2021 COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT
The power industry is undergoing its most complex transition in history. Throughout 2021, we seemed to be in a constant state of transition — change brought on by the dynamic and evolving energy landscape.
This evolution included many of our members transitioning from the use of coal and gas to the integration of more renewable resources like solar and wind. We also experienced more extreme weather events, such as the unprecedented Winter Storm Uri in February that affected the South. The storm and its aftermath challenged us, our members and our neighbors in many ways. We learned several lessons from this event that underscore the importance of MISO’s reliability mission.
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The Reliability Imperative identifies the complex and urgent challenges to grid reliability in the MISO region and outlines four strategic priorities that will help MISO transition to the grid of the future.
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These lessons fed into MISO’s Long-Range Transmission Planning process that resulted in the MISO Board of Directors approving a historic $10.3 billion portfolio of transmission projects. LRTP presents projects that build up infrastructure that will allow members to integrate their renewable energy plans into the changing grid, thus helping them meet decarbonization goals. The projects have the potential to make a 439-million-ton reduction in CO emissions over 20 years and disburse nearly 70 GW of renewables by 2039. MISO’s Long-Range Transmission Plan, along with market redefinition, market system enhancement and operations of the future, are the four pillars of MISO’s Reliability Imperative — the shared responsibility utilities, states and MISO have to address fleet change, extreme weather and other challenges facing the MISO region. The work being done in these four areas is critical to ensure we keep the power flowing to communities across our region reliably and cost-effectively today and into the future. As we reflect on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lessons learned will help to shape MISO and its workforce. In 2021, we redefined our work model and held MISO Board of Directors’ and stakeholders’ meetings virtually. No matter the circumstances, we have demonstrated that collaboration and commitment are vital to our success. My thanks to MISO employees, the Board and stakeholders for their flexibility and support. In 2021, we supported the needs of our community by offering select food banks as an option for employee charitable giving, in addition to contributions to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Our employees generously donated more than $298,900. In addition, dozens of MISO employees gave their time to charities in their communities. And I could not be more proud. Under the direction of Allegra Nottage, MISO continued its Diversity & Inclusion journey by expanding and restructuring the team and launching the Global Citizens employee resource group. MISO is also extending the reach of its diversity and inclusion efforts beyond its walls. We work with community impact partners, like Make-A-Wish and local food banks, to ensure that our employee-driven charitable donations reach diverse populations. These transitions enhanced our ability to be flexible and proactive and showed our resiliency. With the outstanding team we have, I am confident MISO will meet future challenges and transitions stronger than ever.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO
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CEO MESSAGE
ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE
CULTURE
PEOPLE
COMMUNITY
MILESTONES
2
John Bear
Our Culture
As we look to the future, MISO employees, corporate leaders and employee resource groups will continue to engage our communities and add value to stakeholders by lifting and leading in the communities where we live, work and serve.
Through the Courageous Conversations series, MISO employees learn more about developing a diverse, welcoming environment for all. Participants share perspectives on showing their authentic selves, creating success in a multi-generational workplace, eliminating barriers and advancing diversity and inclusion.
Courageous Conversations
As a young, queer, Hispanic woman, with blood-related African-American family members, and who is a caregiver—MISO’s employee resource groups are tangible proof that my organization cares about my identity and puts work into creating a space where I feel welcome and able to be my authentic self.
Maria Almedina, Instructional Designer
Michael Jefferson, Manager Diversity and Inclusion
Keri Glitch, Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Diversity and Inclusion Council Chair
Expanding the reach of our resource groups means that more MISO employees have the opportunity to be included, heard, valued and engaged. This gives employees meaningful opportunities to lead and learn from one another and makes MISO an even better place to work.
MISO’s vision is to be the most reliable, value-creating RTO
Our MISO, Our Values
Our MISO Our Values
Salute to Chairperson Currie
With sincere gratitude, MISO recognizes Phyllis Currie for her dedication to serving as the Board of Directors Chair from 2019-2021. Her commitment to the organization, industry and profession are admired by many and MISO is thankful for her leadership.
Our People
EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS
OUR VETERANS
OUR INTERNS
DIVERSITY AND LEADERSHIP
MISSION
MISO pays special tribute to its military veterans on November 11 in honor of Veterans Day. MISO veterans' service spans across the past five decades. MISO appreciates its veterans, not just for their service, but for the skills they bring to the job: their work ethic, the ability to handle stressful situations, technical know-how and their leadership and teamwork skills.
MISO’s Summer Internship Program has been around for 16 years and runs for approximately 12 weeks each summer. The goal of the Internship Program is to create a pipeline of talented, diverse students who can be hired as full-time employees upon graduation.
MISO employs a diverse array of individuals, more so than the energy industry as a whole. MISO accomplishes this by consciously focusing on its mission to harness its collective strengths, embrace difference and create a workplace where employees thrive. MISO’s board consists of nine independent directors and the CEO. The mission of the board is to foster the long-term success and corporate sustainability of the organization.
MISO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
John R. Bear Chief Executive Officer MISO
Phyllis E. Currie Former GM at Pasadena Water and Power
Jody Davids Former Chief Information Officer at PepsiCo
H.B. "Trip" Doggett Former President and CEO at ERCOT
Mark S. Johnson Former VP of Transmission Operations at PG&E Corp.
Barbara J. Krumsiek Former President, CEO and Chair at Calvert Investments
Nancy Lange Former Chair of MN Public Utilities Commission
Robert F. Lurie Co-Founder and Partner of White Dog Strategies
Todd M. Raba Former President and CEO at GridPoint, Inc.
Theresa Wise Former Technology Executive and Executive Consultant at Amtrak
37
INTERNS
1,970
APPLICATIONS
6
HIRED
18
UNIVERSITIES
Doing the right thing. That applies in the military and I think that applies at MISO. Being committed to doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way is paramount.
Eli Massey, Senior Advisor Policy Studies
Women
Minority
MISO Workforce Diversity Statistics
153,000,000 (2021)
U.S. Workforce
727,000 employees (2022)
Electric Power Workforce
MISO
964 employees (2022)
30%
0%
vs. 2016
23%
20%
21%
37%
47%
Generation
Gen Z (1997+)
Millennial (1981-1996)
Gen X (1965-1980)
Baby Boomer (1946-1964)
Get to know MISO leadership
-1%
+2%
+4%
Tenure at MISO
3%
46%
14%
5%
42%
34%
19%
12%
31%
50%
18%
17%
1%
26%
7%
MISO Workforce (2022)
2022
2016
1 - 5 Years
11 - 15 Years
6 - 10 Years
16 - 20 Years
20+ Years
Renuka Chatterjee
Andre Porter
Aubrey Johnson
Clair Moller
Jennifer Curran
Keri Glitch
Melissa Brown
Melissa Seymour
Allegra Nottage
Richard Doying
Todd Hillman
Todd Ramey
Wayne Schug
Phyllis Currie
Jody Davids
H.B. “Trip” Doggett
Mark Johnson
Barbara Krumsiek
Nancy Lange
Robert Lurie
Theresa Wise
Todd Raba
Learn about MISO’s Internship Program
MISO has seven employee-led and organized resource groups and one affinity group. Resource and affinity groups help MISO employees improve their connections and understanding of each other.
Appreciate our international and local cultural experiences, foster better relationships, and advance our workplace
To bring MISO employees together to serve the communities where we work through leadership and participation by volunteering.
Develop MISO’s next generation of employees by connecting, growing and embracing modern professionals
Create a more culturally aware organization by providing insight, advice and recommendations on African-American workplace, workforce and community subjects
Enable a sustainable talent infrastructure and to ensure professional development of women through mentoring, growing and retaining women at MISO and to address issues of concern to women at MISO by sharing ideas and experiences
Build a collaborative community of present and future subject matter experts across MISO. Grow capabilities and skills to tackle the ever-growing difficulty of process improvement at MISO. Develop the competency of turning information into meaning. Encourage responsible innovation.
Help balance the work-life enrichment of employees who are caregivers. Development of a diverse and inclusive support group that provides awareness of resources and a sense of community.
Caregiving Connections
The Community Service Resource Group was thrilled to return to in-person service events in 2021. MISO’s paid service time is a benefit that our employees put to good use and that makes a positive impact in the communities where we live and work.
Karen King, Community Service Resource Group Chair
Through the WRG, I have been privileged to laugh, learn and form lasting friendships across MISO. It has been my pleasure to lead this outstanding group of women.
Laura Rauch, Women's Resource Group Chair Emeritus
2021 was a successful year for the EmPower Resource Group, with courageous conversations and exciting events. EmPower continues to create a more culturally aware organization through celebration, reflection and discussions about topics that affect the African-American community.
Ron Dawson, EmPower Vice-Chair
IDEA has been a source of inspiration to me – IDEA members are creative, innovative, and supportive. Our members collaborate to solve problems efficiently and share new skills, all while expanding their working knowledge of everything from programming to data visualization.
Hilary Brown, IDEA Employee Resource Group Chair
The Global Citizens Group accomplished a lot in its inaugural year with courageous conversations, increased awareness of immigration challenges and many interactive cultural events. Appreciating cultural experiences, fostering relationships and helping advance our workplace are great examples of the amazing things we can accomplish together.
Yok Potts, Global Citizens Group Chair
Caregiving Connections emerged during the pandemic to support employees who balance work and caregiving in their personal lives. We focus on caregiver mental health and well-being by providing grief support, celebrating new caregivers and providing a safe space for caregivers to share experiences.
Ashleigh Moore, Caregiving Connections Leadership
AMP brought together all generations of MISO employees in 2021 through events like the Corporate Challenge where we competed against other Indiana companies in fun events, as well as a virtual movement competition will three offices.
Jennifer Ross, Advancing Modern Professionals Chair
Develop MISO's next generation of employees by connecting, growing and embracing modern professionals
Eli Massey Senior Advisor Policy Studies
Click on each box to learn more!
To help create an inclusive environment for MISO’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer employees and their allies. Work to educate on the perspective and value of the LGBTIQ+ community and advance our workplace.
While Prism may be new to MISO, the LGBTQ+ community isn’t. We’ve been here, we’ll continue to be, and we’re excited to bring people together and share our community with everyone.
Maria Almedina, Prism Chair
Learn more
Meet our leaders. Click on each to learn more
MISO Board of Directors
To echo the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "everybody can be great, because everybody can serve." It is truly a blessing to be able to contribute to the community by donating my time, talent and treasure to those in need. At MISO, all employees have an opportunity to be great because the company provides us time to serve the community.
Our Community
Brandon Morris, Advisor Strategic Communications
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Community Service
Organizations Served
Charitable Giving
Commitment to Reliability
commitment to reliability
Both MISO and the communities it serves feel the effects that extreme weather events can cause. MISO uses its large, diverse generation pool and its good relations with neighboring transmission operators to its best advantage during times that require emergency actions. The 42 million people in MISO's area can count on us to manage these challenges now and in the future. Read more about MISO's strategic initiatives in its Reliability Imperative.
Organizations served
community service resource group
MISO's Community Service Resource Group deepens the connection between MISO employees and the communities where they live and work. Employees are encouraged to serve their communities with paid volunteer time, and often serve as the conduit between MISO and organizations where they volunteer. MISO takes pride that its employees give generously of their time and talents, creating meaningful impact across its region.
Charitable giving
MISO uses the power of its people to give back to the communities where employees live and work through its Charitable Giving Campaign which supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation and hunger relief programs. In 2021, MISO employees sponsored more than 20 wishes through Make-A-Wish, bringing MISO’s total number of wishes granted to nearly 300, and donated more than 750,000 meals through Feeding America.
In 2021, MISO employees volunteered at more than 30 organizations. Employees are encouraged to choose causes that are important to them, creating a wide variety of partnerships within their communities. From reading programs to food insecurity, emergency shelters, and preserving local parks, MISO employees are passionate and determined to make an impact in their communities.
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MISO’s commitment to reliability extends beyond the technical sense – MISO employees are reliable contributors to their local communities. MISO gives its employees time to participate in volunteer efforts, both hands-on and through payroll deduction to select charities. As MISO cultivates its internal values, it also reflects these values outward to its customers.
We work to ensure that grid and market operating systems remain secure and reliable every day. Our role becomes vitally important when experiencing less than ideal conditions such as extreme weather. We work closely with our member utilities and neighboring RTOs to prepare for and respond to these events to minimize the impact on communities in the MISO footprint. Keeping the grid safe and reliable is critical to our industry and the customers we serve.
Jessica Lucas, Executive Director System Operations
MISO employees have supported the Make-A-Wish Foundation for 15 years, and in 2021 began supporting hunger relief efforts through food banks. MISO’s charitable giving is 100% driven by employee philanthropy. In 2021, employees donated nearly $300,000, and since the inception of the charitable giving program, they have donated over $2.5 million. A truly amazing outcome for an organization our size.
Melissa Brown, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Second Harvest Heartland values and appreciates our partnership with MISO and its employees who bring more than time and support when they volunteer. They bring empathy, trust, hope and a passion for making a difference. Year after year they are by our side ending hunger together.
Julie Greene, Director of Volunteer Engagement, Second Harvest Heartland
MISO employees have supported the Make-A-Wish Foundation for 15 years, and in 2021 began supporting hunger relief efforts through food banks. MISO’s charitable giving is 100% driven by employee philanthropy. In 2021, employees donated nearly $350,000, and since the inception of the charitable giving program have donated over $2 million.
CHARITABLE gIVING
MISO uses the power of its people to give back to the communities where employees live and work through its Charitable Giving Campaign that supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Feeding America food banks. In 2021, MISO employees sponsored more than 20 wishes through Make-A-Wish, bringing MISO’s total number of wishes granted to nearly 300, and donated more than 750,000 meals through Feeding America.
$22 billion gross market changes (2020)
MISO key facts
72,000 miles of transmission lines
More than 471 market participants
42 MILLION END USE CUSTOMERS
MISO continues to develop and integrate Environmental, Social and governance practices into its business model. ESG scores help stakeholders, creditors and investors assess non-financial business factors. MISO is committed to understand how ESG principles impact its finances, its member strategies and reputation. While ESG scoring is new to MISO, the concepts of environmental stewardship, social responsibility and good governance are not.
MISO ESG Score*
S
E
G
1 2 3 4 5
Environmental factors are, on a net basis*, a neutral consideration in S&P credit rating analysis.
*1-5 Scale, Source: S&P Global Ratings 1 = positive | 2 = neutral | 3 = moderately negative | 4 = negative | 5 = very negative
Credit rating agency S&P Global gave MISO its initial ESG score in 2021. MISO scored “neutral” rating in the Environment and Governance categories and "positive" in the Social category.
MISO has demonstrated an effective ability to manage grid reliability during stressful conditions (e.g., winter storms and summer heat waves). In addition, MISO is able to efficiently allocate power across its vast regional footprint, which we view as supportive of the integration of more intermittent supply sources.
S&P Global
Evaluation criteria includes climate strategy, low-carbon strategy and transmission and distribution.
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Environmental
Evaluation criteria includes stakeholder engagement, social impacts on communities and talent attraction and retention.
Social
Evaluation criteria includes cybersecurity, codes of business conduct and network reliability.
Governance
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
FLEET TRANSITION
Recent renewable installations by members
VALUE PROP
2005 492 MMT
2014 443 MMT
2020 296 MMT
As member utilities, state regulators and customers push toward an increase in renewable resources, MISO works alongside them to support their goals. Since 2014, carbon emissions have declined 33% within the MISO footprint.
Approximate carbon emissions within MISO footprint (million metric tons)
total annual regional benefits
$3.4B
benefit-to-cost ratio in 2021
11:1
annual wind integration benefit
$500M
Value Proposition
MISO's Value Proposition shows the annual economic benefits provided to its region. MISO also looks ahead with its Forward View analysis, which forecasts MISO's value in 2040, including the additional benefits of shared flexibility and decarbonization across the MISO footprint.
MISO continually considers environmental factors that affect its operations, as well as the goals of its members. Several MISO studies in 2021 take a look at the shift toward renewable energies and how it impacts the future of transmission.
Electric Storage Resources (ESR)
Long-Range Transmission Planning (LRTP)
Markets of the Future
Renewable Integration Impact Assessment (RIIA)
MISO Published Reports
Fleet Transition
MISO offers its stakeholders multiple ways to engage with its decision-making process.
Committees and Working Groups
Workshops in different topic areas
16
Stakeholder Process
Compensation and Incentives
MISO offers a competitive, transparent compensation structure that includes an annual short-term incentive (STI) plan. The 2021 plan was based on both corporate performance — how MISO met operations and strategic goals — and individual employee performance.
Board of Directors
MISO's Board of Directors is comprised of talented professionals from various industries across the United States. Director Todd Raba became the chair of MISO’s Board of Directors in January 2022. MISO thanks Director Phyllis Currie who served as chair from 2019-2021 and remains a member of the board.
MISO's Standards and Assurance department ensures compliance as MISO operates reliably and efficiently. MISO collaborates with stakeholders to maintain a compliance framework that adds value. Employees participate in annual compliance education, and MISO complies with all applicable laws and regulations.
MISO's Culture of Compliance
MISO’s core values are bound within the framework of ethical business practices. Its directors, officers and employees must comply with the MISO Standards of Conduct and adhere to the highest ethical standards in the performance of their duties. This follows MISO’s mission to work collaboratively and transparently with its stakeholders to enable the reliable delivery of low-cost energy through efficient, innovative operations and planning.
40%
10%
Diversity and Inclusion Efforts
Formed recruiting partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, focused on outreach to minority communities and supported involvement with the American Association of Blacks in Energy.
Diverse Marketplace
36,035
Total training hours in 2021
Focused on equitable access to employee growth and development
Talent Systems
Continued focus on workforce diversity being more reflective of the communities we serve at all levels within the organization and introduced a majority-female board of directors.
Workforce Representation
Hired first Chief Diversity Officer whose team is fostering an inclusive workplace defined by personal connections and genuine care for one another.
Inclusion and Belonging
Colleague demographics reflect the demographics of those we serve
Exceptional service for MISO stakeholders and the communities in which we do business
Equitable access to growth and development
A workplace defined by personal connections, having a seat at the table and genuine care for one another
Employee Resource Group Engagement
MISO introduced its first Employee Resource Group (ERG) in 2015 as a place where employees could gather and learn under the banner of special-interest topics.
Employees engage with ERGs
66%
Employees engage with more than 1 ERG
39%
Employees who engage with 3 or more ERGs
32%
Total Employee Reach
1K
Employee Resource Groups
7
Affinity Group
1
Hover over the icons to learn more
MISO is proud of how its employees generously give their time, talents and treasure throughout the communities where they live and work. They support one another through employee resource groups and leverage diversity of thought, background and beliefs.
MISO Milestones
Quarter 1
InnoCentive Challenge
GridEx VI
In 2021, MISO posed a series of challenge questions via InnoCentive, a crowdsourcing platform, to get wide-ranging input on what future grid operations could look like, especially with visualization and situational awareness in a technology-enabled and transformed Control Room. The solutions generated support MISO's Reliability Imperative and encourage diverse thinking and creative problem-solving with our strategic partners and especially our employees, including MISO's IDEA employee resource group.
Future of Work
In 2021, MISO was awarded its first two patents: Systems and Methods for Managing Electric Storage Resources (ESRs) of an Electrical Power Grid and Short-Term Reserve Product for Implementation on an Electric Power Grid and Associated Method. These creative accomplishments demonstrate the success stories of MISO’s talented employees working collaboratively to help MISO innovate.
Patents
The MISO Mobile App launched in February of 2021, offering stakeholders easy access to MISO’s Real-Time data visualization tools from their mobile devices. The app is particularly convenient during severe weather events when stakeholders look for real-time information and notifications. The app is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Mobile App
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way MISO employees work and live. From the beginning, MISO was steadfast in its commitment to protecting the health and safety of employees and stakeholders and ensuring the reliability of the bulk electric system. While site-essential employees continued to come into the office, other staff primarily worked from home. In September, MISO transitioned to a hybrid work model, ensuring its employees could more easily balance their responsibilities at work and at home.
More than 150 MISO employees participated in a two-day training exercise called GridEx VI, sponsored by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). The exercise is designed to help improve security, resiliency and reliability.
In 2021 MISO's strategic communications team received the Arkansas PRism Award - the top spot in the internal communications category - for the 2020 All Hands executive engagement campaign.
MISO understands the necessity of diversity in the workplace and emphasizes the value each employee brings to the table. It is when all voices are represented and acknowledged that we are the most successful.
TOP DIVERSITY EMPLOYER AWARD
ARKANSAS PRism AWARD
FUTURE OF WORK
GRIDEX VI
