September-October 2021
Focus on Thriving, Focus to Empower
The diversity and inclusion (D&I) landscape in the energy industry has changed dramatically over the years. More companies have understood the value of D&I to innovation, recruiting, retaining and developing a competitive workforce in today’s global environment. The energy industry is transitioning, delivering a cleaner industry for future generations. Companies...
From LinkedIn **Long personal post ahead.** The SECRET is out. I am pregnant. Why did I hide it from everyone for seven months? Because I was scared. Scared of what my clients, coworkers and employer would think. I waited to be in my 30s to have my first child because...
MARCELLUS: 2014 We were – all this time – searching for nickels and dimes and we’re sitting here with $100 bills.” – Bill Zagorski With just a few wells in the Marcellus yet in 2007, Range Resources could see where it was going. It had already begun work on arranging...
Water makes up 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and 60 percent of the human body. It creates and sustains life. It’s abundant and powerful enough to destroy whole cities. It’s no surprise that we’ve found a way to harness the force of this mighty, readily available resource. Hydropower uses...
Mexico, the United States’ neighbor to the south, has been undergoing its own energy transition over the past few years with its current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known as AMLO) reversing many of the energy policies of his predecessor, Enrique Peña Nieto, who during his term in office (2012-18)...
Gaslighted: How the Oil and Gas Industry Shortchanges Women
Women geoscientists in the oil and gas industry make up a tiny number of elite professionals. They are privileged on every dimension – race, education, income – except for gender. But despite their rarity, I believe that their experiences can illuminate why equality in the corporate world remains an elusive...
Former United States Department of Energy Director and Assistant Secretary, the Honorable James E. Campos, is paving the way for equality and evolution within the energy sector and beyond. While serving as director under President Trump in the Office of Minority Economic Impact for the Department of Energy (DOE), he...
Ilyani Sanchez, Warehouse Supervisor
Alan Alexeyev: Tell us a little bit about your current (or latest) position and what you do, as well as how you found a job. Ilyani Sanchez: I’m currently working as a warehouse supervisor for one of the world’s largest manufacturers of wellhead, surface and flow control products. In this...
Arcilia Acosta: A Great Connector
“Before we start,” Arcilia Acosta says, “I want to know about you.” We share stories, then the conversation evolves to past work activities we have in common, mutual friends, work interests where we can help each other…and laughter. Acosta has just demonstrated her incredible ability to connect with others –...
The Texas Grid Blackouts of 2021
Texans are used to sweltering in 100-degree summer weather. What they’re not accustomed to are freezing temperatures, snow on the ground and loss of electricity leaving them without heat. In February of 2021, the state of Texas experienced a shocking power crisis, the result of three winter storms, which left...
Vanir Energy: Leading the Charge Through Solar Power
The name Vanir comes from Norse mythology and represents health, prosperity and fertility. Vanir Energy, part of the Vanir Group, acquired clean energy developer Appalachian in 2008 and has been making history ever since. In February 2008, Vanir completed Fletcher Business Park. Located in Fletcher, North Carolina, the 1.5MW solar...
Interview: Aisha Ghuman, Vice President of Marketing, W Energy Software
Rebecca Ponton: What is the broad, overarching theme of this year’s WE Connect conference and what is the main message you want to get out to potential attendees and sponsors? Aisha Ghuman: WE Connect is W Energy Software’s annual user conference and this year we’re hosting it in person at...
Maria Claudia Borras: Transformative Leadership
As executive vice president of the oilfield services business at Baker Hughes, Maria Claudia Borras may be facing the biggest challenge of her career. Her company, among the first in the oil and gas industry to commit to significantly reducing carbon emissions produced by finding, processing and using hydrocarbons, is...
Energy Systems Transformation Opens Up New Opportunities for Women
We are presented with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our energy systems. Keeping the rise of global temperature below 2°C requires extensive technological and societal change. To meet this goal, renewable energy and other enabling technologies such as hydrogen and energy storage are being deployed at an unprecedented scale and...
A Day in the Life of…a Drone Pilot
I’d like to preface this by stating my version of “A Day in the Life” is never a “day.” Working in the energy sector, it’s more like “many days of a single project.” Along with being a drone pilot, I also shoot video, interviews and b-roll (supporting footage) to accompany...
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief (September-October 2021)
We have a lot to celebrate this month! Not only is November Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. – and we have profiled some incredible Hispanic women in industry from all over the world in this issue – but it is also the one-year anniversary of the debut of our...