MISO has appointed its first chief diversity officer, the RTO said Monday.
The grid operator selected insurance and banking executive Allegra Nottage after a nationwide search. She will be responsible for advancing diversity and inclusion efforts and will be based at MISO’s Carmel, Ind., headquarters.
Nottage most recently directed the human resource department at Indianapolis-based insurance firm Syndicate Claim Services and has led human resource programs at Cigna Insurance. She also led diversity and inclusion programs at Bank of America’s global diversity and inclusion team.
MISO said Nottage’s experience “covers a wide range from standard areas such as recruiting to more advanced areas of inclusion and equity such as management accountability.” While at Syndicate, Nottage implemented an inclusion index to gauge the company’s progress in diversity and inclusion.
“I am excited to be selected to lead the D&I effort at MISO. I commend the leadership team for their passion and longstanding commitment to this important work and look forward to learning more about the organization,” Nottage said in a press release. “From my very first discussion with the leadership team during the recruiting process, I knew that MISO was a special company, and I feel honored to be here.”
Nottage spent her childhood in Charlottesville, Va., and lived in U.S. military bases across the country during her teenage years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Wilmington University.
“Allegra has vast experience and expertise to help us advance our diversity and inclusion journey,” MISO CEO John Bear said. “I am confident that she possesses the right skills to take us to the next level. She has a very important job and has my full support to help us get better together.”
In an unusual move following last summer’s nationwide civil unrest, MISO’s executives and board members condemned systemic racism and vowed to listen to its minority employees in affecting organizational change. (See MISO Board Addresses Racism, Social Unrest.)
Bear at the time promised that addressing inequality wouldn’t be a flicker, but a long-term, serious pursuit.
