In 1982, Kathy Lerette and her mother had a talk that would, unknowingly at the time, help shape her career and the status of women in leadership. Their topic of discussion was the importance of a pension and planning for the future. With her mother’s advice, an interest in architectural drafting and only a high school education, Kathy secured a draftsman position at Stoney Creek Hydro.

To advance in her field, she attended Mohawk College part-time, and graduated from both Electrical Distribution Technician – Power and Electrical Distribution Technologist – Control diplomas. “My education at Mohawk certainly gave me the foundational technical knowledge to work in engineering at a local distribution company, and gave me the educational requirements to move into management,” she proudly shares. Over a period of 15 years, Kathy spent 12 years attending college part-time to successfully complete her programs and earn her two diplomas. This is just a glimpse into her willpower to thrive in the workplace, particularly in a male dominated job.

When Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Flamborough, Dundas and Ancaster electrical utilities merged in 2000, she jumped from an Engineering Supervisor to a Manager and then to the Director of Construction and Maintenance at Hamilton Hydro. This is a noteworthy event in Kathy’s personal career and for women in the workplace as she was the very first woman and non-engineer to hold this position with the company.

Kathy had confidence in herself and remembers that the senior leaders did too because of her engineering background and positive reputation. “I saw [this promotion] as a challenge to win their trust, and do the job that I was appointed to do regardless of the gender lens that people looked through.” While her background is something to look up to, it has never been about gender for Kathy, “It is all about getting the work done in a positive and respectful environment.”

Today, Kathy is the Senior Vice President of Business Transformation at Alectra Utilities – the second largest municipally owned electric utility in North America. After many years in Engineering and Operations, she expresses that accepting her new position was like a fresh start. Her main responsibility now is providing leadership to the successful integration of the four legacy utilities, Enersource Corporation, Horizon Utilities Corporation, PowerStream and Hydro One Brampton. On top of managing her career, Kathy collaborates with many organizations and committees. She doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, either. Instead of looking forward to retirement in the next 5 years, like many of her peers, she wants to keep mentoring, promoting gender diversity and encouraging women to go into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers.

As for advice, Kathy is a firm believer that your diploma may get you in the door, but your skill, ability, and attitude are what will get you the job and open up opportunities for you, “Be confident in your ability, and people will trust and believe in what you can do. And pursue opportunities that may be outside of your comfort zone; participation means experience and exposure, that will send a clear message to your team and superiors that you’re willing to take on challenging opportunities.”

By: Lu Ann Pannunzio ‘12 

This story was originally published in Fall 2018 of the Mohawk Alumni In Touch magazine.