Our Culture of Inclusion

Michael Levey, Supervisor-Records & Information Management

The first day Michael came to work at Dominion Energy, he put photos of his fiancé, Chip, on his desk. It was a sharp contrast from life at a previous employer, where he felt compelled to separate his work identity from his true identity. Pretending to be someone he was not was “tiring,” he says, and he often felt disingenuous.

A supervisor in records and information management for Dominion Energy South Carolina, Michael also serves as the collaboration support lead for one of Dominion Energy’s PRIDE ERG chapters. To those who are unsure how to be their authentic selves on the job, he suggests taking “small steps, and be deliberate.” Today, he finds joy in being able to bring his full self to work — and bring his husband to company events. “I am who I am,” Michael says.

Noopur Garg, Assistant General Counsel

As the first member of her family to be born in the United States, Noopur grew up with a foot in two cultures and has, she says, “a strong sense of self as a South Asian woman and a strong sense of self as an American.” Those dual backgrounds, she says, lends her experience in navigating a complex social and professional landscape, including career expectations, and addressing societal preconceptions about Asian women that can limit opportunities for leadership and advancement. As an assistant general counsel working on financial matters and mergers and acquisitions, she has often found herself to be the only South Asian woman in the room. “Be yourself,” she says. “It’s not just about the work you do…. People need to know you, to get to know who you are.”

Noopur believes Dominion Energy is doing a good job increasing diverse representation. “There are a lot more women from different backgrounds in leadership roles than there used to be. Seeing these women in leadership helps others to realize they’re more capable of taking advantage of opportunities that are available to them.”

Faby Helme, Electric Distribution Emergency Preparedness Center Specialist

Faby — an electric distribution specialist for Dominion Energy Virginia — credits her strength, resilience, and irrepressible optimism to her parents, who came to the United States from Bolivia and Guatemala. Though they arrived with very little, “they just have the spirit,” she says. “That energy that life is good.”

As a member of the emergency-preparedness team, she coordinates the company’s response to major storms. That can include everything from staging equipment before the storm to arranging lodging for crews in the field.

“When there’s a storm situation, it can get hectic, and our blood is jumping, and we just care so much about our customers,” she says. “We want to get their lights back on.” That shared passion fosters esprit de corps among her colleagues. “People in all of our different offices are working long, long shifts. Honestly, every storm I've worked, there is a beautiful sense of camaraderie that happens. It’s really amazing.” No matter who they are or where they’re from, our employees are all part of One Dominion Energy.

Chasity Bailey, Regulatory Compliance Coordinator

When Chasity graduated from law school, she started looking for a job in her field. Everywhere she went, though, she was turned away. “The only thing they were seeing was, ‘Something’s going on medically here. What’s going on?’ They knew better than to say, ‘What’s your disability?’ But you can still tell when that’s happening. You still get the memo.”

Eventually, Chasity heard about Dominion Energy from a friend. Today, she works in the compliance department as a regulatory compliance coordinator, making sure the many foreign nationals who are hired by Dominion Energy and who contribute to our workforce diversity are legally authorized to work in the United States and meet all the legal requirements the position entails. Thanks in part to the extensive efforts Dominion Energy has made to improve building accessibility, her Cerebral Palsy is a non-issue. When she’s not working, she tends to her pets — two cats, a dog, and a hedgehog — and pursues her passion for traveling.

“It’s really ironic that the higher you go in education and qualifications as a person with a disability, the more difficult it is to find a job that matches your skill set,” Chasity says. “Society expected me to be working [in a low-skilled job] because ‘that’s where you people belong.’ That’s where we are as a society right now. That’s the next thing we’re going to have to tackle.” As for her current employer, “If it hadn’t been for Dominion Energy, I don’t think I would have been employed…. The company is doing great [on DE&I] once you get in here and start working. The only issue is getting the word out that the company is disability-friendly.”