We kicked off the first weekend of Pride Month by sponsoring the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity’s Pride Build – the first of its kind for the organization. We had fifteen Entergy volunteers join other groups, local members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies to help build a home for a local family.

One of our volunteers was Courtney Glenn, a nuclear safety analysis engineer at our River Bend Station in Louisiana. She’s been with Entergy for four years, but recently relocated from the Indian Point ���ϳԹ��� Center in New York to join our Southern nuclear fleet. Courtney shared with me, “Volunteering was a rewarding experience. There was a sense of community amongst the volunteers as we worked together putting up the siding of the new home for a wonderful family. Based on the level of visibility of this event to the public, it shows that PRIDE is so much more than big parades and celebrations. It’s family, community and unity.”

Later in the week, the Pride ERG held a fireside chat with Entergy’s senior leaders to discuss issues and concerns affecting ERG members and our communities.

We also had more than 20 Entergy employees and their families participate in the New Orleans Pride Parade on June 11. It was the first parade in two years, and participants were met with smiles and cheers as the Entergy float made its way through the route. Entergy New Orleans sponsored the float and ENO President and CEO Deanna Rodriguez visited with participants at the parade.

It was the third time my husband and I participated in this event, and every year we enjoy getting to meet other employees throughout the company. Before the parade, we had a chance to speak with James “Bubba” Edwards II, who is director of Entergy’s nuclear training. He and his wife drove down from Mississippi to join our crew, and he shared this from his first Pride parade experience, “It was a great to meet people from different parts of the company with such diverse life experiences.��Discussing the parade with my transgender son helped us connect on issues that my son admitted were difficult for him to discuss with me before. Some of the people I met while being part of this event discussed things that helped me strengthen my relationship with my son. I now consider each person in that group a friend that makes my life fuller, and I am grateful for the experience.�� I am glad that Entergy supports these kind of events – it makes me proud to be an Entergy employee!”

As an Employee Resource Group, we’ve worked hard to create opportunities for our employees to connect and provide resources to them. We have updated our employee resource materials to include information about Entergy’s Employee Assistance Program specific to our community and other informational links to external resources. We’ve even had the opportunity to bring awareness about the importance of Pride Month to other employee groups through diversity, inclusion and belonging moments that are used to kick-off company and department meetings.

At Entergy, our leaders talk about the importance of creating a diverse and inclusive culture at work – that it isn’t just the right thing to do; the success of our business depends on it. I’m proud to work for a company that enables its employees and provides the opportunity to contribute to this goal through our activities and community.

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“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��.��

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,��and��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.

While we may be celebrating pride at a safe distance this year due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Entergy is committed to creating a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging for all employees, this month, and every month.

Pride month has looked different for all of us this year. Our Pride Employee Resource Group had plans to participate in the New Orleans Pride Parade for the fourth year in a row. Instead, we hosted a virtual pride parade for employees to share how they’re powered by pride – even at home.

We also showcased our Pride locally by flying the Pride flag over sites like Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station.

And a group of employees plan to participate in the 2020 NOLA Pride Virtual Run and Walk where proceeds will benefit the PFLAG New Orleans Scholarship Program.

These activities and support wouldn’t exist without organizations like our employee resource groups, where employees can come together and show their support for a common cause. While we know that diversity, inclusion and belonging are good for the bottom line of any business, we are committed to these efforts because it is the right thing to do.

The premiere utility becomes a reality when it draws on the collective knowledge, skills and abilities of the entire workforce for the benefit of all its stakeholders. No one can be left out of this picture. That’s why Entergy maintains a respectful and safe place for all employees – regardless of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, religion or any other category.

By treating each other with dignity and respect, we can help make all employees feel safe when they come to work. That is how we power life.

While that matters, today I’d like to talk about another reason why Entergy is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive work culture: We do it because it is the right thing to do for all of our stakeholders: our customers, employees, communities and owners.

The utility of the future becomes a reality when it draws on the collective knowledge, skills and abilities of the entire workforce. No one can be left out of this picture. That’s why Entergy must be a respectful and safe place for all employees – regardless of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, religion or any other category we might use to identify people. There is no place for disrespect, hatred, racism or violence at Entergy.

We spend most of our waking hours at work, so we want this to be a great place to work … for everyone. Hate and intolerance in the workplace weaken us. They hurt our safety, operational and financial performance, they prevent us from employing the best and brightest talent; and honestly, they just make it hard to do your best work. On the other hand, feeling like we can be ourselves at work creates a comfortable and more productive environment.�� ��

We have the Pride Employee Resource Group and recognize events such as LGBT Pride Month in June and National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 to help raise awareness, fight discrimination and advocate for equal rights for everyone.

Only 21 states and the District of Columbia prohibit employee discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, none of which are in our utility service territory – Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi or Texas. But we have enacted company policies to protect our employees from being discriminated against at work because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

By treating each other with dignity and respect, we can help make all employees feel safe when they come to work. That is how we power life.

Thank you for supporting each other,

Andrea

“There are so many benefits to being open at work and sharing our coming out stories with our co-workers,” Kim Noel, chair of the Pride Employee Resources Group says. “It eliminates the need for employees to hide or mislead our teams and makes building trusting working relationships easier when we can be comfortable in ourselves and share our personal experiences.”

National Coming Out Day was first observed 29 years ago as a reminder that every person who speaks up creates new advocates for equality. When people know someone who is LGBTQ or is an ally, they are more likely to support equality and inclusion.

Megan Norris, plant manager at Calcasieu Plant and asset manager at Acadia Plant, who has been with the company for 10 years, shared her personal story of coming out at work with others through Entergy’s employee website.

“It has been a freeing experience to be able to bring my whole self to work each day,” Norris says. “Entergy’s culture of dignity and respect is one of the main reasons I am a proud employee of this company.”

By sharing their stories, employees can also help provide a network of support within the company.

“I realize how important it is to be myself and not hide or be afraid of what I am feeling or who I love,” says Mike Atwater, manager, Entergy Shared Services – Supply Chain Planning and Performance, who has been with the company for 20 years. “I offer my ears to anyone who would like to discuss their story or just need someone to listen and understand what they may be going through.”

Throughout the first two weeks of October, employees have been able to share how Entergy’s commitment to diversity and inclusion helps them commit to being more thoughtful and accepting in their own personal lives.

Margaret Saik, lead auditor in Internal Audit Services, shares the reason why she came out as an ally.

“I recently became a mother, and as a parent, I have the responsibility to shape my son into the person he will become,” she said. “I hope to teach him to be kind, thoughtful, loving and accepting of everyone.”

In June of this year, Entergy Chairman and CEO, Leo Denault joined more than 150 CEOs from across the U.S. to sign on to , a large CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace.

By signing this commitment, CEOs pledged to take action to cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected, where employees feel encouraged to discuss diversity and inclusion��and to work together with other companies to evolve existing diversity strategies by sharing successes and challenges with one another. ��

A growing body of research reveals that stronger business outcomes directly correlate with diverse teams and inclusive workplace environments, and pledges like help demonstrate the importance of fostering a culture that can attract and retain the best and brightest employees.

Entergy currently has more than 25 employee-directed diversity and inclusion councils throughout seven states, four companywide employee resource and affinity groups, mandatory diversity and inclusion training for all employees and managers, and staffing and succession planning programs focused on ensuring that every employee, without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, disability or any other characteristic are given the tools and resources needed to help them reach their greatest career potential.

Learn more about the Entergy’s commitment to the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, here.

To find out more about Entergy’s commitment to Diversity & Inclusion, visit: entergy.com/about-us/diversity-inclusion