ADVERTISEMENT
Denise Bunte‑Bisnett and Rachael Bisnett: A Family Tradition of Hydropower
Sharon Powers, Denise Bunte-Bisnett, and Rachael Bisnett in Ottawa for the 2019 International Commission on Large Dams conference.
W
hen Denise Bunte‑Bisnett began taking her daughter Rachael with her on dam visits, it planted a seed of interest that would inspire Rachael to pursue her own career in hydropower. Since then, mother and daughter have both grown their roles in the world of dams: Denise is now the president of the board of directors of the United States Society on Dams (USSD), and Rachael is now a geotechnical engineer for Stantec. In this interview, they tell Hydro Leader about how they became involved in hydropower, their experiences as women leaders in the industry, and the importance of inspiring and mentoring the next generation of hydropower professionals. Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your backgrounds and how you came to be in your current positions.
24 | HYDRO LEADER | April 2021
Rachael Bisnett: I knew I wanted to be an engineer from a young age. Mom took me along to work with her at NYPA. In high school, I had an opportunity to participate in the Project Lead the Way engineering program, which was just starting at the time. The program was a good primer for the different fields of engineering, and it further solidified my desire to pursue an engineering career. I went to school at Purdue University and started out as a structural engineer. After a couple of summer internships, I realized structural really wasn’t for me, so I stayed at Purdue and earned a master’s in geotechnical engineering. During my master’s studies, I applied for a USSD scholarship that gave me an opportunity to attend the USSD annual conference and network with professionals in the field of dams. There I met David Kleiner, who was one of the senior geotechnical engineers at Stantec (formerly MWH). hydroleadermagazine.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF USSD.
Denise Bunte‑Bisnett: I spent nearly my entire career working in the public power sector as a civil engineer. My first position was with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) on the St. Lawrence Power Project, following my grad school work on ice management on the river and river control operations. When my husband made a career change, we moved to South Carolina, and I began working with the South Carolina Public Service Authority,
where I continue to work today. My first assignment was to assist with developing the license application for our relicensing effort. Most recently, I have focused on regulatory compliance and regulatory review, and now I am focusing almost entirely on getting our new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license, an effort that has been ongoing for two decades.
