Celebrating the People Behind the Progress

Eight awards. Three competitive-category winners. One community celebrating the people, teams, and organizations moving utility analytics forward.

The analytics may happen behind the scenes. The people making it happen shouldn’t.

The Utility Analytics Institute (UAI) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 UAI Excellence Awards, recognized during the final General Session of UA Week 2026 in Glendale, Arizona.

This year’s celebration brought nominees, finalists, award recipients, and peers together to recognize excellence across analytics, leadership, innovation, thought leadership, and community engagement. The honorees reflect the many ways progress happens across the UAI community: through technical expertise, courageous leadership, collaborative teams, generous knowledge sharing, and sustained engagement.

Meet the 2026 UAI Excellence Award Winners

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2026 Top 25 Thought Leaders in Utility Analytics

UAI also unveiled the 2026 Top 25 Thought Leaders in Utility Analytics, recognizing professionals whose ideas, leadership, expertise, and willingness to share are helping shape the future of utility analytics.

View the full list of honorees on the UAI Excellence Awards page.

From Finalists to Winners: Three Signature Categories

Eight outstanding finalists advanced in UAI’s three competitive award categories. Each finalist earned recognition through a multi-phase peer-review process, and becoming a finalist represents a significant achievement in its own right.

Best Utility Analytics Professional

• Luis Selvera – Machine Learning Engineer 3, CPS Energy – 2026 WINNER
• Nicole Edwards – Senior Data Solution Architect, Tacoma Public Utilities

Best Utility Analytics Leader

• Hilario Urquieta – Interim Senior Director, Data & Digital Experience, CPS Energy – 2026 WINNER
• Jennifer Kofsuske – Manager, Eversource
• Siham Naseef – Information Technology Manager, Austin Energy

Best Innovative Utility Analytics Team

• Southern Company – Power Delivery Data Analytics (PDDA) – 2026 WINNER
• City Utilities of Springfield – IT Business Intelligence and Analysis
• New York Power Authority – AI and Automation CoE

Recognizing the 2026 Award Judges

UAI’s three competitive Excellence Award categories were evaluated by experienced utility professionals and industry experts who contributed their time, perspective, and expertise throughout the peer-review process and finalist interviews. UAI extends its sincere thanks to the 2026 judges:

Best Utility Analytics Professional Judges

• Eric Verner – Data Scientist, Southern Company
• Claudia Hernandez – Scrum Master & Change Management Lead, Con Edison
• Pablo Bustamante – Data Science and Business Intelligence Analyst, El Paso Electric

Best Utility Analytics Leader Judges

• Sean Douglass – Manager of Automation and Agentic Platform Solutions, Entergy
• Hannah Ball – Data Governance Manager, Tacoma Public Utilities
• Sreenivas Badri – Director, Grid and Market Solutions, ERCOT

Best Innovative Utility Analytics Team Judges

• Gary Rector – Senior Data Scientist, Salt River Project
• Kathryn Walter – Sr Operations Research Analyst, Avista
• Eugene Hamrick – Director, Enterprise Analytics & Innovation, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative/BrillIT

A Community Worth Celebrating

“The strongest analytics communities are built by people who are willing to contribute, share what they know, challenge what is possible, and help others move forward. Our 2026 honorees represent that spirit in so many different ways. They are delivering meaningful results inside their organizations while also strengthening the broader utility analytics community. Celebrating them together at UA Week is one of the best reminders of what this community can accomplish when people learn from one another and recognize the work happening around them.”

Leslie Cook, Director, Membership, Engagement & Training at UAI.

“These award recipients show us what progress in utility analytics looks like in practice: strong leadership, thoughtful innovation, measurable impact, and a willingness to bring others along. What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that it comes from a community of peers who understand both the complexity of the work and the opportunity in front of our industry. We are proud to celebrate the 2026 winners and grateful to every nominee, finalist, judge, and member who continues to move this community forward.”

Gina Weber, Managing Director of UAI.

Congratulations to every 2026 award recipient, finalist, nominee, and honoree. Your work matters. Your contributions strengthen this community. And we are proud to celebrate the people behind the progress.

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Explore the UAI Excellence Awards: https://utilityanalytics.com/awards/

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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.

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