Mary Katherine Pittman

Community Relations Manager, Alabama Power Company

Mary Katherine builds and maintains strong relationships with Alabama Power’s external stakeholders in Butler, Crenshaw and Wilcox counties. Community engagement has always been an integral part of her work, and her passion for the community reaches beyond her professional life—serving communities through workforce and economic development organizations have become her personal mission.

When did you start your current job?

September 2022

What is your main role at your company?

My main role at Alabama Power Company (APCO) is to build and maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders in Butler, Crenshaw, and Wilcox counties. Building and maintaining relationships comes in many forms, including promoting APCO programs to stakeholders, assisting communities with economic and workforce development efforts, and linking community groups to APCO resources.

What is your number one career accomplishment or highlight?

After graduating with my master’s degree from Auburn University, I was accepted into the Teach for America program and taught for two years in Charleston, South Carolina. Teach for America’s mission is to provide an excellent education for students living in historically underserved communities, and it was an honor of a lifetime to play a small role in my students’ lives. The COVID-19 pandemic struck one semester into my time as an educator, making the remaining year and a half quite the challenge. Although there are many moments throughout those two years that are memorable, successfully teaching 2nd grade in-person and virtually, simultaneously, is my most prized accomplishment. During that year, getting “gritty” became my personal anthem, and I am still in awe at the level of resiliency my students displayed at such a young age.

How are you involved in your community?

Community engagement is not only a primary responsibility of my job but a personal mission of mine. I am thankful that this has been an integral part of each job I’ve had since beginning my professional career. Before beginning with Alabama Power, I served as a policy advisor in the Governor’s office. This role provided many opportunities to serve our state, including working on natural resource committees and criminal-justice-related boards. Currently, my focus is on serving communities through workforce and economic development organizations.

What is your key to success?

My key to success is not forgetting the value of hard work. Since a young age, I have watched my parents work hard on my family’s farm. Owning and operating a farming operation is no small task, and I have always admired their commitment to ensuring each year’s crop is planted, nurtured, and harvested. Having a front-row seat to experience their work ethic and dedication left a tremendous mark on me, and I strive to carry the lessons learned from my upbringing into my career today.

Check out the other members of CentrAL INC’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2023!