为了庆祝国际妇女节, we shine a spotlight on 坦帕电’s Energy Supply Technical Trainer Rita DeHart. 感谢她的勇气, 勇气和毅力, Rita broke barriers and defied stereotypes in 1977 as the first female co-op student at a TECO power plant. 她正在为4月份退休做准备, Rita’s legacy stands as an inspiring testament to resilience as a trailblazer in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
What was your initial inspiration to pursue a career in the power industry, 尤其是考虑到当时的男性主导性质?
I have always thought machines of all types were cool, even as a small youngster. 我从小就对电着迷.
年龄在12到15岁之间, I noticed a large “factory-looking-thing" with multiple smokestacks that could easily be seen from the 22nd Street Causeway here in Tampa. I later found out the “factory-looking-thing” was 坦帕电’s Gannon Station, 它产生了电.
20世纪70年代初的甘农站. 照片由史蒂夫甘迪商业和航空摄影.
I was hooked and enrolled at the University of South Florida’s Electrical Engineering program, 以为这是去发电厂最快的路线. 虽然电子工程是一个非常光荣的职业, it did not present the mechanical and thermal sides of the process I desired, 所以机械工程更适合我.
然而, I found out there was an even better way to learn the power plant to the “Nth Degree,这就是运营. What better way to learn the details than to actually operate a power plant?
在70年代末, I moved out of state and was privileged to be selected for Tennessee Valley Authority’s Student Generating Plant Operator training program in 1979. It was a two-year program that taught us how a power plant works – down to the last valve. 到目前为止，那个项目是我所接受的最好的教育.
Tennessee Valley Authority Student Generating Plant Operator Class, 1979.
丽塔在最上面一排左起第四个.
It did not concern me at the time that operations was a male-dominated field; I was focused on the power plant and how it worked.
她是1977年第一个被派到澳门线上真人博彩官网电厂的女学生, 那里的气氛怎么样, 你遇到了什么挑战?
事实上，一切都很顺利. 那天我走到厂区, 有一些善意的幽默和开玩笑, 这是意料之中的吗. 我加入了他们的幽默，玩得很开心. If there was any sense of unwelcomeness at Hookers Point Station during that time, 我没有注意到, 我也没有听说过这件事.
My biggest worry was lack of physical strength that was often required in operations. 在那段时间里，我最好的朋友是阀门扳手, which enabled me to open and close valves that I could not have done by hand alone.
Rita appeared in TECO News as a Co-Op Student at Hookers Point Station, 1977
在什么特定的时刻或项目中鼓起了勇气, 勇气和毅力 you've demonstrated play a crucial role in your success?
很难确定一个具体的时刻, but on two occasions I spoke at the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors conference (Kansas City and Colorado Springs). I was also privileged to have been published twice in their magazine, “The National Board Bulletin.”
Another interesting occurrence was speaking at a hearing before selected members of the North Carolina State Legislature regarding possible State requirements for boiler operators to hold stationary engineer licenses (which requires training and experience to prepare for the examinations).
I also served as Vice Chair of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Codes and Standards Committee for the Qualification of Fossil-Fuel-Fired Plant Operators (QFO) in the 1990s and early 2000s. 不幸的是，该委员会已经经历了落日进程.
There were also various other speaking engagements and conference/hearing attendance.
How have you seen the industry evolve in terms of diversity and inclusion over the years?
根据美国人口普查局的数据, women working in engineering occupations increased from 3 percent in 1970 to 15 percent in 2019.
据Zippia公司称., (a job-locating organization), the percentage of women power plant operators was 5.2021年1%. 2010年至2021年间，最低比例为3%.2012年61%.
Although I wish these percentages were higher, I have noticed positive changes. In 1972, the badge of being an engineering student was to carry a T-Square and a slide rule (yes, 就在那后面). I recall getting funny looks (and a few cat calls) because I was a woman carrying those supplies. Now, it is not unusual at all to see women engineers in most organizations. 这是一件好事.
你职业生涯中最有价值的方面是什么?
In 1988, I developed and presented my first “Basic Power Plant” class at another organization. 视觉辅助工具是一个带有手绘图像的挂图. Despite the primitive audio-visual equipment, the class was successful, and more were requested. 多年来, I have presented variations of that course at several organizations, 既是员工也是外部顾问. 那门课很受欢迎，对此我很感激.
丽塔正在准备“电厂系统导论”
苦乐参半, the latest variation of that course is “Introduction to Power Plant Systems”, and I will be presenting my final TECO session the third week of March just prior to my retirement date.
你四月就要退休了. Reflect on your career and what you hope to leave behind for future generations of women entering the power industry.
Looking back, I have been privileged to have had more than one accomplishment that I am pleased with. 举个例子, a recent accomplishment has been working with fellow trainers in the development and presentation of Big Bend’s new combined cycle unit training.
The only possible legacy I can think of is that women might be more comfortable discussing their technical knowledge to others because they have seen me do it. 没有人应该为自己的聪明而感到抱歉.
我的建议是:专注于追求卓越. Learn and apply everything you can regarding the technical details of your field; make it a part of you. 彻底了解你的工作.
“没有人应该为自己的聪明而感到抱歉,” -- Rita DeHart.
