During Infrastructure Week, Pepco Recognizes Workforce That Powers Critical Energy Infrastructure Across the Region

Graduates from Pepco’s training program with D.C. Infrastructure Academy make

important infrastructure upgrades possible

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 18, 2022) — This week, in the District of Columbia and Maryland –

and all across the country – we join together to celebrate Infrastructure Week and the exciting

and innovative work being performed by Pepco employees to help modernize and harden the

local energy grid and to reliably power homes and businesses in the region. Through the Pepco

Utility Training School program with the D.C. Infrastructure Academy (DCIA), residents in the

region prepare for and ultimately earn careers in the energy industry, including as cable splicer

mechanics, helper transformer testers, meter technicians and many more.

“It takes a dedicated workforce with diverse backgrounds, areas of expertise, and innovative

ideas to power the communities we serve, and we are extremely proud of our partnership with

DCIA and the training program graduates that Pepco and our contractors of choice employ to do

just that,” said Tamla Olivier, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Pepco

Holdings. “To date, we have seen 144 graduates come through our program who are all highly

skilled, capable energy employees that are vital to modernizing our local energy grid. This

infrastructure week, we celebrate those graduates and salute the work they do alongside all of

our hardworking employees every day to keep the lights on and the grid energized.”

The Pepco Utility Training School program at DCIA teaches the skills and provides the

experience necessary to begin working safely on the local energy grid. The objective of the

program is to prepare District residents for well-paying careers within the energy utility industry

by offering customized training for the Construction and Skills Trades (CAST) exam, workforce

readiness and technical skill development for overhead, underground, transmission and

substation operations. Participants learn new skills, get plugged into a career path, and they

also receive valuable certifications including OSHA, Flagger, and CPR/first aid safety areas.

Markesha Cottingham, a graduate of the DCIA program currently works as a Transformer

Tester C in Pepco's Transformer Shop, a division of the Underground Department. Cottingham

is a lifelong resident of Washington, D.C. and currently lives in Ward 8. She started the program

in August 2022 and was one of four females to graduate from her cohort.

“Because of what I learned at DCIA and my work with Pepco, I now have skills that will continue

to open doors for me and allow me to grow professionally – with my hope of reaching

management level,” said Cottingham. “I truly enjoy what I do day-to-day and I am proud to know

my work is helping power my community and make the District of Columbia an even more

vibrant place for those who live and visit here.”

Lonnell Rowell, another recent DCIA graduate, is a proud Pepco utility service worker who

started with the company this past December in the mechanical department at Pepco’s Benning

Road facility. Rowell performs maintenance on the service vehicles and other tasks in the yard

to make sure equipment is up-to-date and ready to service local homes and businesses.

“Every day is a little different, which is exciting, and I am glad I completed the Pepco training

program because I get to work in an industry that is such a huge part of our everyday lives –

energy and keeping the lights on,” said Rowell.

Jesse Lotharp, a 2018 DCIA graduate, is an apprentice line mechanic who works out of Pepco’s

Rockville Service Center in Maryland. He works daily on overhead equipment, from power lines

to transformers, and is an integral part of Pepco’s workforce in the Maryland region.

“The Pepco Utility Training Program at DCIA gave me the important information I needed to get

a job with the company -- from the contacts I made to the support I received in completing all

the steps to graduate. The staff and my classmates made me feel good about my career path,”

said Lotharp. “Now, I look forward to going to my job every day and working to maintain and

upgrade just about everything you see on the electrical poles.”

This latest cohort of 2022 has 22 participants, including five women. All of the participants are on track graduate in June with a job offer from Pepco or a Contractor of Choice. Including this latest cohort, 163 District residents will have graduated from the Pepco Utility Training School at the DC Infrastructure and have been offered jobs since 2018. To learn more about the program, click here.

To learn more about Pepco, visit The Source, our online newsroom. Find additional information by visiting pepco.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/PepcoConnect and on Twitter at twitter.com/PepcoConnect. Pepco's mobile app is available at pepco.com/MobileApp.