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Starting out her BWL career as one of very few women operators in the plant, Lynn McKinstry learned to adapt and conquer many challenges to get where she is today. As we celebrate Women's History Month, we wanted to highlight her path to success here at BWL.  

Lynn McKinstry, Director of Operations Process Support, started at BWL in 1985 at Eckert Power Station as an operator. She began at a time when BWL was working to increase female representation in the plants. Many of the men in the plant wondered why the women were there, and it was a simple answer: "Well, we have to pay our bills, too." She and the women she worked with really had to fight for their spots and prove their worth. There were limited women's bathrooms, and in many cases, she had to go to the complete opposite side of the plant from where she was working. Finding out she was pregnant right after she began working there also presented a struggle. Working all the way through her pregnancy, after she had her baby, she took only 13 days off of work before coming back because she didn't want to lose her spot. 

Once people started warming up to her and the other women in their non-traditional positions, it ended up being a very fun part of her career. She identified people who would either help or hinder her journey, and stuck to the people she could rely on. She made it a point to not ask for help unless she absolutely needed to so she could prove she was qualified for the job. "My goal was to be the best operator, period," says Lynn. 

Initially, with the lowest seniority at the plant, most of the time she got the last choice for shift work, meaning she was a relief operator. She would work nights and days all in the same week. It didn't matter much to her though, she knew if she volunteered for these shifts, she would move up in the ranks faster and learn all facets of the position very quickly. After about seven years and an enjoyable career working different positions in the plant, she was presented an opportunity to test out a job at our Electric Systems Operations Center. She didn't want to leave the plant, but she knew it never hurt to try out a new job. All of the operators there were men who bet on her failure. She ended up becoming the first female supervisor at the Electric Systems Center and trained other operators. From there, she continued to climb her ladder and is now a director.  

Lynn has had several shining moments since she started at BWL, but one that sticks out to her was steering her department through the December 2013 ice storm after only recently acquiring the tree trimming department under her. She worked hard to prove herself during the response, and her work paid off as our tree trimming program today has significantly improved since then. Being a woman in this role at the time was another large challenge, but she persevered and showed everyone just how capable she was. Her motto was, "Prove them wrong, you deserve to be here, you’re here for a reason. You can do it." 

Through all of this and navigating being a woman in a primarily male dominated field, Lynn always kept her head high and strived to always be the best she could be.  

"I don't think I would've done anything differently. All the challenges and mistakes that were made, made me work harder and get to where I am today. I followed my heart and took all the open opportunities I could, and I would say it worked out well for me." 

Lynn's hard work and loyalty to BWL has been one of a kind, and she will be truly missed as she retires in April after 40 years of service.  

Her parting remarks for everyone? “Don’t be afraid to take a chance.”