Episode 208: ‘The Engine that Could’ with Tonya Hicks
In this episode:
Christi Powell and Angela Gardner welcome back Tonya Hicks, president and CEO of Power Solutions, an electrical contracting, facility maintenance, and domestic EV charging manufacturer she has led for 26 years. Hicks, an IBEW journeyman electrician and the first Black woman journeyman in Mississippi and first woman in Local 917, explains how unsafe EV charger locations inspired her SheEV initiative, including a planned September car club and a redesigned app using a community rating (Yelp-like) model after legal concerns about labeling “safer” stations. She discusses advocating on Capitol Hill for policy to place chargers in safer locations and notes bipartisan support in Georgia. Hicks reflects on jobsite safety challenges for women due to ill-fitting PPE and clothing, addresses workforce development and retention (including family leave and benefits), and encourages upskilling and learning AI.
Supported by: Groundbreak Carolinas
Show Notes and Links:
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:35 Tonya Hicks Background
02:03 SheEV and Charger Safety
04:48 Policy Push for Safer Charging
06:57 App Rebuild and Awards
08:44 Jobsite Safety Gear for Women
12:18 Workforce Development and Retention
17:02 AI Upskilling in the Trades
19:19 Where to Find Tonya
20:14 Final Thanks and Wrap Up
About Tonya:
Women Do Everything LLC, the engine behind the event, was founded by Tonya Hicks in 2015 as a social enterprise on a mission to change the future of work for women by providing the tools necessary to gain access to high-paying careers and contracts in male-dominated industries. Her passion was inspired, in part, by her own career journey.
Hicks was the first Black woman to be certified as a journeyman electrician in her home state of Mississippi. She is also the CEO of her electrical engineering firm Power Solutions, which she founded 22 years ago at the age of 28. (In the United States, only 2.4% of electricians are women, and just 9.5% of electrical contracting businesses are owned by women.)
Supported by:
