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Name: Amanda Rome
Title: Executive Vice President, Group President Utilities, Chief Customer Officer
Education: Graduated with highest honors from Pennsylvania State University in 2002 with a double major in Advertising and Public Relations and Speech Communication. Graduated Cum Laude from Georgetown Law School in 2006.
Company Description: Xcel Energy is a trusted energy provider that delivers clean, reliable, and affordable energy to customers across the United States. Across our footprint, we operate in eight states and deliver electricity to nearly four million customers and natural gas to about 2 million customers. The company offers a range of services including clean transportation programs, energy-saving programs, and customer support. Xcel Energy is committed to building a sustainable future by investing in clean energy solutions and ensuring reliable energy delivery to its customers
Tell us more about your job. I have responsibility for the overall strategy and performance of Xcel Energy's four operating companies, which collectively provide power to individuals, families and businesses in eight different states. In addition, I oversee our customer-facing organizations: Customer Energy and Transportation Solutions, which manages things such as our Clean Transportation/Electric Vehicle programs and Data Center strategy; Customer Care which includes things like the Customer Contact Center that customers from any of our eight states can call when they have questions or need help; and External Affairs and Policy which is helping us achieve our environmental, social and governance Sustainability and Net Zero clean energy goals. In my previous role as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, I was responsible for the company's law department and overall legal strategy.
Why is STEM important within your industry? Xcel Energy is responsible for delivering the products (in electricity and natural gas) that power our lives. From heating and lighting our homes to cooking our food to charging our phones - it is essential to our way of life. The lifeblood of our company is grounded in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Our co-workers use their STEM skills to design and operate the equipment that generates electricity as well as the poles and wires that carry that electricity to our homes, schools and community gathering places. We use technology to innovate to drive the clean energy transition as we dream up amazing new things like battery storage and how to harness the power of geothermal energy using the heat trapped deep beneath the earth's surface.
Why is STEM important to your job? Understanding the complexity of our system is key to running an energy company that delivers what our customers need - clean and reliable energy that is there when you need it.
What do you like best about your job? My favorite thing is being a part of a team. In this role, I get to lead teams of incredibly smart, hard working and dedicated people who are committed to finding better and better ways to deliver on our critical mission.
What are the most important skills needed in your job? There are probably dozens of important skills around reading, technology and problem solving. But what's helped me the most during my journey are three things: 1) I'm authentically myself and don't try and be anyone else 2) I'm trustworthy - I do what I say I'll do; 3) I don't pretend to know it all - I am willing to ask questions and learn from others.
Have there been times in your career where you've faced difficult challenges and how were you able to overcome them? Of course. I tend to take those situations on directly and right away. When a challenge pops up, rarely can you solve it just by waiting around. I take a moment to inspect the challenge and understand it - but I don't sit and admire the problem for long. Once I have a solution and have connected with teammates to get their input, I roll my sleeves up and get after it.
What advice would you give to girls of all ages who are interested in STEM? Challenge yourself - go beyond what comes easy or naturally. As a volleyball coach, I tell my girls that if you're not making mistakes, you're not getting better because you're not challenging yourself enough. Same is true in STEM or anything else...the growth happens when you're stretching.
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Joe Ruch is tracking sunshine across Colorado.
Joe Ruch has the weather forecast across Colorado
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A Red Flag Warning for critical high fire danger is in place for Friday across a large area of eastern Colorado including the Denver metro area. The warning runs from 9am through 6 pm on Friday.
At 71 years old, facing a terminal diagnosis, Colorado resident Tom Pringle has one more thing he wants to do before he dies: help other people in similar situations by trying an experimental drug to treat his ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Xcel Energy confirmed plans to shut off power in Northern Colorado this week due to extreme fire risk.
Officials with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said that HF Sinclair will reimburse customers for damage to their vehicles as a result of contaminated fuel.
Gov. Jared Polis took a long stroll down memory lane during his final State of the State address Thursday.
At 71 years old, facing a terminal diagnosis, Colorado resident Tom Pringle has one more thing he wants to do before he dies: help other people in similar situations by trying an experimental drug to treat his ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Xcel Energy says 9,00 customers will lose power on Friday due to planned public safety shutoffs amid high winds and fire danger. Many Colorado businesses hit by the last round of outages are frustrated over insurance claims not covering the loss.
The suspect in a massive fire in Denver earlier this month was in court Thursday morning. He's facing several arson charges in connection with a construction site fire that authorities say was the largest fire in the city in decades.
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Gov. Jared Polis took a long stroll down memory lane during his final State of the State address.
Authorities said the alleged scheme involved 39 players, 17 different NCAA Division I men's basketball teams and 29 games.
The Denver Broncos nominated a high school coach for an NFL honor after his program's historic season, and the team's success in the face of great loss.
Denver Summit FC will play National Women's Soccer League matches across three venues for the club's inaugural 2026 season.
Saturday's AFC division round playoff game between the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills will kick off at 2:30 p.m. at Empower Field at Mile High.
A figure skating duo based in Colorado Springs — Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea — has been selected to represent the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy next month.
"We are in a little bit of a pothole," said GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, who previously expected the compromise to be unveiled this week.
A new tax deduction for senior citizens is kicking in this tax season, potentially providing bigger refunds to millions, the AARP says.
Verizon says it's giving a $20 credit to customers affected an outage that disrupted service across the U.S.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Machado previously said she wanted to "share" the prize for removing Nicolás Maduro from power.
Authorities said the alleged scheme involved 39 players, 17 different NCAA Division I men's basketball teams and 29 games.
Gov. Jared Polis took a long stroll down memory lane during his final State of the State address Thursday.
"We are in a little bit of a pothole," said GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, who previously expected the compromise to be unveiled this week.
When the Senate returns from a weeklong recess, it will have six remaining appropriations bills to get across the finish line before the Jan. 30 shutdown deadline.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Machado previously said she wanted to "share" the prize for removing Nicolás Maduro from power.
State lawmakers reconvened for the 2026 legislative session with both chambers and both parties focused on cost of living.
The Trump administration reversed cuts to grants for mental health and addiction treatment programs that a CBS News source said were valued at around $1.9 billion.
Every state will receive at least $100 million annually from the federal Rural Health Transformation fund, but some scored millions more based on their plans and willingness to pass policies embracing MAHA initiatives.
Roughly 1.4 million fewer Americans have signed up for an Affordable Care Act plan as expiring tax breaks drive up premiums.
Kaiser Permanente has reached a lawsuit settlement over alleged patient data breaches involving Kaiser websites and mobile applications, with members eligible to receive a payment from a $46 million settlement fund, the health care giant announced.
"Make America Healthy Again" policies driven by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have made major strides in state legislatures, with food additives among the most common targets.
"We are in a little bit of a pothole," said GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, who previously expected the compromise to be unveiled this week.
A new tax deduction for senior citizens is kicking in this tax season, potentially providing bigger refunds to millions, the AARP says.
Verizon says it's giving a $20 credit to customers affected an outage that disrupted service across the U.S.
A Verizon spokesperson told CBS News that an outage that customers reported beginning around noon Eastern Time had been resolved.
Food prices in December saw their biggest jump in more than three years, data shows, while the cost of eating out has also risen.
At 71 years old, facing a terminal diagnosis, Colorado resident Tom Pringle has one more thing he wants to do before he dies: help other people in similar situations by trying an experimental drug to treat his ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The families of three nonverbal students who were physically abused by a bus aide while traveling to school in Colorado have filed a lawsuit against their children's former school.
Many people who responded to a state survey regarding Xcel's Public Safety Power Shutoffs last month expressed dissatisfaction with Xcel's approach on Dec. 17 and Dec. 19, believing the utility overreacted.
State regulators said the text message from Christian Hatfield, the former district attorney for Colorado's 22nd Judicial District, "caused the staff member emotional harm."
A Venezuelan national suspected in a string of attempted armed robberies in 2024 in Denver's ritzy Cherry Creek North neighborhood has been apprehended in Detroit, according to police and prosecutors.