August 21, 2024

Stoughton Utilities Director says industry is always changing

Member Utilities

Stoughton Utilities Director Jill Weiss has practically seen it all.

“I’ve gotten to see all the sides of the world we live in,” said Weiss, who has worked throughout Wisconsin for municipalities and private companies.

Growing up in Fort Atkinson, Wis., Weiss always enjoyed math and science. Then in high school, a friend pointed to engineering as an option, and it felt like a perfect fit. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Weiss worked in northern Wisconsin before returning closer to home as director of public works in Jefferson. She was later drawn to a position at a private utility but returned to municipal work in 2019.

“I’m always impressed by a municipal utility,” Weiss said. “A community took the initiative and embraced oversight of its own electric utility, making it a nonprofit focused solely on meeting the needs of customers.”

With more than 25 years in the industry, Weiss said success is hard to quantify. An aim when she started out was to have diverse opportunities in her career. In every new position, she had to learn quickly. In Jefferson, her tenure began with the first ever citywide outage. Another new job brought the worst storms experienced in 15 years. Those events caused her to “step up,” she said.

Even when unpredictable events happen, like a global pandemic, Weiss stresses the importance of a supportive team. The negative effects of a single team member becoming ill can be felt, Weiss said, but the magnitude of an outbreak that could cause public safety issues was an even larger concern. Another challenge Weiss faces each day is one several managers have dealt with in the last year: how to maintain a good work environment to retain quality staff.

That is part of Weiss’s consideration of the future of public power as well. Knowing exactly what will come next is unlikely, but it’s important to understand that change is constant.

“What’s unique about our industry is that it’s always and forever changing,” Weiss said. “The future is very bright, and I think we’re able to be smarter together.”