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Katherine Bird is president of the Women's Network Employees Association

Erwin Bonilla is vice president of the Filipino Employees Association

Matthew Duncan is president of the PrideNetwork Employees Association

Detrina Faletogo is president of the Hispanic Employees Association

Yonnie Leung is president of the Asian Employees Association

Pam Miller-Lewis is president of the Black Employees Association

Neil Stockton is chairman of the Board of the Pacific Service Employees Association

PG&E's Employees Associations host annual Diversity Celebrations to celebrate different cultures, reward accomplishments and showcase the many faces of our employees.

What critical roles do Employees Associations (EA) play at PG&E?

Faletogo: We are the face of PG&E and the champions of diversity. And we are an important resource for the company—we leverage our interactions with employees to provide important feedback to the company.

Stockton: The EAs are part of PG&E's history and heritage, with most dating back many years. We bring diverse groups of people together—often providing an opportunity to simply enjoy each other's company and share our culture.

Bird: We also provide a place for employees to connect across the company in new ways—people of different age groups with different backgrounds and business experiences, and that's really valuable. It makes people feel included and rewarded.

How do EAs benefit the company? The community? Employee development?

Miller-Lewis: We bring important issues to the leaders of the company. And this is critical in helping PG&E become the nation's leading utility.

Faletogo: We're also very active in the community, volunteering our time, which is especially important given the current economy. We are passionate about serving our customers and very sensitive to what people are going through today.

Bonilla: I agree, we serve as a pulse of the community and a vital link that connects the community to the company.

Miller-Lewis: We also play an important role in professional development. For example, we piloted a mentoring program a few years ago to match employees with each other to help develop their careers. We demonstrated its value, and it's now a formal, company-wide program.

Leung: And the Asian Employees Association is in the process of building on its success by structuring a leadership pilot program to mentor high-potential employees.

How do EAs support a culture of diversity and inclusion at PG&E?

Bonilla: From my perspective, a sense of inclusion is at the very heart of EAs. It's also important to note that all employees associations are open to all employees.

Stockton: Each EA gives employees a place to feel comfortable, whether they're new or more tenured employees. Everyone has a voice, and their opinions matter. EAs help build self-confidence, which allows employees to grow and develop their skills.

Faletogo: We also hold the company accountable. I see us as the conscience of the company—we reflect the diversity of thought that PG&E seeks to achieve.

Duncan: As proud as I am about the work we do, we recognize that it's a constant evolution. We always have more work to do to get to where we need to be.

What specific accomplishments are you most proud of?

Leung: We recently held our annual Diversity Celebration, with a record 1,000 employees in attendance. It was a variety show with singing, fashion and dancing—a melting pot of different cultures and life experiences brought together by the EAs. It's one of many different forums in which we bring employees together. We also have celebration events in the field.

Miller-Lewis: Each EA, throughout the year, celebrates diversity through events such as Black History Month and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The EAs also sponsor the President's Diversity Champion Award, the company's annual diversity award given to those employees who model behaviors of diversity and inclusion.

Bonilla: All of the EAs also provide scholarships to high school seniors. Last year alone, we contributed over $300,000. It's a very proud moment when you contribute to the education of Californians.

Stockton: We have chapters from one end of PG&E's service area to another—all coming together for a common goal, whether it's the scholarships, blood drives, coat drives...the list goes on and on.

On a personal or professional level, what has it meant to you to be a leader of an EA?

Faletogo: It provides me an opportunity to be a change maker in society. Having a role like this can be a challenge—but knowing you're doing something based on integrity gives you a strong sense of confidence. It provides self-fulfillment in my life.

Bird: Stepping up to a leadership position in an EA offers some real challenges and a great opportunity to grow. You can make important new connections for yourself and act as a conduit to connect others.

Duncan: On a personal level, it's an opportunity to work on something that I'm very passionate about. In that sense, it helps to align my personal life and professional life.

Looking forward, what are your future goals for the EAs?

Bird: One of the most valuable things we could do is incorporate more involvement from employees in the field. That would further expand the scope of our impact.

Miller-Lewis: I'd like to see the EAs better utilized in the company's strategic planning. We can provide valuable feedback.

Leung: To build the strength of the EAs, we seek more active employee involvement.

PG&E is working to lay a smarter, sustainable foundation for the future. How can EAs help us get there?

Bird: From my point of view, EAs play a critical role in attracting top talent to the company and retaining great employees.

Leung: I think PG&E could work more with the EAs to better understand what employees value and collaborate to build new tools and programs.

Duncan: For PG&E to become the leading utility in the United States, we need to become the leading EA program in the United States, by becoming more collaborative and using our resources to their full potential.