Fortnightly Under Forty: Ana Stachowiak

Of the 64 rising stars, we selected eleven of them to highlight. These eleven exemplify the impressive record and pace of accomplishments of the best of our industry's next generation. The inspiring stories of Haben Goitom of Alliant Energy, Jennifer Wischnowsky of Ameren, Keegan Odle of Burns & McDonnell, Delevane Diaz of EPRI, Sean Meredith of Entergy, Illinois Commissioner Maria Bocanegra, Aaron Curtis of ITC, Ana Stachowiak of NYPA, Lisa Dailey of Northfork Electric Cooperative, Abbey Roy of Southern Company, and Brian Van Abel of Xcel Energy are told in part in the interviews that follow. These unique up-and-comers are already leading the industry's transformation and mission-critical groups within their organizations, in some cases as a COO, CFO or division VP.

PUF: You have this big energy storage project, and this massive transmission project, called the Smart Path project. Tell us about your job.

Ana Stachowiak: I spend most of my time talking on the phone and attending meetings. One of the reasons why I came to NYPA about three years ago is because this organization has so much happening. In terms of energy goals, NYPA and the Cuomo Administration are headed in a great direction that will create a greener and cleaner energy mix for future generations.

I knew that there would be many opportunities in project management, and I would be able to contribute to a series of large capital projects. While there is definitely the mundane task of reviewing contracts, everyone became more excited for the Smart Path project when we finally got the first material delivered to site and sent around pictures capturing what we had achieved. 

That's part of the joy of being in project management in this field. You have a real product at the end of the day, a three-dimensional reality that fills you with enormous pride. You can say, I helped take a concept from the blueprints to construction.

For probably ten years now, when people ask me what I do, I am thrilled to be able to say, I am helping to keep your lights on. It's literally what we are doing. 

I'm not on the distribution side, but you need these big projects to keep the grid up, running and reliable. It's an exciting position that challenges me daily, sometimes hourly.

PUF: The Smart Path project is almost a hundred miles. You're upgrading two hundred and thirty kilovolts to three hundred and forty-five kilovolts. It's complex. You're crossing wetlands and farms. Are a lot of Staff involved?

Ana Stachowiak: I have a fantastic team working in the project management office. Together we have gone above and beyond to get the project where it is today. 

We work closely with our internal departments to achieve our objectives. It took a lot of hard work to get the project to where it is today; that was especially true for the Article Seven process.

There was a long period of back-and-forth with regulators and coming to terms about what will be in the certificate conditions. 

You have to be mindful that those conditions are going to last for the life span of the project, so you always have to keep that in the back of your mind. There's a depth of expertise within the NYPA organization, so we've got great people to help get through some of that complexity.

PUF: The North Country Energy Storage project is not small either. It's a twenty-megawatt lithium ion battery system that you're going to put in. Twenty megawatts is large by the standards of today, so far, for storage. That's state-of-the-art too.

Ana Stachowiak: There's a big learning curve on that. The only other one that I'm aware of in the State of New York was installed by a developer. All the other battery storage throughout the state has been on a smaller scale, a couple of megawatts here and there.

It's complex and you learn throughout the duration of the project. That's how you grow. Because you keep doing projects that are a little bit different, you learn more and do better on the next project that comes your way.

PUF: What led you to this role?

Ana Stachowiak: I worked at PSE&G, in New Jersey. PSE&G had a large, capital, strategic plan that started around 2007 and still is doing some of it. I got to be involved in some of its large transmission capital projects. That is what helped me in my interview with NYPA and my subsequent selection.

PUF: Did you have some mentors that helped you get where you are?

Ana Stachowiak: Yes. I have been fortunate throughout my career. Especially once I started at PSE&G, I've always had managers who have been supportive, who have trusted that I could go and get the work done.

But I had people along the way who helped me develop into the manager that I am today. The key to success is often having somebody who you can go to for advice and then take that advice and be successful with it. I've been fortunate that I've always had managers and others who have been there to guide me and help me grow.

PUF: What kind of advice do you give people who are just starting out?

Ana Stachowiak: First, work hard. Then,always be thorough. Look at the details and ask as many questions as you can because that's how you're going to learn. Especially, when you're right out of school, don't pretend that you know it all. You really don't!

Be willing to step back and let your managers lead. Then with what you've heard, make sure that you're digesting it and asking more questions, and that will help you gain the understanding that you need to move forward.

PUF: Where are you trying to aim in the future as you further develop?

Ana Stachowiak: My goal is to ensure that those projects are successful. I am, as expected, looking ahead at the next step within the organization that I'm in right now and thinking about where I can go. 

I have great leaders as examples in front of me and I plan to continue to learn from them. Exactly where that might be, I don't exactly know yet. That said, I am definitely headed on a good path and hope to follow in their impressive footsteps.

Of the 64 rising stars, we selected eleven of them to highlight. These eleven exemplify the impressive record and pace of accomplishments of the best of our industry's next generation. The inspiring stories of Haben Goitom of Alliant Energy, Jennifer Wischnowsky of Ameren, Keegan Odle of Burns & McDonnell, Delevane Diaz of EPRI, Sean Meredith of Entergy, Illinois Commissioner Maria Bocanegra, Aaron Curtis of ITC, Ana Stachowiak of NYPA, Lisa Dailey of Northfork Electric Cooperative, Abbey Roy of Southern Company, and Brian Van Abel of Xcel Energy are told in part in the interviews that follow. These unique up-and-comers are already leading the industry's transformation and mission-critical groups within their organizations, in some cases as a COO, CFO or division VP.