Fourth annual awards recognize women creating meaningful impact across the utility industry and the communities it serves
MILWAUKEE — September 30, 2026 — Yesterday, the Utility 2030 Leadership Collaborative (U2030) honored eleven outstanding leaders with its fourth annual Women Who SPARK Awards during the SPARK 2026 Gala at Saint Kate Arts Hotel in Milwaukee.
The Women Who SPARK Awards recognize women whose leadership, commitment, and contributions are creating meaningful change within their organizations, across the utility industry, and in the communities they serve.
The 2026 Women Who SPARK Award recipients are:
- DeAnna Hardwick, CPS Energy (City Public Service of San Antonio)
- Sonja Britland, Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant
- Michelle Uyen Nguyen, Southern California Edison
- Brooke Hays, American Water
- DaVonna Johnson, Seattle City Light
- Itzel Morales, City of Waukegan, Illinois
- Orie Cross, City of Wylie, Texas
- Valerie Spaugh, Soquel Creek Water District
- Anita Birmingham, City of Minneapolis
- Miranda Hendricks, ContactPoint 360
“Each of these women is helping move our industry and its communities forward,” says Gretchen Stanford, a U2030 partner and advisor. “They lead with courage, expertise and humanity and they create a ripple effect by opening doors, strengthening teams and making meaningful change possible for others. We are proud to celebrate the impact they are making.”
U2030 extends its deep gratitude to InvoiceCloud, sponsor of the 2026 Women Who SPARK Awards, for helping recognize and elevate women whose leadership is shaping the utility industry’s future.
“When we invest in people and give them opportunities to grow, the impact reaches beyond any one team or organization,” said Jessi Marcoff, Chief People Officer at InvoiceCloud. “This year’s Women Who SPARK honorees show what that leadership can mean for the communities they serve. InvoiceCloud is proud to support a program that recognizes their accomplishments and encourages more women to pursue leadership opportunities across the utility industry.”
Readers can learn more about the 2026 recipients by subscribing to U2030’s monthly newsletter. Profiles highlighting the recipients’ contributions will be published through the end of 2026.
About Utility 2030 Leadership Collaborative
Utility 2030 Leadership Collaborative is a leadership collaborative for the people carrying transformation inside utilities. Through leadership programs, peer workgroups, events and advisory services, U2030 helps utility professionals build the relationships, insight and capacity required to lead meaningful change. Learn more at utility2030.org.
About InvoiceCloud
InvoiceCloud provides modern digital payment, customer engagement, and outbound disbursement solutions. The company services more than 3,250 customers across the utility, government and insurance industries and is a leader in the electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) space. InvoiceCloud’s SaaS platform enables continuous enhancements to the customer experience resulting in higher digital payment, AutoPay, and paperless adoption rates. By switching to InvoiceCloud, clients can improve customer engagement and satisfaction while lowering costs, accelerating payments, and reducing staff workloads. To learn more, visit InvoiceCloud.com.
Media Contact
Isaac Edmonds
iedmonds@utility2030.org
