A letter from Nashville Electric Service (NES) CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin, included as part of the municipally owned power company’s resurfaced Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report for 2024, reveals NES held over 100 training sessions as part of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda.
Broyles-Aplin wrote in her letter, included at the beginning of the 2024 ESG report, “NES’ Human Relations Department implemented Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, & Belonging (DEIAB) trainings,” and ultimately held, “a total of 102 sessions in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024 for both organization-wide education and nuanced resources for leadership positions.”
The DEI training sessions are also referenced throughout the report, including on its second page, when it was listed as one of five steps taken to engage and develop the NES workforce.
In a section of the report about NES’ development and engagement of its employees, the company described the training as, “integral DEIAB development trainings,” and said they were “primarily focused on building a culture of civility and belonging through examining trust, respect, and healthy communication in the workplace.”
According to the ESG report, “These courses are the first step in a multi-year training series to foster DEIAB values throughout the organization.”
The report also revealed that NES began its effort establish its “ESG framework” when it hired a consultant in 2022, the same year Broyles-Aplin became its top executive.
After establishing the ESG framework, the report claims DEI ranked among the most important topics to the company.
“The results illuminated renewable energy, electrification, energy efficiency and demand response, resiliency, diversity, equity and inclusion, employee engagement and development, and greenhouse gas emission as the topics most important to NES and stakeholders simultaneously,” according to the ESG report.
NES does not appear to have published an ESG report for its activities in 2025 at press time, but has published a Community Impact Report for the year. Though referencing similar topics, including employee engagement and development, it included no reference to DEI.
However, the 2025 report does contain references to “belonging,” which was notably one of the terms used by Vanderbilt University when it quietly renamed and revised its DEI web page early last year. The new version of the page was titled, “Our Commitment to Belonging, Collaboration, and Growth.”
In its Community Impact Report for 2025, NES wrote, “Beyond professional development, we emphasize civility and belonging, ensuring that our workplace is one where everyone feels valued. Throughout the year, NES hosts company-wide events that bring employees together to share meals, build relationships, and strengthen our sense of community.”
Through a series of interviews and public statements since her 2022 appointment, Broyles-Aplin expressed her commitment to sustainable and renewable energy, and last year confirmed her excitement and support for the transportation plan championed by Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
In a recent interview, Broyles-Aplin also explained that NES prioritizes Nashville’s tree canopy when trimming limbs to prevent outages.
“We care about the canopy. We have to live here too,” she said last August. “I don’t want us out destroying the canopy.”
She explained, “We do species specific trimming… We take a lot of pride in making sure that we are cutting the trees in a healthy fashion.”
According to the company’s Thursday afternoon update, 84,800 customers remain without power. The company announced it has deployed over 1,000 linemen in its effort to restore service.
There have been 14 reported deaths across Tennessee following the weekend storm.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photos “Power in Unity” and “Teresa Broyles-Aplin” by NES.
DEI = Didn’t Earn It.
Tennessee is a red state!
This is what Nashville gets for electing Freddie. No one to blame but Nashville voters.
It is just sad that thw 90 something year old man had to die.
Where is the “warmth of collectivism”?
She is speaking on the news right now what an idiot, surprising anyone has power. Her neighborhood the power was only off three hours, in her million dollar home Fidel Freddie only hires progressive liberal democrats. The NES bd is as bad as the freaks on Metro councilfudel Freddi and the CEO for NES should be removed. Higher property taxes and terrible service.
The Communist Party moved into Nashville and Atlanta thru the unions that “serve” the entertainment industry. Communist activists are restless, committed, subversive and absolutely ruthless. See how they send the plebes out to bleed and die in Minneapolis. They’ve been rolling that way since the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, A.D. 1917.
Just consider for a moment the training required to undo the damage inflicted by DEI and the ill qualified staff hired Think of the bizarre ideas they imparted to new employees. Nothing productive, nothing good, came from the left inspired DEI push. I recall listening to a radio show interview with Bernie Sanders. He, of course, was one the main proponents in the US Senate. Sanders did not know the difference between equity and equality. Such a fool as the many other DEI proponents.
I’m buying stock in Generac. NES is forcing is forcing Nashville to become a city of self-generators.
Of course, then we won’t be able to breathe the air because of the fumes.
I had a teacher that said : I don’t want efforts, I want results!
Evidently she’s a dei hire and then this is a reason that national needs to be taken over and run by the state. These activists turn politicians and leaders have no business running anything. They’re totally incompetent.