{"227201":{"#nid":"227201","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Alumni Spotlight: Leslie Sibert","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EName:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp; Leslie R. Sibert \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGT Degree(s):\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp; Bachelor of Electrical Engineering \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYear Degree Awarded:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp; 1985 \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECurrent Title\/Position:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp; Distribution Vice President\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECurrent Company\/Organization:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp; Georgia Power Company\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDescribe your average workday.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs leader for Georgia Power\u2019s Distribution organization, I set the strategy on how we grow and evolve the business to meet our customers\u2019 needs and expectations.\u0026nbsp; On a daily basis, that may include setting goals, establishing metrics, looking for industry trends that could impact our business model, and keeping abreast of legislative and regulatory developments.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; It is important to stay engaged in what is going on industry-wide with academia, peers, regulators, and legislators.\u0026nbsp; Building relationships helps us stay current, solve problems, and be prepared for changes before they arrive.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did ECE prepare you for your current role?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EECE provided me the foundation for learning the electric utility business.\u0026nbsp; As a co-op student, I was able to tie my learning at Georgia Tech to the work I was doing at Georgia Power.\u0026nbsp; It gave me a significant edge early in my career.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice would you give current ECE students?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy advice is three-fold and has helped me in my career development:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELearn to take calculated risks. \u0026nbsp;Seek those challenging work assignments that will raise you to a higher level of performance, confidence, and understanding.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGain broad experience.\u0026nbsp; Learning many areas of a company helps to view the business more strategically, influencing decision making and ability to lead.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBuild relationships.\u0026nbsp; Developing relationships inside and out of a company or industry opens the possibility for partnerships and collaboration yielding improved performance and innovation.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWho was your favorite ECE professor?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. John Uyemura was my favorite teacher.\u0026nbsp; He genuinely wanted you to learn and could present complex material in a manner you could understand it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat was your favorite ECE class?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI would have to say Digital Signal Processing (DSP).\u0026nbsp; For some reason it just fascinated me.\u0026nbsp; DSP is at the very core of today\u2019s information technology.\u003Cstrong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you think is the most important technological breakthrough of the past 20 years?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe evolution of digital technology has had the greatest impact on the electric utility business.\u0026nbsp; Digital technology has changed the way we equip, plan, and operate the electrical system.\u0026nbsp; The grid has changed over the last 20 years from an electro-mechanical system to one that is smart, automated, and communicates.\u0026nbsp; With a significant amount of computerized equipment deployed on the system, the system is more reliable and efficient, enabling us to be more responsive to customer expectations.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhen you aren\u2019t being an electrical engineer, what do you like to do?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI have a husband, Ken, and two children, Jessica, 17 years old, and Chandler, 12 years old, who I enjoy spending time with.\u0026nbsp; We like to travel as a family and also enjoy attending movies, plays, concerts, and sporting events.\u0026nbsp; I am a PADI certified diver.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIs there anything else you would like to add?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI love staying connected to Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp; Being able to engage on advisory boards and with students at events on campus is a highlight for me.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGet to know ECE alumna, Leslie Sibert, in this short Q \u0026amp; A.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27842","created_gmt":"2013-08-07 12:33:22","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:42","author":"Ashlee Gardner","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"227191":{"id":"227191","type":"image","title":"Leslie Sibert","body":null,"created":"1449243566","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:39:26","changed":"1475894899","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:19","alt":"Leslie Sibert","file":{"fid":"197454","name":"siebert_leslie_dpp_0225.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/siebert_leslie_dpp_0225_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/siebert_leslie_dpp_0225_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1698523,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/siebert_leslie_dpp_0225_0.jpg?itok=2nAfjJf4"}}},"media_ids":["227191"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.georgiapower.com\/","title":"Georgia Power Company"}],"groups":[{"id":"1255","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"}],"keywords":[{"id":"506","name":"alumni"},{"id":"70901","name":"electrical engineering. Georgia Power"},{"id":"167197","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineeering"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAshlee Gardner\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnline Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ashlee.gardner@ece.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eashlee.gardner@ece.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ashlee.gardner@ece.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}