NRG People Power: Get to Know Lisa Soto

Meet Lisa Soto. Or just, Soto. “Hardly anybody calls me Lisa,” the Director of Structured Business Solutions laughs as we introduce ourselves to each other. “It’s been that way since I was an analyst.”

Lisa started her career more than 22 years ago at Reliant Energy before Texas deregulated energy choice in the early 2000s. She started as an analyst in the small business division, moving to campaign pricing, and ERCOT business process management, while riding the wave of industry and company changes. Ultimately, with NRG, she became the Director of Structured Business Solutions, where she and her team manage the company’s largest and most complex energy transactions.

When asked what appeals to her about the job and all that it entails, she immediately said it’s the adrenaline and suspense of hammering out huge, multi-faceted deals. “Are they going to sign or not? Do they trust me and my team enough? Are we what they are looking for in this industry?” Lisa says she thrives in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

It’s no surprise that the confident go-getter who describes herself as loyal, determined, and aggressive (all great qualities for her position) has raced up the energy industry ladder. From the very beginning, Lisa had to be flexible and adventurous – born in the territory of Guam, Lisa and her family moved to the mainland United States when she was just a baby. Her father worked in the railroad industry, so they relocated quite a bit.

Her family made their way to Nevada, and eventually Texas, and she now refers to North Fort Worth as home. There, a busy family life occupies her limited free time. “Work takes up a lot of my time, it’s not just an 8 to 5 kind of job,” she admits. But it makes life with her kids Chenelle, Nate, and Aydan, and granddaughters Gracie and Gabby even more precious. She speaks self-taught Spanish, and loves cooking all sorts of world cuisines, including delicious Guamanian specialty Shrimp Kelaguen.

It seems particularly appropriate on the heels of Women’s History Month to learn Lisa is a self-made success story. A mother at the age of 18, she was not able to finish high school, but she got exceptionally high scores on her GED. Traditional college was out of the question for Lisa, but she didn’t let that stop her. She took the analyst job with Reliant Energy and hasn’t looked back. “I was given every opportunity to be successful,” she said proudly. “With NRG, especially under the leadership of Scott Hart, SVP of Business Sales, you can be successful – but you have to want it and run with it.”

As she rose within the company, Lisa didn’t let her informal education or being a single parent deter her as she learned to keep up in the high-stakes world of sales. She says with well-earned conviction, “I’m perfectly confident in my knowledge and ability to hang with the best of them.”

When not finalizing complex contracts, Lisa can be found spending time with her family, partner Jesse, dogs (Leo, San, and Lucia), and playing Words with Friends. She enjoys crime novels, adventurous historical movies (The “National Treasure” franchise is a particular favorite), and most types of sports; she even admits getting up at 2:00 a.m. to watch Olympic curling.

To relax, you can find her vacationing in tropical locations. But you won’t see her playing beach volleyball or frequenting tourist hotspots; preferred getaways in Tulum or Turks and Caicos always include tranquility, white sand, clear water, and peace. She travels to refresh, regroup, and decompress, allowing her to return to work ready to hit the deal-making table.

When she’s at NRG, Lisa takes her energy and inspiration from the TV show “Battle Bots.” Something about teams of engineers working together to problem-solve, create unique innovations and solutions, and build technology that dominates the competition certainly seems relevant to her daily work.

Current customers know, and prospective customers will want to hear, Lisa and her team prioritize cultivating strong relationships. “We earn the business with our expertise,” she promises. “Our sales team is a wealth of knowledge for our customers. You’re not just getting Lisa, you’re getting a team of experts – regulatory experts, market experts, people with their eye on technological advances.”

Helping customers achieve their energy goals is the highlight of Lisa’s work. “We’re not selling energy, we’re building partnerships.” NRG customers can build an energy portfolio knowing it’s in the capable hands of employees like Lisa Soto.