Meet Austyn Hildebrandt-Farmer, manager of real-time operations in the energy market operations department within the system planning and operations organization, based in The Woodlands, Texas.
Originally born in Kansas City, Kansas, Hildebrandt-Farmer proudly represents Kansas City, Missouri, where she spent most of her formative years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in general business and later completed her Master of Business Administration both at Sam Houston State University.
She joined Entergy in 2017 as a system operator with the local balancing authority after earning her certification from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. Two years later, she transitioned into a new role as an energy market operations dispatcher. After gaining experience in that position, she returned to the LBA as a system operator. In 2022, Hildebrandt-Farmer was promoted to her current role as manager of real-time operations.
Hildebrandt-Farmer holding a mahi mahi in Cabo.
“In my current role, I manage 13 dedicated team members who work 24/7 to ensure Entergy’s generation fleet continually adjusts its dispatch to meet real-time demand and operating conditions. We ensure that NERC and FERC standards are upheld and work within the MISO market to deliver reliable and economic power for customers,” said Hildebrandt-Farmer.
One of her most meaningful accomplishments was creating a system where marketing function and non-market function employees can work alongside each other within the energy market operations team.
“It was a challenging process, requiring approval and coordination with FERC attorneys to ensure compliance, but its success was well worth it. Now Entergy’s fuels team and day-ahead market operations team are able to work together to achieve our goal — powering life for our customers more efficiently,” she said.
When asked about her favorite part of working at Entergy, Hildebrandt-Farmer talks about the culture and people. “I’ve had some major life events occur while working here at Entergy, and this company has shown up for me in ways I could have never expected. It truly means the world when you can count on your team in tough times.”
Outside of work, Hildebrandt-Farmer enjoys traveling and extreme fishing, a hobby that has taken her to large bodies of water across the world — from Cabo to fish for mahi mahi to Cancun for sailfish and Iceland for cod.
