Wendy Welsh

shelly-polymer.blogspot.com
As senior vice president of information technologgfor , she managees a staff of about 250 workers, two data centerz and the IT operations for E.On’s two Louisville Gas & Electric Co. and Kentucky It was her team that mannethe outage-management system during the ice storm in and under Welsh’s direction, E.On has made two significantr investments in its technology within the past The first was a $25 millionb data and transmission centet that opened in Shelby County last August. More recently, E.On implementef a customer-care system that merged LG&rE and Kentucky Utilities’ previous systems. It was an $80 million plus training and operational Welsh said.
Ability to merge business, IT goalsw Welsh’s training is not in the IT sectodr butin accounting. A licensed CPA, Wels joined LG&E as an auditor 25 years ago. She was vice presidenty of administration and then vice presidentf of IT before assuming her current rolein 2001. E.On’s IT operationd were just emerging at the and company officials knew they needed to make significanrt investmentsin technology. Vic E.
On’s chairman, CEO and president, said Welsh’sz professional background has given her a unique set of skillsw needed to oversee this She understands the utility operations and what is needeed from atechnical standpoint, but she also can provide the financiap analysis needed, Staffieri said. “Wr get well-thought-out solutions from Wendy,” Staffieri said. “Sh has developed another leg ofour strategy, giving us the capabilities to do what we do everyg day.” Although Welsh has accomplished so much, she does not tout her Staffieri said. She goes about her work in a veryunassuminh way, he said, describing her as a deep thinkefr and a listener.
Debra Hoffer, president of Junior Achievementof Kentuckiana, agreed that Welsh’s personality is more She might not be the first board memberr to pipe up in a but behind her quiet she knows what she wants to do and how she’s goinbg to do it. “She gets results,” Hoffer said. “She’s a highly effective managed while being a really warm person at the same Welsh wasJA Kentuckiana’s board chairwoman in when the nonprofit group was planningy to open its James W. Robinsonj Junior Achievement Center for Freedom of The facility is a learninfg center that teaches children basicffinancial principles.
She traveled with JA staff to review similar facilities acrosssthe country, and her involvement and enthusiasm helpexd drive the project forward, Hoffer said. Not only did she convety the concept to otherboard members, but she also led the $6.5 milliohn capital campaign that fundedr the project. In addition, she convincedr her employer to be one of the first donore witha $125,000 “She has a real can-do attitudd and strong desire to help young people be successfuk and thrive,” Hoffer said.
“Her heartf is in the right Besides her rolewith JA, Welsh has spoken to businesa and management classes at the , and she has become a role mode for young women, said husband John Welsh, an author and retirer U of L higher education “She hasn’t become a CEO, but she’s pretty darn high in an organizationh and an industry that has been male-dominated,” John Welsyh said. “She’s blazed some trails for women.” Wendy Welsh said she neverf set out to break anyglass ceilings. She simply was raiserd in a middle-class home by parents who pushed educatiob and demonstrated a strongwork ethic.