By Michael J. Solender | illumination Contributor
Six years into her career at Duke Energy, Lesly Luque can only pause in wonder when she looks back at how far she’s come in the journey to her “dream job.”
The senior cybersecurity analyst works as a scrum master, a role within IT Compliance Enablement that facilitates team workflow using best practices and principles in project support.
She joined the company in 2018 in a three-year IT rotation program after working as a business analyst at a large bank in Charlotte, N.C. Just 16 months earlier, when Luque graduated from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) with a bachelor’s in computer science information systems, she wasn’t aware that someone with her background could have a career in the energy sector.
“My parents hoped for me to become a doctor or lawyer,” Luque said. But the more she was exposed to the problem-solving elements and team coordination within IT, the more she enjoyed it.
“I was very attracted to learning different roles that the rotation offered. A whole new world of challenges opened for me.”
Overcoming challenges
Luque arrived in Charlotte at age 5, the child of Mexican immigrants.
Despite challenges, she integrated fully into the community, considering herself an American, and her parents encouraged her to pursue her dreams. With exceptional academic achievements, top SAT scores and extensive community service, Luque earned a scholarship to JCSU.
“Through federal programs, I gained residency, got a Social Security card and pursued my education and career goals,” she explained, noting upon enrollment at JCSU that she was encouraged to pursue a STEM curriculum given the burgeoning opportunities in tech. “I was always strong in math, though had no idea of the types of jobs available to me in the IT field.”
Bringing unique experiences and diverse perspectives to Duke Energy’s talent pipeline
Luque, the first in her family to graduate from college, has the work ethic and character that Duke Energy looks to recruit into the company.
“When you think about Duke Energy and the service territories we operate in, they’re incredibly diverse,” said Bonnie Titone, senior vice president and chief administrative officer. “We’re in seven states. It’s important for us to look like the communities we serve. We find that good ideas and innovative thinking come from people who don’t have the same background or experiences, those who didn’t take the same journey, because they bring a different perspective to problem-solving.”
Duke Energy’s community outreach and recruiting focus puts strong emphasis in disciplines such as information technology (IT), an area historically underrepresented by women and people of color. Titone spoke of several programs that Duke Energy engages with to both spread awareness of career opportunities and identify diverse talent to help lead the clean energy transition.
Examples include Road to Hire (R2H), a nonprofit organization whose programs help place students and young people in good-paying, in-demand tech jobs. With a focus on helping people of color and low-income students who are underrepresented in the technology sector, R2H helps increase the pipeline of tech talent.
Since 2016, Duke Energy and the Duke Energy Foundation have provided more than $120,000 to the American Association of Blacks in Energy to support the annual Youth Energy Academy (YEA). YEA proactively gains the interest of an emerging workforce by educating students about viable, good-paying jobs in the energy sector and related STEM fields.
“Getting exposure to students early and often usually helps them see Duke Energy not exclusively as an energy company,” Titone said. “We highlight Duke Energy-developed technology and the way we’re driving security, and students are blown away because they don’t think a utility has significant tech and security capabilities, but we do.”
For Luque, exposure to opportunities in tech – through school, community networking and job experiences at Duke Energy – led her to share her enthusiasm of the career field with others. She gives freely of her time and experience through her work with two professional organizations, each with a growing presence in Charlotte.
Empowering the next generation of women and Latinas
Luque helped launch the North Carolina chapter of Latinas in Tech in 2022 and now serves on its leadership team. The nonprofit organization works to foster a tech industry where Latinas are well represented throughout all levels of the ecosystem by empowering them to be innovators and leaders. Latinas in Tech currently has 25 chapters including those in Dublin, London, Madrid, Mexico and Sao Paulo.
Luque also serves on the board of directors at Women in Technology of Charlotte, launched in the spring of 2024. Here, she facilitates training and certification for those early in their tech careers.
“I became involved in [these organizations] because I wanted to focus on something that brings me joy,” Luque said. “To be able to help others is a win for everyone. And it looks different for everyone. But whether it’s networking, connection, mentorship or professional development they seek, we’re creating opportunities that allow us to grow together.”
Senior IT Manager Cynthia Jaimes, Luque’s former supervisor, has observed Luque since she was in her second IT rotation (around the same time Luque was hired at Duke Energy). Their roles have changed, among other things, but Jaimes remains impressed by how Luque connects with others – both inside and external to the organization.
“Lesly’s work, especially with Latinas in Tech, makes me proud because she wants to help the next generation,” Jaimes said. “She’s providing an avenue for others to learn and feel the support that maybe she didn’t receive. Being a Latina and getting into this space is hard. And when you make it, you’re like, ‘Well, let me help the next one that wants to be there.’ I’m very proud of her.”
For Luque, a large part of fulfilling her career dreams has always meant paying it forward.
“I want to help make sure that Latina women know that they don’t have to be a lawyer or doctor to be successful. They can go into tech and there’s so many, many pathways. There are many roads to success.”
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