Along Those Lines, Episode 6: The Rise of Female Lineworkers

Pedernales Electric Cooperative apprentice lineworker Kaitlyn Vaillancourt climbs a recently installed distribution pole to prepare it for service to new members. (Photo By: Alexis Matsui/NRECA)
Pedernales Electric Cooperative apprentice lineworker Kaitlyn Vaillancourt climbs a recently installed distribution pole to prepare it for service to new members. (Photo By: Alexis Matsui/NRECA)

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, the latest episode of Along Those Lines takes you behind the scenes with a woman who’s making her way in a male-dominated industry.

Kaitlyn Vaillancourt, 21, is an apprentice lineworker at Pedernales Electric Cooperative outside Austin, Texas—the only woman among the co-op’s 200 lineworkers.

As co-ops and other utilities are seeing increasing retirements among their operations crew, they’re starting to look outside the typical talent pools for viable candidates to fill these jobs. Hires like Vaillancourt could be role models for other women who might not have been aware of career possibilities in linework.

NRECA writer Victoria Rocha recently traveled to Texas for a profile on Vaillancourt, and she joins RE Magazine Editor Scot Hoffman for this episode to tell Vaillancourt’s story. You’ll hear from Vaillancourt as well as Pedernales CEO Julie Parsley, the co-op’s first female CEO.

Listen to the episode below:

You can also listen and subscribe to Along Those Lines on your preferred podcast service:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube

Related Content from RE Magazine:
‘A More Inclusive Path’
Shattering the Ice Ceiling
Power Profiles: Women Lineworkers

Learn more about careers in linework at getintoenergy.com.

Find out more about NRECA’s podcast. Questions or suggestions? Email us at AlongThoseLines@nreca.coop.