently in the workforce but mentoring the next wave of young women to increase engagement in technology careers.”

From the plant to the field to the office, women play essential roles at Entergy. We’re working every day to ensure a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging, a workplace that welcomes and inspires the best from future generations of female leaders. The result is long-term, sustainable value for all our stakeholders – customers, employees, communities and owners.

Congratulations, Ann, for being among the “Women to Watch in STEM.”

While the contributions of our gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer stakeholders are evident every day, this month is a great opportunity to shine a light on the need for greater awareness, respect, and dignity for our LGBTQ family members, friends, and community members.  

This year our Pride Employee Resource Group held several awareness events including our second virtual Pride parade, and virtual discussions on LGBTQ Parents & Kids,�����Ի���Transgender Women of Color.�� 

Entergy employees also honored Pride month with service events in the communities we serve. Powered by Pride volunteer events were hosted in New Orleans, La.��and Jackson, Miss. Employees in New Orleans participated in a cleanup project at Harriet Tubman Charter School in Algiers and our Jackson employees worked on a service project at Grace House.�� 

At Entergy, we’re committed to sustaining a respectful and inclusive workplace, while developing a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve.��

Whether you identify as LGBTQ or an ally, Pride Month is a good opportunity to better understand the issues that affect the communities we serve. It’s also a time to recognize and remember the struggles that LGBTQ people have faced throughout history.�� 

While the world has seen great strides to increase representation of our LGBTQ community, we still have a long way to go to overcoming prejudice.��Entergy recognizes the resilience and determination of the LGBTQ community to live freely and authentically.��That’s a key goal of our focus on diversity, inclusion and belonging.��

Watch this year’s Pride Month video with Julie Harbert, our senior vice president of corporate business services and Pride Employee Resource Group executive sponsor and have a wonderful celebration of pride.