#SheCanSTEM: Meet Arnisa Davis

MLGW has 2770 employees; 752 (27%) are women. Of the 752 women, 143 (19%) hold STEM positions. On the second Tuesday of every month, we will introduce you to a different woman working in STEM at MLGW.

First up is Arnisa Davis. She attended LeMoyne-Owen college where she received a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics.  At the time, MLGW hired students to work part-time on a GIS project entering data for maps.  She was then hired on permanently as a Drafter and then moved up to become a GIS Programmer (or Software Developer).  She's currently supervising the team of GIS developers and Oracle developers for MLGW's Enterprise Systems.

We asked Arnisa a few questions to get to know her better.

What do you do in your current position?

In my current position, I am the Supervisor of GIS, EAM and Materials Systems. I supervise a team of 15-20 application developers.  We create, support and update software using computer languages such as CSharp for .Net, Python, Java, Oracle PL/SQL, Oracle Application Framework and Apex.

We support Geographical Information Systems(GIS) that has all of our addresses, streets, electric, gas and water assets mapped so crews can restore power to our customers and know where they are located if there is a problem. Our Oracle Enterprise Asset Management and Inventory systems allows the company to create new subdivisions to develop, order/purchase materials for the job and track all of the assets we own and utilize.

What's interesting or cool about what you do?

The coolest thing I do is having the ability to create new technology for the company for our customers to utilize like a web map.  The data we provide our customers and crews could save someone's life. The location of a gas pipe or electric line helps our crews resolve the issues quicker and keeps our customers safe.

Why would you encourage girls to pursue STEM careers?

Technology and Mathematics is utilized in our everyday life. It is a career that has great rewards because your creativity could save someone’s life. STEM careers allow you to put the knowledge you learned in school to use in real life. When I was in the 8th grade, I did not think I would ever use Algebra. We use it every day in STEM careers especially in the GIS field.  This is how we create map directions and show curves on a street.  If we did not have this technology, we would only see straight lines.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Advice to my younger self would be to learn to be patient and study harder.  Don't get discouraged if you don't grasp the concept right away.  The more you study; the more you learn.  Keep working hard but take time out to enjoy life.