2026 UAI Excellence Awards Finalists Announced
Celebrating the People Behind the Progress
Eight finalists. Three signature award categories. One community coming together to celebrate excellence in utility analytics.
The analytics may happen behind the scenes. The people making it happen shouldn’t.
The Utility Analytics Institute (UAI) is proud to announce the eight finalists for the 2026 UAI Excellence Awards, recognizing outstanding professionals, leaders, and teams whose work is helping move utility analytics forward.
Every nomination represents something worth celebrating: a colleague who stepped forward to lead, a professional who turned data into meaningful impact, a team that challenged what was possible, or a contribution that made the broader utility analytics community stronger. Becoming a finalist is an extraordinary distinction, and this year’s honorees represent the talent, commitment, curiosity, and collaboration that define the UAI community.
Meet the 2026 Finalists
Best Utility Analytics Professional
Best Utility Analytics Leader
Best Innovative Utility Analytics Team
IT Business Intelligence and Analysis
AI and Automation CoE
Power Delivery Data Analytics (PDDA)
Recognition That Goes Beyond the Finalists
The UAI Excellence Awards are designed to recognize excellence across the many ways people contribute to our industry and our community. In addition to announcing the winners in the three finalist categories, UAI will recognize the 2026 Analytics Ambassador, unveil the Top 25 Thought Leaders in Utility Analytics, and present the Community Engagement Awards.
Together, these honors recognize technical excellence, leadership, innovation, thought leadership, generosity, participation, and the willingness to share knowledge with others. They also reflect something central to UAI: progress happens faster when a community learns, contributes, and celebrates together.
New for 2026: One Big Celebration
This year, we’re changing how the UAI community celebrates.
For the first time, nominees, finalists, and award recipients will be recognized together during a dedicated General Session at UA Week. That means the final session isn’t simply where we’ll announce the winners. It is where we will celebrate the people, teams, and organizations making an impact across the utility analytics community.
UAI Excellence Awards Celebration
Thursday, October 22, 2026
11:15 AM-12:30 PM
UA Week 2026 | Glendale, Arizona
On October 22, we’re not quietly wrapping up UA Week. We’re ending it with a celebration.
If you’re attending UA Week, make a special point to stay through the final General Session. Fill the room. Applaud loudly. Celebrate your peers. Help us make sure every nominee, finalist, and award recipient feels the support and camaraderie of the UAI community.
They’ve done the work. They’ve made an impact. Now let’s give them the audience they deserve.
About the UA Week 2026
Learn more about UA Week 2026: https://www.utilityanalyticsweek.com/2026
About the Utility Analytics Institute (UAI)
The Utility Analytics Institute is a community within Endeavor Business Media that supports utility analytics professionals through member-led conversations, events, recognition programs, and industry research.
About the Author
Leslie Cook, Manager, Membership, Engagement & Training Utility Analytics Institute (UAI)
Leslie Cook is a strategic program director, dynamic business leader, and expert facilitator with 30 years of professional experience. Leslie’s peers describe her as a passionate, authentic, action-oriented leader with a goal driven attitude and enthusiasm for creating connections and collaborations. She excels at developing and managing frontline programs that position companies and their products for sustainable revenue growth and delivering customer-focused solutions that demonstrate product value, build long-term loyalty, and foster client engagement and retention. Cook’s background includes extensive work with associations and institutes in program development and management, marketing communications, event management, branding, and sales/new business development. She holds a BA in public relations from Texas Tech University and served in various program director and marketing roles for the Utility Analytics Institute (An Endeavor Business Media company), Financial Planning Association® (FPA®), HDI (an Informa company), and the Global Semiconductor Alliance (formerly Fabless Semiconductor Association). When she is not out facilitating cutting-edge programs or creating unforgettable member experiences, Leslie can be found traveling the world and also enjoying all that Colorado has to offer, from hiking, swimming, and outdoor excursions with her fur babies, to antiquing for the best mid-century modern finds and blown glass of all kinds. She also leverages her high attention to detail and project management skills when dabbling in home remodeling and interior design, two of her favorite pastimes.
