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Name: Amanda Rome
Title: Executive Vice President, Group President Utilities, Chief Customer Officer
Education: Graduated with highest honors from Pennsylvania State University in 2002 with a double major in Advertising and Public Relations and Speech Communication. Graduated Cum Laude from Georgetown Law School in 2006.
Company Description: Xcel Energy is a trusted energy provider that delivers clean, reliable, and affordable energy to customers across the United States. Across our footprint, we operate in eight states and deliver electricity to nearly four million customers and natural gas to about 2 million customers. The company offers a range of services including clean transportation programs, energy-saving programs, and customer support. Xcel Energy is committed to building a sustainable future by investing in clean energy solutions and ensuring reliable energy delivery to its customers
Tell us more about your job. I have responsibility for the overall strategy and performance of Xcel Energy's four operating companies, which collectively provide power to individuals, families and businesses in eight different states. In addition, I oversee our customer-facing organizations: Customer Energy and Transportation Solutions, which manages things such as our Clean Transportation/Electric Vehicle programs and Data Center strategy; Customer Care which includes things like the Customer Contact Center that customers from any of our eight states can call when they have questions or need help; and External Affairs and Policy which is helping us achieve our environmental, social and governance Sustainability and Net Zero clean energy goals. In my previous role as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, I was responsible for the company's law department and overall legal strategy.
Why is STEM important within your industry? Xcel Energy is responsible for delivering the products (in electricity and natural gas) that power our lives. From heating and lighting our homes to cooking our food to charging our phones - it is essential to our way of life. The lifeblood of our company is grounded in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Our co-workers use their STEM skills to design and operate the equipment that generates electricity as well as the poles and wires that carry that electricity to our homes, schools and community gathering places. We use technology to innovate to drive the clean energy transition as we dream up amazing new things like battery storage and how to harness the power of geothermal energy using the heat trapped deep beneath the earth's surface.
Why is STEM important to your job? Understanding the complexity of our system is key to running an energy company that delivers what our customers need - clean and reliable energy that is there when you need it.
What do you like best about your job? My favorite thing is being a part of a team. In this role, I get to lead teams of incredibly smart, hard working and dedicated people who are committed to finding better and better ways to deliver on our critical mission.
What are the most important skills needed in your job? There are probably dozens of important skills around reading, technology and problem solving. But what's helped me the most during my journey are three things: 1) I'm authentically myself and don't try and be anyone else 2) I'm trustworthy - I do what I say I'll do; 3) I don't pretend to know it all - I am willing to ask questions and learn from others.
Have there been times in your career where you've faced difficult challenges and how were you able to overcome them? Of course. I tend to take those situations on directly and right away. When a challenge pops up, rarely can you solve it just by waiting around. I take a moment to inspect the challenge and understand it - but I don't sit and admire the problem for long. Once I have a solution and have connected with teammates to get their input, I roll my sleeves up and get after it.
What advice would you give to girls of all ages who are interested in STEM? Challenge yourself - go beyond what comes easy or naturally. As a volleyball coach, I tell my girls that if you're not making mistakes, you're not getting better because you're not challenging yourself enough. Same is true in STEM or anything else...the growth happens when you're stretching.
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A buffet of varying active weather conditions is expected across Colorado for the rest of this week.
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Rain and snow is expected in Denver on Friday.
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Denver will see wind, rain and snow on Friday.
Ticket purchases for Cheyenne Frontier Nights are temporarily on hold due to an issue with the event ticketing partner's platform.
Evacuations were ordered on Thursday afternoon after a fire ignited near the Colorado Springs Airport.
In one Colorado city, thousands of streetlights are being converted to LEDs.
Investigators in Douglas County believe the suspects used Wi-Fi jammers to disrupt home security systems and cameras.
A suspect has died after exchanging gunfire with deputies in Colorado during a standoff.
Evacuations were ordered on Thursday afternoon after a fire ignited near the Colorado Springs Airport.
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The eastbound lanes of I-70 were closed for several hours in Wheat Ridge Thursday morning after a deadly crash near Ward Road.
In one Colorado city, thousands of streetlights are being converted to LEDs.
Wonderyard Garden + Table is a bar-forward restaurant that offers flatbreads, shareable food favorites and is participating in its first Denver Restaurant Week.
Oliver Miller was known as the "The Big O" for his 6-foot-9, 280-pound frame that ballooned to well over 300 pounds during his NBA career.
The Denver Broncos have reportedly reached a deal with tight end Evan Engram.
Marcia Neville was the first female to ever cover sports on Denver TV, making history on CBS Colorado.
In the world of alpine skiing, few have been more decorated. Fast, fearless and resilient, Lindsey Vonn fought her way back after every crash, until she retired at 34. But now, with a titanium knee replacement, she is eyeing one more trip to the Olympics.
Just before midnight on the eve of NHL trade deadline day, Chris MacFarland bolstered the Colorado Avalanche for a long playoff run by getting center Brock Nelson.
There's an opportunity tonight to catch the March 2025 "Blood Moon," a phenomenon that colors the full moon in shades of red, orange and yellow during a total lunar eclipse.
Jeffrey Zinne, 37, was riding alone in a three-person chair that carries skiers up the mountain when he fell from an unspecified height.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to limit three lower court orders that blocked enforcement of his birthright citizenship executive order nationwide.
A White House official confirmed that the administration is pulling Dave Weldon's nomination to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
President Trump is planning to invoke a wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as soon as Friday to authorize the summary deportation of some migrants.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to limit three lower court orders that blocked enforcement of his birthright citizenship executive order nationwide.
A White House official confirmed that the administration is pulling Dave Weldon's nomination to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
President Trump is planning to invoke a wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as soon as Friday to authorize the summary deportation of some migrants.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup extended relief to fired workers at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Thursday he won't seek an open Senate seat in Michigan next year, keeping the door open for a possible White House bid in 2028.
A White House official confirmed that the administration is pulling Dave Weldon's nomination to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A Kiowa man who nearly lost his battle with COVID-19 returned to the ICU where he spent two months to thank the care team that saved his life.
A company based in Denver designed, developed and is now piloting an AI tool that they say will transform autism care.
There are more than 380 approved hospital-at-home programs in 39 states.
Hospital-based violence intervention programs have operated in the U.S. since the mid-1990s, but recent moves by the Trump White House are raising anxiety about the programs' future.
AAA says on average domestic air fares are up 7% from last year, while gas is cheaper. CBS News senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave found some last-minute deals.
Social Security will no longer let people change bank information by phone, alleging the practice is behind direct deposit fraud.
The president threatened to take retaliatory action in response to EU tariffs on U.S.-made whiskey.
Lawyer for the Federal Trade Commission says agency needs to seek trial delay in case against Amazon due to staffing and budgetary challenges.
Wall Street breathes a sigh of relief after a new report showed inflation slowed last month by more than expected.
Brenda Hamilton, the former town clerk for Lakeside, pleaded guilty to one felony count of embezzlement of public property, and agreed to pay restitution to the town totaling $26,000 as part of a plea agreement.
The medical director of a Denver eating disorder clinic says popular medications that are being used as weight loss drugs are impacting patients who are being treated for a variety of eating disorders.
The Colorado Department of Revenue has seized multiple properties, including a popular Denver BBQ restaurant, after they said the owners failed to pay taxes for years.
The Colorado Medical Board formally stripped former doctor Stephen Matthews of his medical license, four months after he was sent to prison for 158 years after drugging and raping women he met on online dating sites.
As interest in cryptocurrency increases in the United States, the number of ATMs which facilitate cryptocurrency transactions is as well.
