From starting her career as a system engineer at Comanche Peak to now leading the team at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant, Heather Winn has built her career around a willingness to learn, take on new challenges, and trust the expertise of the people around her. In this Q&A, Heather shares what has shaped her as a leader and the advice she’d give her younger self.
Tell us about your career journey.
My career began with internships in the chemical and oil and gas industries, but as graduation approached, I felt a strong pull back home to East Texas. I interviewed with Texas Utilities, expecting to learn more about coal and gas generation. Instead, I found myself across the table from two leaders from Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant. Their presentation opened my eyes to a different kind of power generation—one that was complex, clean, and mission-driven. After touring Comanche Peak and meeting the people there, I was sold. A few months later, I started as a system engineer. Even though I wasn’t in the pine trees of East Texas, I quickly found that the people and the work made it feel like the right place for me.
Over the years, Comanche Peak has given me opportunities to grow across nearly every part of plant operations and has taught me the value of strong teams, trusted expertise, and working together to solve complex challenges. Those experiences shaped how I lead and prepared me for opportunities beyond the plant.
The next major chapter came when Vistra acquired the PJM nuclear plants. I had the opportunity to take what I learned from multiple roles at Comanche Peak and apply it at Davis-Besse—a plant I had never worked at before, but one where I quickly built a real connection. Today, serving as plant manager is one of the most meaningful chapters of my career.
What are you working on now that excites you most?
What excites me most right now is the opportunity for this Davis-Besse team to accomplish something no team here has done before: sustain 10 years of INPO 1 performance.
To sustain this level of performance, we have to be honest about what it will take. If we don’t continuously improve, performance will slide, and we won’t reach that goal. Three attributes will matter most for us: ownership, teamwork, and standards, all with an emphasis on learning. We need people who own their part of the mission, teams that work across boundaries and standards that do not drift when the work gets difficult.
What sets Vistra apart?
What sets Vistra apart to me is the way we combine the scale of one of the largest competitive power generators in the country with a retail business that serves millions of customers across the U.S. Operating in competitive markets creates both opportunity and challenge, and I think that pushes us to be more innovative and gives our people a stronger sense of ownership in the work we do.
Most importantly, I believe Vistra’s leaders care about employees and invest in their people in meaningful ways. That matters to me. It allows us to provide well for our families, take pride in our work, and build strong careers for the people here today and those who will come after us.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell my younger self that good work matters, but there is always more to learn. Excellence is not a destination you arrive at one day; it is a journey. Stay curious. Learn from others. Look for people who are doing things better than you are and let that challenge you. Don’t be discouraged that you haven’t “arrived” yet. None of us really has. Keep striving for what is possible.
I’d also remind myself that comparison can be valuable when you use it to learn and grow, but don’t confuse it with your personal value. And as a leader, remember that trust is built in the follow-through. Write down what you say you’ll do, and follow up on it. If you make a mistake, admit it. Leadership isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being accountable, continuing to learn, and becoming more worthy of the trust people place in you.