Lineworker supervisor powering possibilities for women
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we celebrate the many women here at PPL Electric Utilities who have paved the way, and those who are helping us create the utility of the future today.
One of the women currently helping power our business is Lycoming County native Katy Snyder, a field supervisor working out of our Pocono Service Center in Tannersville. A former lineworker, Katy is one of two female field supervisors across PPL Electric, and the only female field supervisor at her location.
In her role, Katy and her fellow field supervisor oversee the lineworker crews at their service center. There’s no shortage of duties throughout the day; viewing and assigning job sites, visiting crews in the field and gathering field observations are just a few of the day-to-day responsibilities.
“The days can get pretty busy,” Snyder said. “And at the end of the day, we try our best to look ahead and plan for the next because of the uncertainties of our work.”
Entering the world of line work is not a typical career path for women. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than five percent of lineworkers are women. But that’s where Snyder started her journey.
“Before PPL, I was working at a feed mill and I was the only female in the entire company,” she said. “And growing up with my dad as a farmer, I always found it satisfying to build things with my hands and see the end result – it felt good to know that I made something.”
A friend of hers suggested that she move on from the feed mill and get started on a new career path. As a lineworker himself he suggested giving it a shot, saying plainly that she would quickly know whether or not it would be the career for her.
“By the second day of line school, I knew this was for me,” she said. “Climbing poles, building lines and running trucks – this was it.”
And up into the air she went, beginning her career as a contractor before joining PPL Electric in 2021. Growing up inside of the service territory, she was familiar with the company and had family and friends who worked there. From the time she was a kid, she knew she wanted to work at PPL Electric in some way.
“I can remember going to a friend’s house in second grade and talking to their parents, who both worked at PPL in different departments,” Snyder said. “I’ve carried that conversation with me. And it was always my end goal to be able to help the people in my own community.”
After three years of line work at PPL, she was promoted to the field supervisor role. Now guiding multiple all-male crews of lineworkers, Snyder was also tasked with working at a new location with new colleagues.
“Initially, they were not sure what to think because they had only ever had male supervisors,” she said. “I thought it was important to be persistent in getting to know the team and understand them as people.”
She says that between she and her fellow supervisor, they’ve cultivated a family culture since teaming up a year and a half ago. Snyder believes leading her team begins with building morale and camaraderie.
“This line of work can be hard on home life,” she said. “These guys are working in every weather condition for long hours, while missing time, holidays and life events with their families to keep the lights on for our customers. We spend a lot of time together here at work, so I think it’s important to try hard to make their lives and their jobs safer and easier.”
But Snyder says, no matter the conditions, the crews know that their hard work is helping their communities.
“I can drive down the street during a storm, see an outage and know the person who is living in that house,” she said. “It gives us purpose knowing that we can keep the lights on for our customers, friends and families.”