Finding the Why in Every Strategic Move
Featuring Alice Moy-Gonzalez, SVP of Strategic Development
“Reflecting on how I got here…a big part of it is looking at my ‘why’ along the way.”
For Alice Moy-Gonzalez, Senior Vice President of Strategic Development at Anterix, that guiding question has shaped a 20-year career across engineering, product development, and strategic innovation. From introducing Anterix to its first utility customer to leading strategic partnerships and initiatives, Alice’s work focuses on activating innovation in efforts to connect technology and industry needs to help utilities modernize and strengthen the grid.
Finding Her First “Why”
It all started in Trinidad and Tobago, a small, twin-island nation in the Caribbean where Alice grew up. The vibrant people coupled with the melting pot of cultures established her first “why”: the belief that being unique and thinking differently than others is powerful.
Today, that same mindset shapes how she approaches challenges in the utility industry, where new thinking is needed to evolve legacy systems and support a more resilient, reliable grid.
Engineering Meets Strategy
While obtaining her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of the West Indies, Alice immersed herself in wireless by studying abroad at UW-Madison for her senior year. There, the inspiration for her “why” in specializing in wireless communications was sparked by a phenomenal professor. After graduation, she spent six years working in radio frequency (RF) design optimization in the New York area before obtaining her MBA at Mercy University.
With a foundation in technology, Alice’s advanced education continued to grow her mind for strategic business. In a new post-MBA position, a strategy lead once told her, “You need to understand the problems you’re solving for when you’re now working with partners and customers.”
In the utility space, that meant looking beyond the technology itself to the broader challenges utilities face in operating and maintaining the grid.
Strengthening the Modern Grid
That realization came into focus as Alice worked through projects advancing interconnection, transmission, and grid operations. Her lightbulb moment: “How are we making the grid more resilient and more efficient through the technologies that we offer?”
That question continues to guide her work today, helping utilities adopt communications solutions that enable greater visibility, security, and control as the grid becomes more complex.
Her perspective is simple: as the energy landscape evolves, so too must the infrastructure that supports it.
Inspiration and Mentorship
Two women who inspired Alice to keep growing are Hedy Lamarr, an actress and inventor in the 1940s, and Patti Poppe, the current CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).
Despite being told to stay in her lane as an actress, Hedy Lamarr co-invented frequency-hopping spectrum technology – a principle modern wireless communications rely on today. Alice admires Hedy’s unshakeable “why”: sitting in a space people tried to keep from her.
Similarly, Alice admires Patti Poppe’s grace under fire. When PG&E grids were bombarded with wildfires, Patti stepped in to transform chaos into steady reliability. Her dedication to her “why” continues to be a major inspiration for Alice’s own approach to business development.
Learning Grace Along the Way
Through life, Alice notes her tendency to keep pushing on all cylinders at all times while trying to balance a successful career and personal life –easily leads to burnout. While attending an energy event, she asked a colleague what her “why” was in leading her to success.
“You could have it all, but you can’t have it all, all the time,” was the response.
Alice recognizes that women are often caretakers, mothers, and professionals simultaneously. “There is importance in giving yourself that grace from time to time,” she says. The talent of knowing how to say no and being graceful with yourself when you don’t get it all done is, as Alice notes, is built – not born.
Advice for the Next Generation
For women pursuing careers in STEM, Alice offers simple but powerful advice:
“Keep doing what you’re doing…because there needs to be more of us. Your voice matters when you’re at the table…don’t be afraid to speak up.”
For Alice, the pursuit of those questions – the evolving “whys” behind technology, leadership, and impact – continue to guide her work today, particularly in helping advance a more resilient and modern energy grid.