Sue Stood Out with Her Sharp Mind and Sharp Wit
Steve Mitnick is President of Lines Up, Inc., Editor-in-Chief of Public Utilities Fortnightly, author of “Lines Down: How We Pay, Use, Value Grid Electricity Amid the Storm,” formerly an expert witness that testified before utility regulatory commissions of six states, the District of Columbia, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and in Canada, and a faculty member at Georgetown University teaching undergraduate microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics. These accomplishments aside, he’s proud to be an admirer and friend of Owen Young Awardee Sue Kelly.
I admit it. When I get to know someone in the utilities industry that combines great intellect with a great sense of humor, I treasure the time spent with them. There are, fortunately, very many men and women in our industry that I've come to know that have this magical combination, which often makes my work into play.
Then add in a passion for the public interest and deep insights into how our industry is best able to serve that interest and you have a magnificent mix indeed. I'm so fortunate to know many hundreds of you all that have these characteristics.
Then, there are the giants among us. Less common, they share these characteristics, but they've also incrementally changed out industry for the better. Everybody knows them and everybody knows this about them.
In our industry's first decades, there were the giants. Some we remember well to today like Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse and Samuel Insull. Some are not well-remembered but just as deserving of our respect, like Charles Coffin, David Lilienthal and Owen Young.