At PPL, we’re committed to empowering our customers, and we recognize that doing so successfully requires being able to adapt to their changing needs, anticipate future demands and implement strategies to meet or exceed their expectations.
Throughout her career at Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities (KU), Thembi Tillman’s focus has been just that.
An engineer by trade, Thembi has held a variety of positions with PPL subsidiaries LG&E and KU – all with the common purpose of helping customers achieve their day-to-day goals , whether that’s finding ways to use energy more wisely, support the development of solar power, or find a convenient spot to charge their EVs.
“I love interacting with people, and my role gives me a unique opportunity to have a positive impact on their everyday lives,” shares Tillman.
Thembi’s journey to LG&E and KU
Growing up in Minnesota, Thembi wasn’t interested in engineering. “It was actually my brother who had an interest in engineering,” she recalls. “He signed up for a summer program in Illinois that caught my attention, so I decided to attend the following year.”
That decision, it turned out, paid dividends, and a seed planted during a summer program would eventually grow into a successful and rewarding career.
Thembi would go on to attend North Carolina A&T (Agricultural and Technical State University) for a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and then follow up with a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Michigan. Fresh off her grad school experience, Thembi decided to seek a career where she could help people while also working with teams that were at the forefront of innovation. A short time later, she joined LG&E and KU as a program manager for the utilities’ energy efficiency department.
Nearly two decades later, Thembi is part of a PPL team of 6,600 strong from Kentucky to Pennsylvania to Rhode Island focused on creating the utilities of the future, improving the customer experience and powering economic development that creates family-sustaining jobs.
Thembi’s role in supporting PPL’s utility of the future strategy
For her part, Thembi’s role at LG&E and KU involves managing maintenance for dozens of company-owned electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. In addition, Thembi and her team oversee work to install charging stations safely and efficiently – something that she takes great pride in.
As demand for EVs has grown, LG&E and KU have installed 10 charging stations in each of their respective service areas to improve accessibility for drivers on the go. In addition, the companies have installed more than two dozen charging stations for business customers looking to host equipment.
In addition to EV charging station support, Thembi’s team works directly with business and residential customers to help them meet their sustainability goals in other ways, including through participation in the utilities’ Green Energy, Business Solar and Solar Share programs.
“Through our renewable energy programs, we are providing a responsible approach to a cleaner energy future,” said Thembi. “The actions that we take today as individuals and as a company will make a better environment, which leads to a better tomorrow and a lasting legacy.”
Exciting time to work in the energy industry
For Thembi and her colleagues across LG&E, KU and PPL’s other utilities, there’s never been a more exciting time to work in the industry.
With America’s energy landscape transforming at an unprecedented pace, with demand again on the rise, and with new technology, including artificial intelligence, offering enormous potential to improve service to customers, employees have an opportunity to reshape our energy future for the better.
Across PPL, we expect to invest more than $20 billion from 2025 to 2028 to modernize the grid, protect our networks from severe weather, advance a cleaner energy mix without sacrificing reliability and affordability, empower customers with new digital options, and drive innovation that improves service for the families and businesses that count on us each day.
Behind it all are people like Thembi — the engines of progress here at PPL.
“I always say that life is a journey. Doing something that you love and brings you personal and professional fulfillment is so vital to enjoying the ride.”
