• Member-owned power: Domingue explains the cooperative model and what makes SLEMCO fundamentally different from investor-owned utilities. Rather than serving shareholders, SLEMCO is owned by the members it serves, with revenues reinvested into infrastructure, reliability, and long-term system improvements.
• From rural electrification to modern service: SLEMCO’s roots trace back to the 1930s, when communities joined together to bring electricity to homes, farms, and businesses that traditional utilities were not positioned to serve. Domingue reflects on how those founding principles continue to guide the cooperative today.
• Delivering power, not generating it: As a distribution cooperative, SLEMCO purchases wholesale electricity and focuses on delivering reliable service to members. Domingue explains how power contracts, supplier relationships, and long-term planning shape affordability and reliability across the system.
• Planning for Louisiana’s energy future: The conversation explores SLEMCO’s agreement with NextEra, its long-term solar commitments, and the integrated resource planning process that is helping evaluate future capacity needs, emerging technologies, and evolving energy demands.
• Balancing affordability and reliability: Major power supply decisions are guided by a simple question: what is best for the member at the end of the line? Domingue discusses the challenge of maintaining affordable rates while continuing to invest in infrastructure, modernization, and system resilience.
• Building trust from the inside out: Domingue believes trust with the community begins with trust inside the organization. She shares how employee culture, leadership, training, and service shape the member experience and contribute to SLEMCO’s strong reputation for customer satisfaction.
• Communicating through difficult moments: Whether addressing rising costs, extended outages, or major storms, Domingue emphasizes the importance of transparency. Clear communication, she explains, helps members prepare, understand challenges, and maintain confidence in the cooperative.
• Technology behind modern power delivery: From automated metering systems to real-time outage monitoring, SLEMCO has embraced technology to improve efficiency and service. Domingue reflects on how utility operations have evolved during her nearly three decades with the cooperative.
• Serving south Louisiana’s unique landscape: Maintaining infrastructure across Acadiana means navigating marshes, saltwater exposure, vegetation growth, severe weather, and difficult access conditions. Domingue offers a behind-the-scenes look at the realities of delivering power across one of the most geographically diverse service territories in Louisiana.
• The cooperative spirit of mutual aid: During major disasters, electric cooperatives across the country routinely support one another. Domingue describes how SLEMCO crews assist neighboring utilities and why mutual aid remains one of the defining strengths of the cooperative model.
• Growth, demand, and emerging technologies: As Louisiana experiences continued industrial growth and rising energy demand, SLEMCO is evaluating solar, battery storage, traditional generation, and other emerging technologies to ensure long-term reliability and system readiness.
• Tradition and innovation: Domingue reflects on the challenge of honoring nearly nine decades of cooperative history while embracing new technologies, modern processes, and changing member expectations in an evolving energy landscape.
• What fuels her: Family, employees, and a deep commitment to service continue to drive Domingue’s leadership. She credits the strength of the SLEMCO team and the relationships built throughout her career as the foundation for the cooperative’s success.
