Brad Harlacker is a Senior Electrical Transmission System Operator at Pepco. We spoke to him about his career, his experience as a member of the LGBTQ community, the importance of diversity and inclusion illustrated at a major energy company, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed his role. WASHINGTON BLADE: What does a typical day look like for you as a Transmission System Operator, and how has it changed during the COVID-19 crisis? BRAD HARLACKER: I normally drive from Frederick, Md., to our Operations Control Center in Montgomery County, but now I’m working from our back-up Control Center.
I get in around 2:30 a.m., and I usually have one other person with me. We monitor the electrical connections between substations and other