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May 07, 2024

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EEI’s diversity conference marks four decades of connecting  

By Monica Stavish Skaggs

The light will shine on innovation, initiatives and diversity best practices in the electric industry at Edison Electric Institute’s (EEI) 40th annual Business Diversity Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, May 21-24, 2024.

The event, which draws hundreds of attendees, will be at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.

Panels and forums will outline public policy trends in the electric industry and how they impact energy operations related to business diversity programs and business opportunities for suppliers.

The conference will showcase diverse businesses and provide networking and personal development opportunities through quick connection roundtable sessions. Timely topics will include electric vehicles, business diversity trends, cyber security, artificial intelligence and thought leadership.

Suppliers will be able to schedule appointments with energy industry companies and prime suppliers to discuss their business capabilities.

“The conference allows small and diverse suppliers to connect with large energy companies that absolutely want to work with them,” said Courtney Peterson, EEI’s senior vice president, chief human resources officer and chief diversity officer.

“These large companies seek to spend a significant percentage of their dollars with diverse businesses. The event provides an opportunity to make those introductions,” she said. “I know people who have attended our conference in the past and have been inspired to start their own businesses.

“I encourage diverse suppliers to take a look at our industry,” Peterson added. “There are so many business opportunities that they may not know about in our dynamic industry.”

Uplifting diverse communities

Named for American inventor Thomas Edison, EEI was founded in 1933. The institute is the association of all U.S. investor-owned electric companies and more than 70 international electric companies with operations in 90 countries. EEI has hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as associate members. Its members operate in all 50 states and Washington D.C. and provide electricity for nearly 250 million Americans. The electric industry is responsible for 7 million jobs.

Every two years, EEI completes an economic impact study with its member companies. The most recent study showed that members spent $25 billion with diverse companies and supported 232,000 jobs.

“We are focused on uplifting diverse communities, and this is one tangible way we show that,” Peterson said. “Our member companies agree that it is important to establish and maintain strong community connections. This is an example. Electric companies serve everyone. And we’re proud of that.”

EEI provides public policy leadership, strategic business intelligence, and conferences and forums to investor-owned electric companies. The institute also offers advocacy and education and strategies to move the electric industry forward. Member companies agree to promote racial and social justice and diversify their workforces at all levels.

“Our industry has a shared commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI),” Peterson said. “All of our member companies agree to that and are in lockstep with that commitment. EEI is committed to fostering a culture of respect and inclusion.”

Distinction awards

Each year, the conference presents awards including Business Diversity Excellence, Business Diversity Innovation, Prime Leadership and Diverse Supplier. The honors recognize companies for their outstanding efforts to advance development and purchasing opportunities for diverse suppliers including those owned by minorities, women, veterans, and LGBTQ within the investor-owned electric power industry.

“It’s a really big deal to be celebrating 40 years of the conference,” Peterson said. “The awards are a longstanding feature, and for the 40th year, there will be a new award and some surprises.”

This year’s conference is hosted by Southern Company, a previous winner of the Business Diversity Excellence Award. The event will honor the vision of its founders from four decades ago. Peterson is looking forward to doing an episode of EEI’s Electric Perspectives Podcast with one of them, Charlotte Blount-Lewis. The podcast will cover how Blount-Lewis and the other founders organized EEI’s original business diversity event, how the conference has changed over the years, and the industry’s work to help support diverse suppliers.

“It warms my heart to know that the work I began on this issue in 1982 has sustained and evolved over 40 years,” Blount-Lewis said. She joined EEI in February 1982. Over the next two years, Blount-Lewis met with various organizations, federal agencies and EEI member companies to discuss minority business development issues. These discussions led to EEI convening the first Minority Business Development Conference in May 1984 in Atlanta.

Empowerment gains strength through connection, Peterson said.

“EEI is a community of collaboration. ‘Power by Association’ has been the driving force behind EEI since the beginning,” she said. “Our member companies serve on different committees including the Business Diversity Executive Advisory Committee. They are the driving force behind this conference. They are all participating and driving the conference. Our members are the ones doing this work.”

To learn more about EEI, visit eei.org.

To learn more about the 40th annual Business Diversity Conference, visit the

conference website.