Nina Duncan is one of SRP’s trailblazers and is an important part of the company’s history.
Duncan joined SRP’s Water Service Department in 1937. Five years later, she became the editor of SRP’s first employee newsletter, the Current News. As time would tell, she served until her retirement more than 15 years later.
Historic accomplishments by SRP women in honor of Women’s History Month
The Current News began in 1941 as a small, employee-paid-for effort meant to keep employees serving in WWII connected to the homefront.
With Duncan in charge beginning the following year, SRP management agreed to provide the money for the newsletter. The Current News became a significant corporate publication and an important part of life at SRP. Later renamed Pulse, it’s the modern-day version of the Current News.
During her time as editor, the publication was honored with a few distinctions. This included the Phoenix Advertising Club’s “most outstanding Company ‘House Organ’” four years in a row during the 1950s.
Also on the list of breakthrough women around that time was Louisa Simmons, SRP’s first female electrical engineer. More recently, Sara McCoy became SRP’s first female plant manager.
A lasting legacy for women like Nina Duncan
Duncan retired from SRP in 1958. Fellow employees loved her so much that they collected enough employee donations to send her on an all-inclusive trip to Hawaii to celebrate her retirement. (Coworkers everywhere, take note!)
The Current News may be no more, but we still celebrate Duncan’s contributions to SRP. Carrying the torch forward is current editor Heather Albert.
Today, an employee-led group called the Women’s Interest Network provides resources and networking opportunities for women at SRP. It’s the largest Employee Interest Group of the 10 currently functional at SRP. Another group, Females in Technology (FIT), focuses on women in technology roles.
If you’re looking for an inclusive employer that supports women in the workplace, be sure to visit here.