Those of you who have followed OILWOMAN Magazine since its inception in November 2020 know that we have always focused on being as diverse and inclusive as possible. That goes beyond gender – even though one of our main goals is to highlight the women who are helping bring about a more equitable workforce in a male dominated industry – to include diversity of thought and experience and worldview. Interestingly, and by coincidence – I prefer to think of it as serendipity – two of this year’s cover stories, including this issue, have featured women who are originally from Iran. (In case you missed it, the first was my conversation with Nooshin Behroyan, founder and CEO of PAXON Energy, which can be read in the magazine’s archives.)
With this issue, we bring you Lee Jourdan’s interview with Mitra Kashanchi, president of Chevron Chemicals. As the diversity, equity and inclusion columnist for OILWOMAN, who concluded a long career at Chevron as its chief diversity officer, Jourdan offers his own unique perspective to the conversation. We are thrilled to have him bring Kashanchi’s personal and professional story to life on the page, and look forward to including his regular DEI column once again in the Nov/Dec issue.
Along with Kashanchi’s insights on setting boundaries, balancing work and home life, and finding empowerment through diversity – “Bring your differences and let’s find the best way to have a healthy debate,” – this issue includes a diverse range of stories from coaching columnist Erica D’Eramo’s thoughts on the power of saying “no,” to disabilities columnist Angela McKane’s profile of Stacey Copas, CEO of the Academy of Resilience.
Echoing Kashanchi, we are committed to bringing you stories that will help foster healthy debates, but that also promote a healthier and stronger industry, one that benefits from having a vast array of thoughts, experiences and worldviews, and welcomes those that are different from our own.
Rebecca Ponton has been a journalist for 25+ years and is also a petroleum landman. Her book, Breaking the GAS Ceiling: Women in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry (Modern History Press), was released in May 2019. For more info, go to www.breakingthegasceiling.com.
Photo courtesy of Marc Morrison Photography. Rebecca Ponton on the set of Accidental Texan. T-shirt courtesy of Dovetail Workwear.
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Rebecca Pontonhttps://oilwomanmagazine.com/author/rebecca-ponton/
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Rebecca Pontonhttps://oilwomanmagazine.com/author/rebecca-ponton/
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Rebecca Pontonhttps://oilwomanmagazine.com/author/rebecca-ponton/
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Rebecca Pontonhttps://oilwomanmagazine.com/author/rebecca-ponton/
Oil and gas operations are commonly found in remote locations far from company headquarters. Now, it's possible to monitor pump operations, collate and analyze seismic data, and track employees around the world from almost anywhere. Whether employees are in the office or in the field, the internet and related applications enable a greater multidirectional flow of information – and control – than ever before.
