The Woman in Charge: Jennah Denney
Jennah Denney has been working in the electric vehicle (EV) industry for only six years, but you might as well call her a veteran. As the EV Infrastructure Program Manager for Todays Power, Inc. (TPI), Denney is a leader in a relatively new industry that continues to grow at a rapid pace. The federal government has promised to invest billions of dollars in supporting the rising electric vehicle market, and Asa Hutchinson has followed suit by also designating a large budget to EV infrastructure along Arkansas roads.
Fresh out of college in 2016, Denney entered the renewable energy market at its prime when she joined TPI as its first outside-hire. The company had been in business for merely a year when she became TPI’s ‘WOW Coordinator’ and fourth employee. Denney immediately began building the reputation and narrative of the young company. With a bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing from the University of Central Arkansas, she used her communications skills to draw attention to the work TPI was accomplishing, and within two short years, Denney was promoted to manager of marketing and public relations for the company.
In 2022, Denney took on the role of EV Infrastructure Program Manager with a strong purpose in mind: The industry goal is to develop a statewide network of EV charging stations as part of the largest infrastructure build-out in decades. Although her transition from marketing to operations may seem strange, Denney had already worked on including EV charging in TPI’s service line in 2017, when the company added the new department. Since then, she has collaborated with utilities and organizations that serve the public to establish community-based EV chargers.
“I’m excited to see EV charging continue to expand in Arkansas and have an impact on how the rural state travels and can save,” Denney said.
The electric vehicle industry has been heating up in the last few years across the country, and Arkansas is no exception. In a short amount of time, the United States has amassed more than 100,000 chargers on the road, as the federal government has promised to pour $7.5 billion into the country’s EV charging infrastructure. According to the White House, united automakers and autoworkers have set an ambitious target for 50% of new vehicles sold in 2030 to be electric. Gov. Hutchinson has also pressed for more EV installations, as the state is scheduled to receive $54 million over the next five years from the federal government for electric charging station infrastructure.
Opportunity Breeds Opportunity
Nearly seven years after the start of TPI, the company now has 20 employees. Denney describes the growth as “lean,” noting that over the years they have all “worn many hats.” EV charging is the newest department for TPI, which began with solar power and battery energy storage services. “It’s exciting to see that growth, and not only in the solar sector but also in how it has transformed the transportation sector,” Denney noted.
New to her role as infrastructure manager, leading a department that is new to the company — in an industry that is new-ish itself — Denney is in a position to bring more women into this dynamically growing technical industry.
“A goal of mine is to work hard and climb the ladder as high as I can to make sure there’s space for women in the energy industry in the future,” she emphasized. “Sometimes pursuing your aspirations or taking on hard jobs makes it possible for others to pursue theirs. I work to pave the way for future female leaders and professionals in the field of renewable energy and transportation as the first female at TPI.”
Denney has already helped hire three women at her company, including backfilling her replacement in marketing. Although she acknowledges the need for more women in this space, she notes that the renewable energy sector has challenges for everyone, no matter the gender.
“We’ve all been familiar with electricity powering our lives for over 75 years,” Denney explained. “The advent of renewable energy vehicle and solar power is still new. Someone like me who’s been in the industry for six years is considered a veteran in the renewable energy industry. There’s a large learning curve around technology that’s new and consistently advancing and changing. Being a thought leader in this industry takes a lot of time, dedication and research that doesn’t come naturally to many people.”
It’s up to Denney to charter new waters since the role of EV infrastructure program manager has no previous framework. The task at hand is to support the state following the release of the first generation of full battery electric vehicles within the last five years.
Building out a whole infrastructure in charging that is ubiquitous with gas stations has never been done before; Arkansas is currently experiencing the largest infrastructure build out in decades as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law. Denney is proud to be a part of that growth and create the programming that will help provide access to these new technologies at an affordable rate. She enjoys working closely with the Arkansas Energy Office, the Department of Transportation and various representatives to make them aware of renewable energy programs that can help support the state.
Being in this position, where there is very little precedence, has given Denney a unique perspective. As a result, the advice she offers to those who find themselves approaching similar circumstances is: “Recognize how little you actually know to begin with. Actually, recognize that you don’t know what you don’t know. It’s essential to surround yourself with knowledgeable people. Take their advice to heart, and just do it. Obstacles and problems are inevitable with any challenge, and facing them head on has given me a toolkit of resources and solutions for the future.”
On the Personal Side
Denney, who has worked since she was 16 years old, can relate her current leadership position to her early days as a teenager working at Papa John’s. She started out in customer service, and now everything she does, whether it’s a marketing role or a program manager role, the mission is the same: to improve people’s quality of life.
Denney demonstrates a Today’s Power EV charging station in Little Rock.
“So anytime I feel challenged, I look back at what that mission is,” she explained. “I can list the impact — the quality of life — in those communities we support in a fiscally responsible and sustainable manner.”
When she’s not working, Denney likes to be in the center of what’s happening around her in downtown Little Rock. If she’s not traveling for work, she enjoys doing her own traveling or attending live music concerts in her area. She also has an energetic little wire-haired schnauzer whom she takes out for walks. His name is Ozzy, named for, Ozzy Osbourne.
A self-declared Army brat, Denney was born in Washington state and moved around quite a bit growing up. For years, she was a member of the Missouri Fox Trotters, an association that preserves a type of horse selectively bred in the Ozarks. Animals have long been an interest for her, as her grandparents once owned the farm where the horses were located. Someday in the future, when she’s retired, she hopes to move somewhere where she can have stable room and take up horses again.
