Engineer 1-Senior Lead

Entergy New Orleans updates City Council on reliability improvements, underground infrastructure and hurricane preparedness. Entergy New Orleans' CEO and President Deanna Rodriguez on the ground in the North Kenilworth neighborhood Entergy New Orleans' leadership team today came before the New Orleans City Council to provide updates on three key priorities: ongoing reliability improvements in the North Kenilworth neighborhood of New Orleans East, the operation and maintenance of the underground electric system in the French Quarter, and the company's preparedness for the 2026 hurricane season as Tropical Storm Bertha moves through the Gulf of Mexico. The discussion reinforced its commitment to delivering safe, reliable electric service through proactive investments, transparent communication and year-round planning. Strengthening reliability in New Orleans East and across the city Entergy New Orleans is making significant investments to improve electric reliability in the North Kenilworth neighborhood following recent outages. While recent service interruptions accelerated work in the area, these improvements are part of a broader strategy to strengthen the electric grid throughout New Orleans. Following the outages, crews completed comprehensive end-to-end inspections of the neighborhood's underground system, examining 80 submersible vaults. Using thermal imaging technology, they identified and addressed immediate reliability concerns while identifying cable connections that had contributed to recent outages. Entergy Corporation mobilized more than 100 additional employees and contractors, including specialized underground crews from across multiple states, to work alongside local lineworkers to make the improvements as quickly and safely as possible. These crews installed almost 30,000 feet of continuous conduit and underground cable throughout the neighborhood and completed the replacement of the connections that were causing power outages. While enhancing reliability in North Kenilworth neighborhood remains a priority, Entergy Corporation has been investing in reliability improvements in every City Council district. Through its Accelerated Resilience Plan and ongoing reliability upgrades, Entergy Corporation is working to strengthen the electric grid by replacing aging infrastructure, hardening the system against severe weather and modernizing equipment to reduce outages and improve restoration times. Entergy Corporation appreciate its customers' patience as its trucks have moved from street to street, repairing and rebuilding parts of the underground grid. Maintaining the French Quarter's unique underground electric system The French Quarter is one of New Orleans' most distinctive neighborhoods, and its electric system is equally unique. Unlike most parts of the city, much of the area's electrical infrastructure operates underground. Transformers and other electrical equipment are housed inside underground vaults that require specialized maintenance, inspections and highly trained employees to safely operate and maintain them. Entergy Corporation employ specialized crews assigned specifically to the underground network serving the French Quarter and Central Business District. These crews perform two comprehensive end-to-end inspections of every vault and its equipment each year, in addition to performing inspections when maintenance work is completed. Because the equipment is below ground, heavy rain often fills the vaults with water. Crews routinely inspect drainage and pumping systems to ensure they are operating properly while also evaluating the condition of electrical equipment. The underground environment also presents additional challenges, including exposure to water, debris and other materials that can enter through street grates, as well as the presence of other utilities sharing the same underground space. Its crews responded immediately on the evening of July 4, followed by a thorough inspection of the affected underground equipment in the French Quarter. Because the fire significantly damaged the equipment, Entergy Corporation is not able to determine what specifically caused the issue. Specialized crews, who are trained to work on this unique part of the grid, are continuously inspecting these vaults and the equipment in them throughout the year. Entergy Corporation has an established multi-year transformer replacement program that's underway, and have also begun to install new technology that will help Entergy Corporation monitor the system in real time. Entergy Corporation thank its customers for their patience. Ready for hurricane season As Tropical Storm Bertha approaches, Entergy Corporation is closely monitoring conditions while executing the company's year-round storm preparedness plan. Preparation is one of the most important factors in a successful storm response. Prior to hurricane season, every employee is assigned a storm role and participates in training and exercises designed to prepare employees for severe weather. Operations, customer service, communications, and regulatory teams regularly conduct storm drills to ensure they are ready to restore power, communicate with customers, coordinate logistics, secure materials and maintain essential business operations before, during and after a storm. Entergy New Orleans remains committed to strengthening the electric grid, investing in resilient infrastructure and preparing year-round to provide safe, reliable service for customers across the city. Currently, Entergy New Orleans is midway through a grid-hardening initiative that will upgrade nearly 3,100 individual structures by the end of this year. Work is being done in every district to make its grid stronger and to make the community Entergy Corporation serve more safe.

Entergy highlights women leading the future of the utility industry. At the Global Black Economic Forum Business Summit during the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture(TM), Entergy convened industry leaders to discuss innovation, resilience, and why women are helping shape the future of the utility industry. Sponsored By Economic forum It has been said that nothing happens without electricity. From industry to small mom-and-pop businesses, to households across America, the utility industry provides the power people need to live their lives, enjoy their pastimes and make things happen. And in July, the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans provided the backdrop for yet another great conversation on the pivotal role of women in shaping the future of the utility industry. The setting was the Global Black Economic Forum Business Summit and the panel, moderated by John Hudson, Entergy's chief external affairs officer, offered a thoughtful conversation with two nationally recognized utility industry leaders: Colette Honorable, Chief Legal Officer, Compliance and Corporate Secretary at Exelon, and Nicole Daggs, Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Services at NextEra. Hudson kicked off the session with a warm welcome to the Gulf South region, which is quickly becoming the home to much of the transformation underway in the utility industry, and he helped set the stage for a conversation about the forces reshaping the U.S. energy landscape. From grid modernization and the clean energy transition, to evolving customer expectations and the growing urgency for resilient operations, he underscored the complexity of the moment. Amid this rapid transformation, he emphasized one priority that must remain front and center: preparing the next generation of energy professionals, including elevating women's leadership to help guide the industry's future. "I had the privilege of moderating a powerful conversation on women leading the future of the utility industry. Grateful to join Exelon's Colette Honorable and NextEra's Nicole Daggs - two exceptional leaders whose insights on leadership and preparing the next generation were truly inspiring," said Hudson. "I left encouraged by the momentum and the growing community of women driving our industry forward." Where Black Culture, community and consciousness meet. The discussion opened with a candid look at the landscape utilities are navigating today. Panelists talked about everything from how utilities are proactively addressing rising affordability pressures and aging infrastructure to proactive regulatory engagement and fast-moving technology shifts. They also underscored the current opportunities to modernize the grid, roll out smarter digital tools, and use data to stay ahead of what customers need. Hudson and the panelists agreed that as they push forward, they're equally focused on supporting the customers who potentially feel any cost increase the most - ensuring modernization doesn't leave anyone behind. Entergy's own Fair Share Plus pledge was noted as a model for how utilities are addressing the growth opportunity from data centers locating in their service territory in a responsible way that protects all customers and ensures economic and community benefits in the areas where they are locating. Honorable and Daggs shared candid reflections on navigating transformation at scale. They discussed making tough decisions in moments when leadership and clarity were critical, and spotlighted technologies - like AI, automation and grid intelligence - that are already redefining how utilities operate. Both emphasized that modernization must never compromise reliability, and that thoughtful leadership is essential as utilities transition to more sustainable and efficient systems. "AI is not something we should be fearful of, what we have seen at our company is just the opposite - we give our employees the opportunity to experiment, to pilot and use AI as their superpower," said Daggs. "Whether it's to look for a job, to think about an opportunity, to come up with a business idea our community needs to embrace it because we can really use it to elevate ourselves." Resilience emerged as a multidimensional priority - spanning operations, workforce readiness, and community trust. The panelists spoke about the responsibility utilities have to support vulnerable customers, deepen engagement, and communicate transparently. Investments in community partnerships, targeted programs, and employee development were highlighted as essential to strengthening resilience over the long term. The conversation then turned to the future workforce, especially the vast opportunities for women entering the energy sector. If you think of any discipline that exists in business, from engineers, customer service and accounting, to finance, legal and even public relations, it exists within the utility industry. Despite the role or discipline, Daggs and Honorable identified the skills that will define tomorrow's leaders, including adaptability, digital fluency, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to lead through uncertainty. They shared personal career moments that shaped their journeys and spoke candidly about the importance of seeking mentors and sponsors, cultivating influence, and building confidence in male dominated spaces, as well as taking ownership of career growth. "There have been several moments in my career when I thought, I'm just going to take a leap of faith and try something new and different," said Honorable. "And now, here I am, leading at the highest level of a corporation - something I never imagined for myself. Along the way, I've learned that our industry isn't just about power lines and plants; it's about people. It's about building resilient communities, making energy more affordable, and investing wisely so families and businesses can thrive. I share that because I want other women to know: take that leap. Believe in the possibility of your own success, even before you can see it - and know that your voice and leadership can help shape the future of energy." Throughout the panel, Daggs and Honorable reinforced themes of courage, curiosity and embracing opportunities during their careers even before feeling fully ready. Hudson wrapped up the discussion encouraging emerging female leaders across the industry to step forward with confidence. He called on all attendees to foster mentorship, practice allyship, and help shape a more inclusive and resilient energy workforce.

2026 Executive CX Innovation Summit connects utility strategy, technology and innovation. 16 Jul 2026 By Tracie Boutte, Executive Advisor Artificial intelligence. Hyper-personalization. Cloud-based customer platforms. Advanced analytics. Customer expectations are evolving faster than ever, and utility leaders are under increasing pressure to determine which technologies will deliver meaningful value and which are simply the latest trend. The most important question isn't What's next? It's What's worth investing in? That's the core mission Chartwell is bringing to the table at the 2026 Executive CX Innovation Summit, in collaboration with Georgia Power. This exclusive executive-only forum taking place on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia, will help utility leaders define their strategic priorities for the next three years. Why This Summit is Different A Live Audit of Real Challenges. Unlike traditional conferences filled with presentations, the Summit is intentionally interactive. Facilitated by Georgia Tech, at the Summit, utility executives will collaborate to map out the real-world operational and organizational hurdles standing in the way of true innovation. Direct Access to Innovation Partners. Industry leaders from ACI Worldwide, Bidgely, DataCapable, Google, GridX, Oracle and Smart Energy Water will actively participate, sharing insights on the technologies and trends. Their role is not to deliver sales presentations, but to contribute technical expertise focused on solving real utility challenges. Targeted, High-Impact Focus Areas. Conversations will dive deep into the specific capabilities reshaping utility customer engagement, ensuring you walk away with actionable strategies for: * Customer Information and Customer Relationship Systems (CIS and CRM) * Contact Center Transformation * Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics * Customer Programs and Personalized Engagement * Situational Awareness * Billing and Payment Innovation * Customer Communications and Digital Experience The result: A shared three-year technology investment roadmap. Rather than walking away with a notepad of ideas, attendees will build a blueprint that explicitly maps the path from establishing a foundational clean data layer to scaling anticipatory customer service and managing the modern prosumer relationship. Shape the Future of Utility Customer Experience Participation is intentionally limited to encourage meaningful executive discussion and collaboration. If you are an executive leader responsible for customer experience, customer operations, digital strategy, technology and innovation and would like to learn more about the Executive CX Innovation Summit, complete this form. Join the conversation. Help define what's next for utility customer experience. Tracie Boutte is a utility executive and customer experience leader with more than 36 years of experience driving customer-focused transformation, operational excellence, and strategic growth. As Executive Advisor at Chartwell, she helps utilities navigate evolving customer expectations, business challenges, and organizational change. Before retiring from Entergy Services, Inc., Tracie served in several executive leadership roles, including Vice President of Customer & Business Operations and Vice President of Customer Experience, where she established Entergy's first enterprise customer experience practice. Her leadership spanned customer strategy, digital transformation, analytics, emergency management, gas distribution, and regulatory affairs. Tracie is recognized for aligning business priorities, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and keeping the customer at the center of decision-making.