“I am APS”

17-year veteran at Arizona’s largest electric provider values community service, endless opportunities, and family culture

By Hilary Dartt • Photos by Trisha Shaffer

Arizona Public Service (APS), an Arizona-born and -raised company, which promises to “do what is right for the people and prosperity of our state.”

Mackenzie Rodgers has lived that promise every day for the past seventeen years, and to her that means making dreams come true while providing reliable electricity.

Now the Senior Director of Transmission and Distribution Operations and Maintenance previously based in Prescott but recently had her office moved to Phoenix supporting the entire state, her role is “proactively maintaining the grid so it’s there when you need it, and operating it in an efficient manner.”

She said, “To me, as an Arizona native, being able to serve the state that I love … resonates really true to me.”

During her tenure with the organization, Mackenzie has worked in eleven positions. In each of those positions, she said, she’s had great leaders, mentors, and career support. In her current role, she strives to emulate those leaders and mentors as she helps develop others.

And while she said she may not be what people picture when they think about power delivery, APS is a supportive home to many women from entry-level positions to leadership roles.

APS, she said, is the largest electricity provider and one of the larger employers in the state, but “it doesn’t feel like a big company. It’s a small family company disguised as a big corporation.”

For Mackenzie, that family feel also comes from the fact that her dad spent his entire career at APS.

When she attended Loyola Marymount University and majored in biology, she spent summers interning for APS in the transformer oil shop, testing oil and studying instrumentation.

“The culture and the people and the purpose are what I noticed that stood out differently than other companies,” she said.

Still, didn’t expect she’d end up working there, too. “Absolutely not. My dad worked for APS.”

Then she graduated, right in the middle of the recession. She knew what a good living APS had provided her family as she was growing up, and a certain open position appealed to her because she liked interacting with customers.

“And then I fell in love with it.”

In her first position as a customer project representative, she learned about the utility industry and how to design an electricity delivery system. In this position, she was the single point of contact for customers from the time they order power to the big moment when the meter is set and they can turn on their electricity. Whether these new customers were building homes or opening businesses, Mackenzie said, “we say we’re in the business of making people’s dreams come true.”

And while she didn’t originally plan on staying with APS, the variety of opportunities within the company, combined with the culture, has kept her there.

She’s worked in the generation fleet, the public policy group, and at various roles in the transmission and distribution organization, and these roles have taken her all over the state, providing her with “tons of experience.”

“There are endless opportunities with APS. It encourages people that are problem solvers and customer focused, out there doing the right thing for our communities and customers.”

For Mackenzie, those opportunities now mean getting to oversee the use of “all the cool toys,” from helicopters and drones to The Condor, the state’s second-tallest bucket truck, and Spot, the robotic dog that can inspect substations and access areas and incidents that aren’t safe for humans.

In addition to its family-centric culture, which manifests in lots multi-generational and legacy employees, and those who stay with the company for decades, APS also encourages its people to live and play in the communities they serve.

In her role with APS, Mackenzie serves on three boards in Yavapai County, which she considers passion projects: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Arizona, the Arizona Community Foundation for Yavapai County, and the Sedona Chamber of Commerce.

“I take a lot of pride in representing my company and my communities, and being part of the things that are making a difference.”

Also, the APS company culture invites camaraderie, mentorship, and support among employees.

“I’ve had mentors throughout my career—men and women—who have been extremely supportive of different perspectives and make sure everyone is represented. We support each other and lift each other up. We’re all on a mission and vision-driven to do what’s right for our customers.”

Another unique element of working at APS: “When you go to a meeting or even up to the officer level, I’ve never met anybody that is not absolutely willing to have a conversation or help, support, or mentor somebody.”

The organization, Mackenzie said, “is very into supporting leadership growth, development, and networking.”

And while many people might think of a large electricity provider as a man’s world, Mackenzie said, many women work there, too. “Not only are they strong support systems for each other, but they have strong support systems at home as well. I know I couldn’t do the work that I do without the support of my husband to ensure that things get taken care of at home as well.”

There is so much that goes into delivering reliable electricity, Mackenzie said, and the entire APS team works endlessly to ensure customers have it. Her own team— Transmission and Distribution Operations and Maintenance—comprises 600 employees who are on call 24/7.

“Those guys are the real heroes.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of the work they do. It’s our employees doing the right thing every day; I’m just making sure they have what they need to be supported and get the job done.”

Mackenzie considers herself a cradle-to-grave APS employee and hopes for a long and illustrious career.

“Any given day—this is what I love about my job—you never know what to expect. Every day is totally different. From riding in a float in the parade to represent APS or going on a helicopter to do a line patrol, or meeting with employees or customers … it could be a whole variety of things in my day. There’s never a dull day.”

Phoenix born and raised, Mackenzie moved to Prescott in 2018 to take over the Northwest Division Director role. She loves the weather and the people and especially the amount of collaboration she sees in Yavapai County. She loves exploring the outdoors with her husband Dustin and their two children.

To learn more about APS employment opportunities, visit https://www.aps.com/en/About/Careers/Working-at-APS. Follow APS North on Instagram @aps_north.