WiNUP Scholarships

WiNUP Scholarships

The Women's International Network of Utility Professionals (WiNUP) believes in doing all it can to help students and professionals with their educational pursuits in support of careers in the utility industry and related fields.

WiNUP currently has three scholarships available annually to women pursuing advanced degrees (beyond a bachelor's degree), which will lead to careers in the utility industry or allied fields. Relevant fields of study must relate to a career in a utility related profession such as engineering, business administration, accounting, environmental sciences, communication, information technologies, etc.

The Julia Kiene Scholarship ($2,000)
Ms. Kiene’s career serves as an inspiration to women who pursue careers in the industry. During her long, diversified career, she taught home economics, served as Home Editor of Capper's Farmer and retired from the Westinghouse Corporation. Ms. Kiene was a president of the organization and served on the Board of Directors for WiNUP’s parent organization, The Electrical Women's Round Table, Inc., for many years.

The Lyle Mamer Scholarship ($1,000)
This scholarship honors Ms. Mamer, a long-time associate professor at the University of Tennessee College of Home Economics who dedicated her life to contributing to advancements in the electrical industry. Lyle Mamer, whose family endowed the scholarship in her name was an active member of WiNUP (EWRT).

The Louisan Mamer Scholarship ($500)
Ms. Mamer was an electric industry pioneer who worked for many years with the Rural Electrification Administration educating rural Americans about the uses of electricity. She was the first woman to be awarded the Clyde T. Ellis Award in recognition of her service and accomplishments on behalf of electrical cooperatives. Ms. Mamer joined WiNUP (EWRT) in 1948 and remained a member until her death in 2006. Her generous $20,000 contribution to WiNUP enables the organization to fund the annual scholarship in her name. 

Program Rules and Deadlines

The applicant must be accepted to a regionally or nationally accredited university.

Both WiNUP Members and non-members are eligible to apply for the scholarships.

Applicants must submit an online application before May 1 of each year to be eligible. Winners will be notified by June 30 of each year.

Click on the button below to visit the online site:

Additional application instructions and rules may be found on the online application page.

WiNUP Professional Development Scholarship

Any member interested in applying for the scholarship MUST complete the Member Professional Development Scholarship application form. The application form is found in the Member Section on the website. The application deadline is August 15. The applicant will be notified by September 15 and announced at conference. Applications received after August 15 will be considered for the following year’s scholarship.

The scholarships are designed for degree or non-degree study. Non-degree study would include professional development programs and workshops that have associated participation costs such as public speaking, PMP, graphic design, accounting/excel courses.

WINUP 2023 Scholarship Recipients Announced

Denise Cronin, a member of the Mid-Atlantic and Kentucky chapters, has received WiNUP's Julia Kiene educational Scholarship. Denise, who is pursuing an MBA a the University of Kentucky's Gatton School of Business and Economics, will receive $2,000.

Meanwhile, Ruchi Gupta is this year's Lyle Mamer Scholarship winner. Ruchi is attending National Louis University's Florida campus to earn her doctorate degree in business administration. The Lyle Mamer Scholarship is a $1,000 annual award.

The $500 Louis Mamer Scholarship was awarded to Ashley Choi. Ashley is attending the University of Pennsylvania to pursue her master's degree in environmental studies.

All scholarships honor WiNUP members who made significant contributions to the electric industry and the organization.

Julia Kiene served as home editor of Capper's Farmer and worked as a home economist at the Westinghouse Corporation. Julie also served on the board of directors of The Electrical Women's Round Table, Inc. (EWRT), as WiNUP was formerly known.

Lyle Mamer was a long-time associate professor at the University of Tennessee College of Home Economics. She was an active member of several professional organizations, including EWRT.

Long time EWRT/WiNUP member Louisan Mamer worked at the Rural Electrification Administration for many years, traveling throughout the country to educate rural Americans about how to use electricity when power first came to remote areas.

Learn more about this year's scholarship recipients below.

Denise Cronin pursuing MBA degree

Denise Cronin already has a Juris Doctor degree (from Dickinson School of Law of Pennsylvania State University) but the MBA degree she is seeking would add value to her role as vice president of federal and RTO regulatory affairs at East Kentucky Power Cooperative at Winchester, Kentucky. “I have been exposed to executive level discussions of corporate finance and business strategy for almost one decade,” Denise wrote in her scholarship application. “However, a deeper understanding will allow me to add value to those discussions. Increasing my financial acumen will increase my ability to assess business impacts and evaluate short- and long-term strategies for my organization, which, in turn, will make me a better regulatory advocate for EKPC.”

Prior to joining EKPC, Denise held several key positions at PJM Interconnection in Audubon, Pennsylvania, including vice president and executive director of state and member services. At Exelon Generation, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, she served in various roles including director of policy and development.

Denise has been licensed attorney in Pennsylvania since 1997. In addition to her JD degree, she has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Hood College, Frederick, Maryland, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.

She serves on the Kentucky WiNUP Chapter’s scholarship committee. She is also a member of the American Association of Blacks in Energy.

Ruchi Gupta’s goals: helping companies with sustainability solutions

Lyle Mamer Scholarship winner Ruchi Gupta’s pursuit of a Doctorate in Business Administration began in August 2022. She previously earned a Master of Public Policy and Administration from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas; an MBA from the University of Notre Dame; and a Bachelor of Engineering; Electronics and Communication from Institution of Engineers in Mumbai, India.

Ruchi plans to use her doctorate degree to help companies achieve their sustainability goals. “I am excited to bring my learnings, industry partnerships, and international experiences across the public, private and non-profit sectors to develop empowering, community-focused solutions for Texas,” Ruchi noted in her scholarship application. “Through my doctorate program, I am researching best practices for sustainable, resilient businesses and communities to achieve greater accountability and fulfillment of corporate social responsibility. As an advocate of circular economic models, I am working on how cities (and businesses) will adapt and improve their resilience to climate hazards and a sustainable transition towards green energy.”

Ruchi most recently was a working group member of Partner2Connect for Digital Equity of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union. In the summer of 2021, she was a research analyst intern at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Her other experience includes working as a marketing director at ATR Inc., an SAAS and Web-based software enterprise in Houston, and serving as an engineering technologist for Public Service Broadcasting Corporation in India.

A Sigma Alpha Pi Honor Society member, Ruchi belongs to a variety of professional groups including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Global Energy Professionals and Women in AI.

Pivoting career goals lead to Ashley Choi’s degree pursuit

As Ashley Choi’s career goals pivoted from accounting to consulting, she realized she needed to develop her technical skills in environmental science and sustainability. That’s why she decided to pursue a master’s degree in environmental studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

This year’s Lyle Mamer Scholarship winner already has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame.

Ashley is a sustainability engagement and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) business development consultant with Guidehouse, a banking, insurance and capital markets company, in New York City. She previously worked as an Financial Service Office assurance associate at Ernst and Young, LLC, also in New York City. While obtaining her undergraduate degree, she worked as a tax intern at both KPMG UK in London, England, and Lionsgate Entertainment in Santa Monica, California. Last year, she earned a CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing.

“As I develop practical experiences to complement my environmental studies-derived technical skills and gain a sense of how institutions operationalize ESG concepts, I hope to contribute to the utility industry and other related fields to adopt more sustainable practices,” Ashley said. “I believe that this career path can allow me to find the missing piece by offering my talents and skills to leave a positive impact on others.”