Over 30% of LUMA workers are women, significantly surpassing utility industry standard of 20%
San Juan, Puerto Rico, August 1, 2022 – Today, LUMA celebrated the historic graduation of the first two women from the LUMA College lineworker pre-apprenticeship program – Puerto Rico’s first lineworker apprenticeship program to be certified by the U.S. Department of Labor in partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 222. The two women, Gabriela Hernández and Valeria Narváez, now join over 950 LUMA women who are helping build a more reliable, more resilient, more customer-focused and cleaner electric system for 1.5 million Puerto Ricans.
“All our 1.5 million customers should be incredibly proud of this historic first, our two female LUMA College lineworker graduates and the over 950 Puerto Rican women who are helping transform and modernize Puerto Rico’s electric system. This is not only significant for LUMA, but we are also helping set a new diversity standard for the industry that we all should celebrate,” said Wayne Stensby, President and Chief Executive Officer of LUMA.
According to the 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average percentage of women utility employees is less than 20%. At LUMA, 30% of the utility’s workforce are women, with 150 holding field operational roles, such as groundworker, lineworker, forewoman, low voltage worker, regional managers, aviation administration and many more that have typically been occupied by men. In addition, LUMA is proud to have over 120 women in key leadership roles throughout the company.
“Under PREPA and UTIER, there were few opportunities for women to work in operations, much less take charge of a whole department. At LUMA, we are training and encouraging an entirely new generation of women utility workers. As a female leader at LUMA, I couldn’t be more proud of the standard that LUMA is setting and how we transforming roles that have been historically dominated by males. This is a new day for Puerto Rican women and LUMA and further marks how we are budling a better energy future for Puerto Rico,” said Kathy Roure, Director of Strategic Initiatives.
About LUMA
LUMA is a Puerto Rican company that, since June 1, 2021, operates and manages the electric power transmission and distribution system in Puerto Rico. LUMA is a company driven by a mission to transform the electrical transmission and distribution system to provide all Puerto Ricans with the reliable, resilient, cleaner and affordable electrical grid they deserve. As a customer-centric company, LUMA’s entire workforce of more than 3,000 employees is focused on safely delivering an exceptional customer service experience to its 1.5 million customers.
