30 at 30: Amanda Hoefling
Executive MBA – Strategic Leadership Class of 2022
EVP, Chief Administrative Officer: Dairyland Power Cooperative
Amanda Hoefling is a self-described “energy executive and employee experience enthusiast.” Hoefling is the EVP and Chief Administrative Officer at Dairyland Power Cooperative. Dairyland is a power generation and transmission cooperative that provides the wholesale electrical requirements for 24 distribution cooperatives and 27 municipal utilities in a four-state service area: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. Dairyland’s resources include coal, natural gas, hydro, wind, solar, and biogas.
Hoefling earned a degree in behavioral sciences from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Shortly after, she began working as a recruiter while pursuing a graduate degree part-time. Hoefling was halfway through a master’s degree in human resource management when she chose to stop going to school. She had met her partner, with whom she would eventually settle down. At this point in her life, family was the priority – her husband and her twin daughters.
Going Back to Graduate School
She continued working while raising her young family. When her daughters were older, Hoefling went back to the University of Texas, earning a graduate certificate in human resources management. Despite steadily moving up the corporate ladder, she always had one regret – not completing her master’s degree. Fast-forward to working at Dairyland: Hoefling was talking with her boss, and he encouraged her to go back to school to get her MBA.
“I began looking for programs and was attracted to the Executive MBA – Strategic Leadership (EMBA-SL) program at the University of Tennessee for several reasons,” Hoefling said. “First off, my husband and daughter both went to Texas A&M, and my other daughter went to University of Texas. I wanted to attend an SEC school, and the University of Tennessee has a great reputation.”
The Haslam Advantage
Hoefling was also attracted to the hybrid nature of the program, which offered the in-person experience of a cohort, within a residence period model. Additionally, the strategic leadership component of the EMBA-SL program at UT attracted her, given her executive role and scope at Dairyland Power Cooperative.
Hoefling spoke to her family about the time and focus commitment required while pursuing the EMBA-SL. They agreed that the family would not be able to spend much time in the evening together after dinner until the end of the program. Also, her Saturdays would be devoted to school. Hoefling and her peer coaching group named themselves “Coffee and Jammies”, meeting virtually every Saturday at 8 am to kick off schoolwork. Hoefling gained her biggest takeaways from the EMBA-SL strategic leadership workshops with Professor of Practice Mike Grojean.
“I have used these planning and process strategies with my executive team, board of directors and other teams in the organization to remarkable success,” Hoefling said. “This module alone is worth the price of admission.”
Professor Emeritus Jim Reeve’s finance classes also proved invaluable. Hoefling said his teaching style helped her to understand and apply tools like the pro forma analysis to her work.
Organizational Transformation
For her Organizational Action Project, Hoefling says that Grojean challenged her to “go big.”
“We considered a model of cultural transformation for my organization considering work that was already in progress and validating those results,” she said. “I want to ensure that employees feel a connection between their work and our company’s mission. And as an electric utility employee safety is a priority. A strong workplace culture will help us achieve both of these important goals.”
Outcomes from the OAP included an employee excellence model, weekly safety toolkits, updating office workspaces, flexible workplace policies and more meaningful collaboration at Dairyland. The results of the OAP are evidenced by improved safety and engagement KPI metrics.
EMBA Words of Wisdom
To anyone applying to the EMBA-SL program, Hoefling says, “The degree is not something done to you; it is something you do for yourself. Learning is highly personal, and the experience is worth it. The executive coaching component for example has been an unexpected benefit for professional growth.”
Hoefling has fond memories of being on campus for the pomp and circumstance of graduation in December 2022. She also remembers standing in a never-ending line for student tickets to a UT basketball game and singing “Rocky Top” in the stands. She returned to campus for homecoming, attending the football game and catching up with classmates. No matter where she is, Rocky Top is home sweet home.