When Mayra Medrano took a job in customer service at Madison Gas & Electric (MGE) nearly 20 years ago, she didn’t envision herself as a community development leader. After working with thousands of customers—many of whom were low-income and people of color—Medrano began to see her role differently.
Medrano (Kogod/MBA ’20) was responsible for notifying nonpaying customers of pending utility disconnection. A first-generation Mexican American who experienced similar hardships growing up, she started asking people one key question: “Why?”
“I wanted to understand what was preventing payment—and empower others to ask questions, too,” she says. “It’s going from focusing just on the bottom line to, ‘What do you need from us?’”
Medrano eventually grew her role into the company’s first-ever community development position. As community service manager, Medrano helped bridge customer needs with community resources by partnering with local organizations. MGE was able to drastically expand its energy-related services—and better support local BIPOC and low-income communities.
Medrano says MGE’s diversity-informed approach was essential for community and business success.
“We wanted to be the greatest electric and gas company in the world but were limited in what we could change,” says Medrano. “All I changed was how we talked to people: ensuring a quick conversation helped someone out. I was able to use a non-business approach to solve a business problem.”
Now community engagement manager at First Shift Justice Project, a DC-based nonprofit providing legal services to low-wage workers, Medrano continues to advocate for compassionate leadership and diversity-informed problem-solving.