About Thrive Circle
WHO WE ARE
Thrive Circle is an exclusive peer group for utility executives, dedicated to fostering collaboration, innovation, and industry leadership.
The Best Solutions Don't Have to Be Built Alone.
Across the utility industry, leaders are facing many of the same challenges — improving customer communication, managing major events, modernizing operations, and adapting to new expectations.
Not every challenge has a clear answer yet.
But progress accelerates when leaders can learn from each other in real time.
Thrive Circle creates that space.
A curated group of utility leaders coming together to share what's working, what's not, and what's next — shaping better outcomes for their organizations and the industry as a whole.
- Customer experience & communications
- Outage and event response
- Technology and digital strategy
- Workforce and operational readiness
- Regulatory and compliance alignment
The People Behind the Circle
MEET THE TEAM
Thrive Circle is led by experienced utility industry professionals who have been in the seat during major events.
Bob Flaherty
Advisor
Bio coming soon.
Sandy Buzzard
Advisor
Senior utility leader with over 15 years of experience in the utility industry, specializing in customer experience transformation through strategic communications, data, and technology. At Duke Energy, she led both product experience and outbound communications, developing customer-facing self-service solutions while ensuring timely, relevant communication delivery across preferred channels during both routine operations and critical events. This dual leadership role provided a deep understanding of utility operations, customer engagement, and stakeholder expectations. At Thrive Advisors, she supports industry collaboration and helps utility leaders advance strategic initiatives through Thrive Circle programs.
Michael Williams
Advisor
Senior utility executive with over 15 years of leadership experience at Southern California Edison, specializing in outage management, customer experience, and large-scale operational transformation. He has led enterprise initiatives spanning CX strategy, SAP system implementation, and advanced analytics, consistently improving service reliability and customer satisfaction. At Thrive Advisors, he is positioned to help utility leaders accelerate strategic engagement and implement process and technology solutions that strengthen trust, resilience, and operational performance.
Bill Potter
Founder
Seasoned utility technology entrepreneur and strategic advisor focused on helping solve the industry's hardest unresolved challenges. Through Thrive Advisors and Thrive Circle, he brings together utility leaders, innovators, and strategic partners to address issues that traditional systems and vendors have not fully solved, from grid disruption and customer impact to operational coordination and resilience. With more than 25 years of experience serving investor-owned utilities, Bill is committed to turning difficult industry problems into practical strategies, stronger partnerships, and measurable progress.
Our Mission
To create a trusted environment where utility leaders can share candid insights, collaborate on shared challenges, and collectively advance the industry. We go beyond merely sharing information — we are committed to being right there with you every step of the way.
Our Vision
A future where every utility — regardless of size or geography — has access to the peer knowledge, strategic resources, and collaborative network needed to thrive in an era of unprecedented transformation.
OUR OBJECTIVES
Thrive Circle is built around four core pillars that guide everything we do.
Peer Collaboration
Facilitate meaningful connections between utility leaders facing similar operational, regulatory, and strategic challenges. Regular forums, roundtables, and working groups enable candid peer-to-peer dialogue.
Knowledge Exchange
Curate and distribute best practices, research reports, case studies, and operational insights through our secure member portal. Every document shared strengthens the collective intelligence of the group.
Industry Leadership
Amplify the collective voice of member utilities in regulatory proceedings, industry forums, and policy discussions. Shape the future of the electric sector through unified, strategic advocacy.
Innovation Acceleration
Identify, evaluate, and accelerate adoption of emerging technologies — from grid modernization and distributed energy resources to advanced metering and AI-driven operations.
Active Focus
CURRENT CHALLENGE
Mutual Assistance for Call Centers
Active Initiative
Thrive Circle members are currently collaborating on best practices for mutual assistance programs in utility call center operations — sharing frameworks, staffing models, and technology solutions that help utilities support each other during peak demand and emergency events.
Full details, working documents, and member discussions are available exclusively to Thrive Circle members.
Join the CircleStay Informed
GENERAL CALENDAR
Key Thrive Circle dates and milestones. Members have access to the full detailed calendar inside the portal.
Mutual Assistance
Thrive Circle will convene a peer discussion focused on the concept of Customer Experience Mutual Assistance, what it could look like, when it might add value, and what barriers must be addressed to make it viable.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Mutual Assistance Follow-Up
Building on our previous Thrive Circle session, this follow-up workshop will focus on moving Mutual Assistance for Customer Experience from concept to practical application. This session is designed to be interactive and working-focused—centered on identifying real-world constraints, aligning on what’s feasible, and exploring how a shared model could take shape across utilities.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Members-only events and detailed agendas are available in the Member Portal.
SCHEDULE A CONVERSATION
Interested in learning more about Thrive Circle? Book a brief call with our team to discuss how the group can benefit your organization.
Book a MeetingOr email us directly at [email protected]