[Travis Metcalfe]

Great spotlight article! I have really enjoyed getting to know and work with you through UAI @Jeff! ​​

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Travis Metcalfe
Strategy, Innovation, and Engagement Manager
Tacoma Power
Tacoma WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-01-2021 12:16
From: Kevin Praet
Subject: June 2021 Member Spotlight: Jeff Yankley (Consumers Energy)

Jeff Yankley is an active UAI member and provides outstanding influence and contributions to the UAI community through any of our multiple channels, including, but not limited to engagement on UAI Connect, volunteering with UAI, involvement and/or leadership in monthly Community Conversations, and/or speaking at UAI events, plus so much.  As thanks, we are featuring him in the UAI Member Spotlight. Jeff is the Director of Customer Intelligence & Analytics at Consumers Energy.  In this role, Jeff is working to mature the customer analytics and data science capabilities at Consumers Energy to enable value by connecting operational data to customer data, building predictive models for customer interactions, and knowing his customers so well to be able to build segments of “one”. 

 

Kevin: How did you get into the utility analytics industry?

Member: I started in the utility industry over 20 years ago in the IT field. Nearly 5 years ago, a new position opened up in the area of Customer Analytics at Consumers Energy and I jumped at the opportunity. It was a nice career progression for me, where I went from building and maintaining systems that capture customer data to figuring out what to do with all that data once we have it.  It has been a fascinating journey so far.

 

Kevin: What project have you enjoyed working on most in your career?

Member: As strange as this may sound, I’ve really enjoyed the projects that were born out of the COVID-19 pandemic as they have served as a springboard to the advanced analytics capabilities we are building in the Customer space at Consumers Energy. Over the past year, we’ve built some machine learning models to predict the distress levels of our customers, daily forecasting of gas and electric consumption and revenue, and something we call “Communication Burnout”. I enjoy these projects because they are helping to inform strategy that will help our customers and our company.

 

Kevin: What has been your biggest professional challenge and how did you work through it?

Member: Transitioning from IT to Analytics was a challenge since being in IT was all I knew for over 20 years. Groups like the Utility Analytics Institute helped a lot – the online forums, communities, and the UAI hosted events really made it easy for me to learn about what other utilities are doing in the world of analytics. I continue to be impressed with the amount of collaboration and knowledge sharing the UAI member utilities provide to each other.

 

Kevin: If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice before entering the utility analytics industry, what would it be?

Member: Exercise patience and creativity. The utility industry is different than most with respect to the funding models, especially with regulated utilities. You may have great ideas but may not be able to fully execute due to funding restrictions. Get creative, implement what you can with what you have, and be patient while the funding catches up.

 

Kevin: What would you like to talk to fellow colleagues and members about in UAI Connect? Or, what issues or topics would you like to see more discussions on in UAI Connect?

Member: I would like to hear more about how other utilities manage all the different products and services they offer their customers – products like Demand Response, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, etc. At Consumers Energy, we offer a lot of products to our customers but we have a fixed customer base.  

 

Kevin: Thank you so much for sharing with us and for being a highly engaged member of UAI! Do you have any final thoughts, ideas, or comments you would like to share with your fellow UAI members?

Member: We are all at different levels of our analytics journey.  For those starting out it can seem overwhelming.  My advice is to start small but start.  Continue to leverage the UAI and all the resources available.  My hope is that you’ll be as impressed as I am with the amount of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and support you will receive. 

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Kevin Praet
Membership Coordinator
Utility Analytics Institute (UAI)
Boulder CO
315-440-3033
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