Women’s History Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the valuable contributions of our inspiring women leaders at Tampa Electric. We recently had the pleasure on interviewing Michele Arevalo, Tampa Electric's Director of Technology Projects and Telecommunications, to highlight her leadership role within our company.
On March 18, Michele celebrated 39 years of service at Tampa Electric. She was promoted to her first leadership position in 1997. She is a second-generation Tampa native whose grandparents came to the United States from Spain, through Ellis Island and migrated to Tampa to work in the cigar factories. Here is her story.
Share a bit about your background and journey to leadership:
Currently, I am Director, Technology Projects and Telecommunications. Telecommunications supports Tampa Electric Company’s fiber optic network.
We are like Spectrum or Verizon Fios for the company and support communications to all of our offices, power plants, operations centers and substations – plus the IT network rides on this network as well. Each time you log in to your computer, you are utilizing the underlying network we support so you can access applications, email, files, etc.
Can you share a specific accomplishment or achievement that you are particularly proud of and why it stands out to you?
There have been many key projects I have been involved with- however, what I am most proud of is my involvement in the advancement of technology over the years.
When I started with the company in 1985, there were no personal computers. I was hired into the Word Processing Center where we typed all the correspondence for the company. I worked on a dedicated word-processing machine – that’s all it did! I spent several years in application development and support, and I also supported the first email systems introduced (OV/VM and GroupWise). We are very excited about constructing the Private Long-term Evolution (PLTE) network – aimed to be our own cellular network provider that will allow communications to field devices to support Grid Modernization goals. This is the next big technological advancement!
How would you encourage and support others in the workplace to pursue leadership roles or professional growth?
I have mentored others throughout my career as I believe we are always growing. I strongly encourage others to seek out a mentor – someone who you respect and want to learn from. In my experience, asking someone to be your mentor is perceived as a huge compliment. I have never been turned down when I asked for someone to be my mentor.
We work for an amazing company! I had no idea I would one day be celebrating 39 years of service when I started here – it just happened. I was afforded opportunities throughout my career that challenged me and kept me excited about coming to work. Consequently, each time I felt I was getting complacent in my role, another opportunity would present itself.
Always do the best job you can do for the job that you are in. Don’t put goals out there to be a Director, VP, or CEO by a certain date. Instead, just do the best job you can every day and you will be noticed. Have candid conversations with your performance coach regarding your development plan and long-term goals so they can help you find opportunities that will help you achieve your goals.
How has your cultural identity or upbringing played a role in your career, leadership style and/or decision-making?
My parents did not go to college. In fact, my dad only reached the seventh grade before he had to quit school to help support his family. As a result, education was very important to my parents. It was assumed my sister and I would go to college – it wasn’t a choice.
My parents also pushed me to pursue a degree in Computer Science. When I entered college in 1982, not many women were pursuing degrees in technology. My parents believed that I could do it! I received my BS Degree in Management Information Systems and went on to complete my MBA.
My career field in technology was traditionally male-dominated – and not one that Hispanics usually look to pursue. My leadership style embraces collaboration and communication. For me, the leaders I enjoyed working with valued my opinions and realized the value of collaboration. As a result, I know what I like out of a leader, and I try very hard to ensure that I treat others the way that they want to be treated - with respect and that I encourage collaboration and honest communication with my entire team.
How do you manage the balance between your professional and personal life?
It is extremely important that you strike a healthy balance between your family and work life. I am extremely blessed to have a wonderful partner in life – my husband of 33 years. We put family first over anything, including work. We believe that you need to have this mindset in order to be effective at both home and work. I am a Child of God, a mom, a wife and a Director – in that order. Without striking a healthy balance, you really don’t succeed at anything. When you are at work, you need to focus in order to work safely and make good decisions. If you are worried about things at home, that can definitely affect your performance.
