Rutgers School of Business Alum Discusses Career as a "Power Player"

CAMDEN --  Knowing that 1.9 million customers depend on you for their electric and gas every day can be daunting, to say the least.

Throw in rising energy costs, global-warming fears and the clamor for a reduced carbon footprint and you’ve just described the challenges Joseph M. Rigby SBC ’78 grapples with every working hour.

Some days, “It just feels like it’s one long meeting,” says Rigby, president and chief operating officer of Pepco Holdings, Inc., a regional company providing utility services for the Washington D.C./suburban Maryland area, as well as Delaware and New Jersey.

“The cost of energy, whether gas for your car or heating your home, has gone up dramatically, and is putting enormous pressure on our customers,” notes Rigby. “The focus on climate change and reducing carbon… are all issues we’re going to have to wrestle with. We have to be thinking about how we can manage through all that and help our customers.”

Pepco Holdings is the parent company of Potomac Electric Power Company, Delmarva Power, and Atlantic City Electric, which extends into southern New Jersey. Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric formerly did business under the name Conectiv Power Delivery. 

In addition to the utilities, Rigby is responsible for the competitive energy businesses (Conectiv Energy and Pepco Energy Services), corporate communications, and information technology. 

Rigby is in his 30th year with the company. In the top post since March, he oversees some 4,500 employees.

The Washington, DC, resident received his degree in accounting from Rutgers—Camden, and believes that those skills he acquired on campus continue to serve him exceedingly well.

“I learned the value of critical thinking at Rutgers, and the professors struck the right balance between instruction and the need to learn on your own, while holding the students accountable for their own progression,” Rigby says.

He singles out Milton Leontiades, who went on to become dean of the School of Business, as a particular source of inspiration.

“He was somebody who treated you as an adult when you were in his class. When you saw him, you saw somebody who really exuded a professional presence that I admired and aspired to,” Rigby says of Leontiades, who retired in 2005 after more than 30 years on the faculty.

The Pepco Holdings president and COO describes his own management style as a juggling act.

“I would say I tend to get into some level of detail, but I really try to balance it by not getting in the way of people who are much closer to the work,” he says. “I don’t take myself or the work so seriously that it causes people to shut down. I try to be very inclusive in making decisions, because people will buy in to the results. And there’s always the recognition that what we’re doing is very important.

“There’s almost an inherent danger in the operations within our company, (so) safety is of paramount importance, embedded into our culture,” Rigby adds.

When he’s not putting in typical 12-hour days, the Rutgers School of Business grad loves to travel, play golf, and, at least once a week, “go out on a date with my wife, Carol.” His most recent venture abroad took the family to Italy, where son Kevin sang with a choir in Rome, Venice, and Florence – including a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Rigby’s attachment to Rutgers hardly ended with his own commencement three decades ago. His daughter, Alison, graduated from Rutgers—Camden in 2003 with a degree in biology, continuing on to receive her master’s degree there as well.

More recently, as he began to reflect about some of the positive things that have happened in his life, Rigby focused on his time as an undergrad and its lasting value.

In addition to giving back to the wider community as treasurer and chair of the finance committee of United Way of the National Capital Area, he chose to make a $15,000 gift to the Rutgers School of Business—Camden in order to help guarantee that other students have the same opportunities he did. 

“As I’ve gotten older and gotten farther away from Rutgers—Camden, it’s always gratifying to see what a positive reaction you get when you mention Rutgers,” he says. “I got an incredible education at a very, very reasonable cost. It’s a small little gem there in southern New Jersey, and for me, personally, a great fit.”

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