Women in Utility Fleet: Ann Brown-Hailey

As director of administration for the Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference (https://eufmc.com), Ann Brown-Hailey has guided the event through decades of growth and change while preserving its unique qualities. Utility fleet-specific educational sessions, equipment demonstrations and displays, networking opportunities and a personal touch keep attendees returning year after year. 

Getting Started
Her path to fleet began in hospitality and association administration. After graduating from the College of William & Mary, Brown-Hailey launched her career at the Williamsburg Inn in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, where she built a strong foundation in service and event coordination. She later served as executive director of the Williamsburg Area Restaurant Association, further refining her expertise.

Meeting and event planning and association management are Brown-Hailey’s specialties, she said. These skills have become essential to her long-standing role with EUFMC, which she first learned about through her previous work in Colonial Williamsburg. When the administration director role became available, Brown-Hailey was recommended by her predecessor. Initially, the position was part-time and remote, eventually shifting to full-time in 2007. This year will mark her 33rd conference.

The event has expanded considerably since Brown-Hailey’s early days: “We have been fortunate to see year-over-year growth in utility fleets attending. For my first conference in 1993, we had 88 fleet professionals compared to 177 in 2025.”

In addition, she noted, “EUFMC has expanded from investor-owned electric utilities to include other types of fleets that operate, manage and maintain utility equipment.” Today, attendees represent cooperatives, contractors, municipalities and telecom fleets.

Built on Connection
Regardless of its growth, EUFMC remains firmly committed to face-to-face engagement. Brown-Hailey underscored “the value of meeting in person and forging connections between fleets and the supplier community. Networking is seen as a key part of the value that EUFMC offers. Part of the reason for remaining an invitation-only event is to be able to create those types of opportunities.”

The result is an intimate, relationship-driven environment that “makes EUFMC unique in the industry,” she said.

Industry roundtables are one of the conference’s defining features, providing scheduled time for open dialogue among attendees that fosters collaboration rather than competition. “The two general session roundtables are a distinctive forum as both fleets and suppliers attend,” Brown-Hailey shared, noting that many attendees consider these discussions the most impactful part of their event experience.

Evolving Industry Education
At its core, “EUFMC has always been an educational conference, and over the years, these programs have evolved with the needs of fleets.” A comprehensive two-day program covers timely, relevant topics identified via past attendee feedback.

EUFMC’s equipment show has grown from 55 suppliers to 94 during Brown-Hailey’s tenure. “It’s also expanded in scope with the industry’s needs,” she said, adding that board members consider suppliers based on the value they offer to fleets. The drive-through demonstration plays an educational role as well, offering attendees the opportunity to learn about the latest industry vehicles and equipment.

Continued growth has required an increase in the conference’s physical footprint. Brown-Hailey shared that equipment events are now hosted in the fourth venue since she joined the organization. “We outgrew the previous three locations in both equipment size and attendance.”

Today, both the equipment show and the drive-through demonstration take place in the parking lots at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. “We look forward to having the show there for the foreseeable future,” she said.

Leadership Philosophy
Brown-Hailey’s professional experiences have deeply influenced her leadership philosophy, which is rooted in preparation. “I have learned that, with any event, to prepare for the unexpected and always have contingencies in place.”

EUFMC’s most persistent challenge? Maintaining an up-to-date roster of utility fleet professionals. “In the past, career fleet professionals stayed in their position for years. Now there is greater movement within utilities, with managers moving in and out of fleet.”

Keeping pace requires adaptability and continuous communication. In reflecting on her early career, Brown-Hailey said she “would tell my younger self to dive into new technologies and adopt changes earlier.”

Personal Touch
After 33 years, Brown-Hailey continues to find motivation in EUFMC’s human element. The conference is the only one of its kind specifically developed for and led by utility fleet professionals, delivering a unique attendee experience.

“Board members and the EUFMC staff communicate personally with attendees, and I take pride in our personal touch,” she said. “Helping new attendees plan for their first EUFMC is one of my favorite interactions.”

She also treasures the long-standing relationships she’s built along the way. “Having held this position as long as I have, attendees feel like family. It has been a pleasure to work with multiple generations of families in the utility industry.”

Family-friendly programming is another reason EUFMC stands out. “Many conference events have moved away from family and spouse programming, but the EUFMC board remains committed to providing events for spouses, social guests and families,” Brown-Hailey explained. The conference’s Colonial Williamsburg location enhances the experience, offering opportunities to explore the area’s living history environment.

Industry Innovation and Future Planning
Among Brown-Hailey’s proudest achievements is EUFMC’s Women in Utility Fleet networking event, now in its fourth year, which grew from discussions with female conference attendees nearly a decade ago. “Those conversations planted the seeds,” she said. The program has since expanded to include participants from the supplier community and now features a dedicated webinar series.

Planning the networking event and all the other aspects of the conference, Brown-Hailey shared, “is a year-round process. We begin planning for the next event before the current conference ends.” Feedback from attendees and sponsors plays a key role in shaping each year’s programming, ensuring it remains relevant and valuable.

Looking ahead, EUFMC will continue to leverage what is perhaps its greatest strength: facilitating genuine, face-to-face human connection. “Attending one EUFMC provides an incredible network of contacts so that fleets know they have over 100 others they can contact about common goals or challenges,” Brown-Hailey noted. Suppliers, too, “can meet a significant customer base all in one location rather than traveling to these fleets individually.”

After more than 70 years and decades of steady growth, EUFMC continues to thrive, offering value to the industry that – as Brown-Hailey put it – “is unsurpassed.”

About the Author: Grace Suizo has been covering the automotive fleet industry since 2007. She spent six years as an editor for five fleet publications and has written more than 100 articles geared toward both commercial and public sector fleets.