Kelly Carney to serve as SPP vice president of human capital
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has chosen Kelly Carney to serve as SPP vice president of human capital and chief people officer effective April 16, 2021.
In her new role, Carney will partner with the SPP executive team and board of directors on human resource planning, allocation and organizational goal setting. She will lead the human resources department, staff performance development and lead SPP’s diversity, equity and inclusion program.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Kelly to SPP,” said Barbara Sugg, president and chief executive officer. “Our most important asset is our people, and her broad experience across the human capital spectrum will help us attract, develop and retain top-tier employees. Kelly’s contributions will undoubtedly help keep SPP a premier employer in central Arkansas. We look forward to Kelly joining our executive team and working to ensure we are equipped for achieving our long-term aspirations.”
Carney has more than 20 years of experience in human resources. She most recently served as vice president of human resources and chief administrative officer at Delta Dental of Arkansas, where she oversaw human resources, training, internal audit, quality assurance, facilities and maintenance teams.
Carney was responsible for a new human capital management and payroll system, implemented a new performance management and talent-development platform, a scorecard to measure return-on-investment on human resources initiatives and a recruiting process to standardize hiring practices. She’s a past president of the Central Arkansas Human Resources Association and a member of the Arkansas Compensation Association.
“The strong culture and relationship-based approach to doing business at SPP is very impressive, and I am excited to join such a talented group of employees,” Carney said. “Everyone I talk to expresses their pride in the organization and the work they do. I am looking forward to being a part of the mission — working together to help members keep the lights on.”
Before her work at Delta Dental of Arkansas, Carney worked in human resources at Transamerica, the Colorado Office of the State Auditor, Trinity Consultants and Olsten Kimberly Quality Care. She has a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Administration from the University of Kansas and has a SPHR designation from the HR Certification Institute.
About SPP: Southwest Power Pool, Inc. is a regional transmission organization: a not-for-profit corporation mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity prices on behalf of its members. SPP manages the electric grid across 17 central and western U.S. states and provides energy services on a contract basis to customers in both the Eastern and Western Interconnections. The company’s headquarters are in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn more at SPP.org.