Why Adversity Can Be Your Motivator - Kathy Kountze-Tatum at IEEE WIE Forum USA East 2017

631 views
Download
  • Share

No one likes adversity. We don’t jump out of bed in the morning and say “I am really looking forward to dealing with that big challenge that’s going to just ruin my day…maybe even my week if I’m lucky!” No, nobody sane actually feels that way about a large problem or dilemma they are faced with. But the reality is, despite the difficulty some work and life challenges bring, those challenges can actually become the motivators that build our confidence, teach us great lessons or even present opportunities that would never otherwise have surfaced if it weren’t for adversity. Many of us are grateful for those challenges, as difficult as they were to manage through at the time, as they can help to create the person we never knew we could become.

Kathy Kountze-Tatum has held her current position at Eversource Energy since April, 2012 and is a member of the executive team. Kathy provides the organization with the vision and leadership to assure the timely, innovative, and cost-effective use of technology to achieve corporate objectives and improve productivity and effectiveness in serving customers in a constantly changing regulated utility marketplace.

As CIO Kathy is required to collaborate with the executive team and establish the short- and long-term technology strategies to support the company’s business strategies. She is responsible for setting the strategic direction for information technology for the organization in all areas, including IT security and risk mitigation; IT project management and process improvement; enterprise application selection, implementation and support; information management; IT infrastructure and operations; IT compliance; disaster recovery; and IT outsourcing.

Prior to her current position at Eversource Energy, Kathy was the Vice President and Chief Information Officer for NSTAR Electric & Gas Company and worked for eight years at United Illuminating, a regulated electric public utility based in New Haven, CT, in various technology leadership roles, serving over two years as CIO.

Kathy is a member of the Massachusetts Women’s Forum, Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Executive Advisory Council, EEI Technical Advisory Council, Co-Chair of the Boston CIO Executive Summit, a member of the Board of Directors for Grace Academy in Hartford, Connecticut, and a former member of the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut.

Kathy also received the Girl Scouts Breakfast Badge Award for Leadership in STEM.

Kathy holds a B.A. degree in Actuarial Math & Science from the University of Connecticut and an M.S degree in Computer Science from the University of New Haven.

No one likes adversity. We don’t jump out of bed in the morning and say “I am really looking forward to dealing with that big challenge that’s going to just ruin my day…maybe even my week if I’m lucky!” No, nobody sane actually feels that way about a large problem or dilemma they are faced with. But the reality is, despite the difficulty some work and life challenges bring, those challenges can actually become the motivators that build...

Advertisment

Advertisment