IBERVILLE PARISH, La. – IT’S A BIRD … IT’S A PLANE … IT’S SUPERMAN!
Seriously. There he is riding atop a locomotive, CHUGGA-CHUG-CHUGGING down Belleview Drive with about 12 other passengers adorned in purple and gold. They are all tossing out kryptonite-colored beads to a masked and enthusiastic crowd. One of the passengers is sporting a NextEra Energy Resources-branded ballcap and a big smile. Her name is Allison Bernard, and her arms are very tired.
“You could describe my journey to Mardi Gras as a long flight with lots of layovers,” she says, and she isn’t kidding. Allison grew up in Orlando, studied engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and has worked in Houston, Texas, Fairfax, Virginia, and even Australia and Singapore.
Today, Allison lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she works as a project development director for NextEra Energy Resources. How did she end up a fierce and loyal fan of the LSU Tigers? Two words: Work and romance.
She worked for 15 years in the oil and gas industry and fell in love with a bona fide Cajun along the way. The first time she met her husband’s family in New Orleans, they put on a crawfish boil. “That was the moment when I realized living in Louisiana just might work,” says Allison. “It was so much fun!”
What does all of this have to do with energy? Hanging on the end of those kryptonite-colored beads is a medallion with the Krewe of Comogo emblem. Flip it over and you will find a NextEra Energy Resources logo.
Earlier this year, NextEra Energy Resources completed the Amite Solar Energy Center, the company’s first operational large-scale solar energy center in Louisiana.
Our yellow sun may be the source of Superman’s powers, “but it’s also fueling our economy, providing grid resilience and moving us toward energy independence,” explains Allison. “This particular project brought 200 construction jobs and $16 million-worth of tax revenue to Tangipahoa Parish.”
The Amite Solar Energy Center is capable of generating up to 100 megawatts of American-made energy. Allison was responsible for bringing the solar energy center across the finish line.
“Developing a solar site is a lot like organizing a Superman float for Mardi Gras,” she jokes, “but obviously much bigger and much more complicated.”
What Allison loves most about her job is the way it merges the technical with the interpersonal. She admits the administrative parts of the job have never been her favorite, but she loves the people.
“Behind every power generating facility are the people who depend on it. Being part of something bigger than myself is what gets me out of bed every morning.” That and – well, she’s also a mom.
“Having a family reframes the way you look at life,” she says. “Investing in the future is paramount, for your own children and the families in the communities where we live and work.”
Between being a parent and being a part of so much innovation at NextEra Energy Resources, it’s impossible not to be excited about the future, explains Allison. “There’s so much brainpower and talent at this company. I’m challenged and inspired every day.”
