Oilwoman Magazine July/August 2022 : simplebooklet.com

2Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comJULY — AUGUST 2022PUBLISHER Emmanuel SullivanEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rebecca PontonMANAGING EDITOR Sarah SkinnerASSISTANT EDITOR Nick VaccaroCOPY EDITOR Shannon WestCREATIVE DIRECTOR Kim FischerCONTRIBUTING EDITORS Richa Bansal Claudia MelatiniADVERTISING SALES Diana George Connie LaughlinSUBSCRIBE To subscribe to Oilwoman Magazine, please visit our website, www.oilwomanmagazine.com/subscribe. MAILING ADDRESS U.S. Energy Media P.O. Box 42511 Houston, TX 77242 Phone: (800) 562-2340 e-mail: editor@usenergymedia.comCOPYRIGHT The contents of this publication are copyright 2022 by U.S. Energy Media, LLC, with all rights restricted. Any reproduction or use of content without written consent of U.S. Energy Media, LLC is strictly prohibited.All information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed. Oilwoman Magazine reserves the right to edit all contributed articles. Editorial content does not necessarily reect the opinions of the publisher. Any advice given in editorial content or advertisements should be considered information only. Cover photo courtesy of Sun Coast Resources, Inc.Richa BansalRicha Bansal is a seasoned professional with a decade of experience in strategy, operations, engineering, supply chain and management. As one of the only women in the room for most of her career in the oil and gas and IT industries, she has seen rst-hand the struggles of young professional women as they navigate the corporate ladder.Bansal founded www.Pinkcareers.com so that women can get access to career development and coaching through a learning format that is exible, effective and meets the needs of modern working women. Pinkcareers offers leadership programs and career development training for early-career talent so they can accelerate their career growth. Bansal earned a bachelor’s from IIT Delhi in India, a master’s from Purdue University and an MBA from Rice University. When she is not working on Pinkcareers, she loves to travel the world with her husband and two little boys. Email: richa@pinkcareers.com; website: www.pinkcareers.com. Ally Cedeno Ally Cedeno is the founder and president of the Women Offshore Foundation, a 2008 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and a 2020 graduate of Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business with a Master of Business Administration (MBA). She is licensed as a chief mate of unlimited tonnage vessels and has worked as a senior dynamic positioning operator. Cedeno’s experience on the water spans both the maritime and offshore energy industries over the last 13 years. At Transocean, she aspires to be in vessel management and is training as an assistant driller on a 7th-generation, ultra-deepwater drillship built in South Korea in 2016. Cedeno spent much of her career at sea as one of the only women in operations on the vessels she worked on, yet she is determined to change that with the Women Offshore Foundation, an online organization and resource center for a diverse workforce on the water. The organization’s mission is to propel women into meaningful careers through access to a worldwide community and professional development resources, while raising awareness among industry leaders and decision makers about issues affecting women on the water. www.womenoffshore.org LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEFCONTRIBUTORS — BiographiesRebecca Ponton, Editor-in-Chief, OILWOMAN MagazineSummer is ofcially here and Houston, the energy capital of the U.S., like many other places, is feeling the heat. Temperatures are in the mid 90s and expected to get higher, as August is the hottest month of the year. Along with the heat come higher electric and water bills. This drives home the need for more economical and efcient sources of energy on the consumer side, and the provi-sion of safer, cleaner sources from industry’s side as we incorpo-rate all forms of energy to achieve the goal of net zero. Hurricane season ofcially started in mid-May in the eastern Pacif-ic, while the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season started two weeks later. Anyone who has experienced a catastrophic weather event knows that you can end up without electricity and/or water for an extended period of time. In our featured cover interview, Sun Coast Resources founder and CEO, Kathy Lehne, talks about what it’s like to respond in emergency situations to provide fuel to devastated areas. In 2017, during Hurricane Maria, a deadly Cat-egory 5 storm, Sun Coast dispatched nearly 100 trucks to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico via military aircraft and vessels, providing fueling services for vehicles and generators throughout the island for nearly a year. Once a hurricane originates in ocean waters, offshore platforms have to be evacuated, bring-ing personnel back to safety. In this issue, we debut a new feature by Ally Cedeno, founder of Women Offshore, which will prole women who work on the water. Knowing that 13 percent of the world still experiences energy poverty in some form, we acknowledge and cel-ebrate those women – and leaders like Kathy Lehne – who take risks to ensure that we have reliable sources of fuel and energy.

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4Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comPINKCAREERSMaking Virtual Meetings Inclusive By Richa BansalThe case for inclusion is clear: Inclusive teams make better decisions 87 percent of the time and drive decision-making two times faster with half the meetings. Yet leaders face numerous challenges in creating work environments that are diverse, open and free from bias. With the rise of permanently virtual work-places after the pandemic, this problem has only been aggravated. Remote work, or at least hybrid work, is here to stay. But it doesn’t come without its own set of barriers, the most common being technical glitches, time zone differences, distracting environments and execu-tion before inclusion. It is, therefore, important that we not only develop best practices for our teams but, better yet, co-develop them with our teams. Here are some practical ways in which you can become more thoughtful as a host, or as a participant, in your next on-line meeting and make it more engaging, productive and inclusive. Be mindful of time zones and personal preferences.Have you ever scheduled a meeting right at the start of your workday, only to later realize that it was set for 5 a.m. for your colleague, as she is in a different time zone than you? This is the byprod-uct of expedience bias – the belief that if it feels right to me, it must be true for everyone. If you prefer to schedule all of your meetings at the start or the end of the day, consider the impact on team mem-bers, especially parents, who have to manage pick-up, drop-off or childcare during these times. Others might prefer to take a break during lunch and come back online for a couple of hours during the evening. To avoid discounting such personal preferences, meet with your team to decide on core working hours when everyone can be available for team meetings. For others with whom you don’t meet often, check in with them to ensure that their calendar is up to date with their preferred working hours before scheduling the meeting. Avoid back-to-back meetings.When we worked out of an ofce loca-tion, we often moved from one confer-ence room to another for our meetings, which gave us the much-needed ve-minute breather between our back-to-back meetings. Unfortunately, this benet is lost for those in remote roles. Several times I’ve had days when I realized it’s already lunchtime and I haven’t moved from my seat for the past three hours. I have now implemented an idea that I learned from one of my managers: I start all my meetings at ve or 35 past the hour. So, instead of 9 a.m., start the Photo courtesy of ostapenko – www.123RF.com

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5Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comPINKCAREERSmeeting at 9:05 a.m. or, instead of 9:30 a.m., start the meeting at 9:35 a.m. This gives everyone a couple of minutes to wrap up a meeting that might be run-ning late, grab a cup of coffee, take a quick bio break or just break their gaze from the laptop for a few seconds. You can follow the instructions here to automatically start your meetings a few minutes late. Do a mental roll call.The physical construction of our ofces often facilitates accidental interactions; for example, at the water cooler or on the way back from lunch. But, in the virtual world, distance bias may kick in as it becomes so much easier to exclude people unintentionally. Without these physical cues, we must be deliberate in whom to include in our online meetings, especially as many new team members are onboarded entirely remotely. Maintaining a list of all team members or cross-checking the meeting partici-pants’ names with the newest organiza-tional chart structure, can be excellent ways to do the mental roll call. If you regularly send out meetings to a large group, consider setting up a Team in Outlook and keeping it up-to-date as the team members change. Share the agenda before the meeting.Sharing agenda and reading material ahead of time is always a good prac-tice for any meeting – virtual or not. It becomes even more important to ensure your meetings are inclusive for people who may not be native speakers or are not fully knowledgeable about the topic of the meeting. Catalyst, a nonprot that works to accelerate women into leadership, found that 45 percent of women business leaders say it’s difcult for women to speak up in virtual meet-ings, oftentimes for fear of appearing ignorant. Sending a detailed meeting agenda, together with key discussion points, at least 24 hours in advance, can help everyone be better prepared for the meeting, and increase participation and inclusivity. Have a “human” check-in. Before you start the meeting, do a quick round of human check-ins. Simply ask-ing, “How is everyone feeling today?” and “Is there anything someone wants to share with the group?,” along with sharing your personal experience, can help create an inviting space for people to feel welcomed and have an open dialogue. Also, as 55 percent of all communication is non-verbal, or done through body language, keeping your video on and encouraging others to do the same, if they feel comfortable, can help to bring back the human in our virtual meetings.Prompt and pause.Be mindful of safety bias that can manifest in thinking that people are not paying attention because they are not responding to your question in time, or interacting in the same way they might have done in a physical conference room. Give the other person the benet of the doubt; they may be having techni-cal issues with their video platform (yes, after two years of working remotely it still happens), they aren’t entirely familiar with the technology you are using, or perhaps they need more time to think through and type before responding. Ask questions along the way, prompt to validate understanding, provide ample pauses for people to respond and par-ticipate, and encourage the use of chat and emojis to express emotions.Be mindful of microaggressions. Mansplaining and manterrupting are very real microaggressions that women, BIPOC and other marginalized commu-nities face in meetings, and they are only exaggerated when the meeting is virtual or hybrid. As leaders, we need to rec-ognize when microaggressions happen and address them immediately to ensure inclusivity is maintained. An example would be to amplify and give credit for an idea to the person who rst men-tioned it, even if it was provided over chat and then repeated by another col-league on video. Another example would be to go round-robin to give everyone a chance to speak during the meeting and prevent monologuing. Maintaining inclusivity in online meet-ings takes thoughtfulness and lots of practice. It starts by embracing an inclusive mindset and trying different techniques that work best for you and your team. Be open to feedback, adjust your behavior, and share best practices with others so you can do your part in creating modern inclusive workplaces.Richa Bansal is a sea-soned professional with a decade of experience across the energy and technology industries. She is currently a senior program man-ager with Amazon, where she leads large-scale programs to help Amazon hire the best talent on earth. She previously worked with Schlumberger, leading a global engineering team, to support one of its fastest-growing product lines. As one of the only women in the room for most of her career, Bansal has seen rsthand the struggles of women as they navigate the corporate ladder. In 2019, she founded Pink-careers with a mission to close the gender gap in the C-suite. All Pinkca-reers’ programs are anchored in no-uff career advice and research-based curriculum and are taught by senior leaders working for some of the best companies in the world. Through her social enterprise, Bansal has partnered with over 20 Fortune-500 companies, nonprots and universities to deliver her programs to over 2,500 profes-sional women. She particularly loves to speak about the power of personal branding, mentoring and managing up for accelerating career growth. Bansal earned a bachelor’s from IIT Delhi in India, a master’s from Purdue University and an MBA from Rice University. When she is not working on Pinkcareers, she loves to travel the world with her husband and two little boys. Website: www.pinkcareers.com. Email: richa@pinkcareers.com

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6Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comDIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSIONAchieving a Just Transition By Rebecca PontonAn incredible 30 million jobs worldwide are predicted to be created by 2030 with the energy transition as the driving force, according to the IEA’s 2021 special report: Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. However, a disconcerting trend is emerging – one which we have seen before in the fossil fuel sector. The proportion of women expected to work in the clean energy sector is actually set to decrease as subsectors, like construction, fueling this job creation demonstrate the lowest representation of women.Despite making up 48 percent of the global labor force, wom-en only account for 22 percent of the traditional energy sector. The number drops to a stag-gering 14 percent for women who make up senior manage-ment in the industry (including utilities), and the downward trajectory continues with women holding only 3.6 percent of CEO roles. To succeed, the energy transition must be diverse, it must be inclusive, and it must be equitable. As a growing number of companies announce climate commitments on a large-scale, there is an opportunity to recognize the intersec-tion of gender and climate, and raise ambitions for women’s economic empowerment along with environmental targets.How can the energy transition ensure more opportunities for women and enable a just, sustainable and inclusive transition?First and foremost, the industry must position reskilling and re-educating at the center of the energy agenda. The skill-ing of women in the STEM elds is critical, given that most renewable energy jobs require expertise in those areas. And their implementation can be achieved through a multi-step effort focused on training, retaining and incentivizing women in STEM, including but not limited to adequate training, certi-cations and skills programs. On top of reskilling, company culture needs to be reshaped so that it fosters gender-responsive working. Today, many in the sector continue to cite a toxic work environment as the decisive driver in leaving their current job and the industry’s reputation puts off young talent from choosing a career in energy. Adopting effective strategies that promote gender equality and ensure inclusivity across the company, either through hiring policies, mentorships or employee resource groups (ERGs), will play a signicant role in building a di-verse, inclusive and equitable industry.Beyond that, we must continue to empower women with new economic opportunities. These strategies will yield more opportunities for women as they generate new sources of income and means of nancial independence. In Yemen, for example, a group of women have set up a private solar microgrid near the frontlines of the conict, bringing criti-cal access to electricity while earning a steady source of income. Similar initiatives have been seen in India, where women entrepre-neurs have produced face masks and feminine hygiene products with the support of solar-powered electric sewing machines. These efforts are a glimpse at how clean energy accessibility can transform an entire community, if not the world.Finally, and perhaps most importantly, sustainable energy for all can only be achieved when women are put at the heart of the conversation. For change to happen, women need to lead the conversation about women’s future – and be in the room where it hap-pens. Gastech, the world’s largest conference for the natural gas, LNG and hydrogen industries, is one of the most hotly anticipated forums of the year as the industry grapples with the demands of a “just” transition ahead of COP27 in No-vember. Leaders across the energy value chain will drive the agenda on building a gender-inclusive and diverse workforce as they look to adapt to a changing energy landscape. Women everywhere will be watching closely to see how we are repre-sented in this pivotal moment in energy. Ultimately, an absence of diversity is a business impediment – and this is relevant across all sectors. However, the challenges of the energy world are more pressing as the industry under-goes a process of rapid transformation; clean energy transi-tions will require innovative solutions and business models to be adopted. Above all, they will require greater participation from a richly diverse talent pool. To prevent the status quo from prevailing, especially as we move forward into the energy transition, decisive action must be taken. The urgency of reaching net zero necessitates including voices that, until now, have gone unheard. In the words of the former Irish president and UN climate envoy, Mary Robinson, “Climate change is a man-made problem with a feminist solution.” Photo courtesy of lightwise – www.123RF.com

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9Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comA DAY IN THE LIFEA Day in the Life of . . . an Offshore Medic By Tamara GonzalezYou never know what a day as a medic is going to look like. This is true wherever you work, but especially as a remote medic. As an offshore medic, I am the only trained health-care provider onboard. From the moment I arrive offshore, it’s “go” time. I am in work mode 24/7 for the next 21 days. I am responsible for emergency and primary care of the crew, as well as some of the training for the rescue and rst aid teams, and other less pure healthcare tasks, such as water management and food and hy-giene inspections. On average, per trip, I can see between two to four consulta-tions a day (not counting current pandemic issues) and some out-of-hours emergencies. COVID-19 is still creating havoc, taking a lot of our time, and causing logisti-cal nightmares. Space offshore is limited, so it is not easy to isolate crew. This environment would make it very easy for the virus to circulate, so we have to act quickly and drastically and most operators still opt for isolating and removing cases. I think we all have heard enough about C19, so this is as much as I am going to talk about it. 0545 – My alarm goes off and I struggle to get out of bed and get dressed while I ask myself “What am I doing here?” I am not a morning person and anyone who has worked with me would tell you as much, but I need to be out of the cabin by 0600 so the stewards can come in and clean. 0600-0700 – My shift has not ofcially started yet, so I hide in the clinic and use this time to do some personal admin if the internet allows or go out to see the sunrise. Sunrises and sunsets offshore are some of the moments I appreciate most. 0700 – I am open for business. I start by doing the daily checks at the clinic, making sure there is no faulty equipment and everything is fully charged and ready, should I need it. A crew member knocks on the door and I have my rst con-sultation of the day. Luckily, it’s something I can easily solve with some over the counter medication. I proceed to give the pertinent advice and instructions and let them go before I complete the electronic medical records. Next, I will visit the radio room to check on today’s chopper as I assist with some of the heli-admin tasks. Weather looks good, both the crew at the beach and the departing crew have checked in, and the ight seems to be on time. 0930 – The crew change helicopter is on the way. I take the welcome cards and T-cards for the on-signers to the heli-lounge, make sure all departing crew are there, and give them a pre-ight brieng before playing the safety video. 1030 – Crew change is complete. I change the T-cards from the lifeboat stations and go back to my checks. Next, I take a wa-ter sample and analyze certain parameters to ensure the potable water is good. If any parameter is out of range, I will contact the technical leader, so they can make the necessary adjustments to the water maker. 1200 – Without realizing it, the morning has gone by and my stomach is telling me it is time for lunch. As I fast in the mornings, I am now ready for food. The chefs onboard are great and feed us tons of yummy food. Lunchtime is the same for everyone, which also means it tends to be one of the times when crew members come to the clinic if they need something not urgent – and today is no different. Some more over the counter treatments and a call to our topside doctors for some prescription meds and then I can nally go for lunch before they close. I will complete the paperwork later. 1400 – Time to get my PPE on: coveralls, safety boots, safety glasses, gloves and helmet, and I am ready to go out to the deck. During the afternoon, I will perform some of the checks I need to do outside of the clinic, then return to the clinic and continue with admin tasks and any medical consul-tations that present. 1600 – Similarly to lunchtime when the day crew tends to come to the clinic, the night crew usually starts visiting from 1600 to 1830 as they wake up for their shifts. 1900 – My clinic shift is ofcially over. I am now on call Continued on next page...

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10Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comA DAY IN THE LIFEfor any emergencies that may arise during the night. I close the clinic and head to the galley to have dinner where I sit with some of the deck crew to eat as we chat a bit about our days and plans. 2000 – After dinner, I have a shower and get ready for bed. One thing I learned quickly when I started my career in healthcare is that you eat and sleep when you can, even if you are not really that hungry or tired. I get into bed and read a bit or watch something on my phone before turn-ing the lights off and calling it a day. 2350 – The duty phone wakes me up. Usually, people don’t abuse the duty phone outside of hours, so someone must not be feeling well. I ask a couple of questions and decide I need to see them in the clinic as soon as possible. I get dressed very quickly and go to the clinic, which is conveniently located in front of my cabin. The rst sight of the patient brings my suspicions down a bit and, at the same time, I connect them to a monitor while I ask more questions and start taking vitals. Within a couple of minutes, I am quite condent that it is not as bad as it sounded initially. I explain this and proceed to complete a more in-depth assessment. 0100 – After the assessment, I can’t nd anything pointing to a clear diagnosis. I call our topside doctors to discuss the case and a treatment plan. The duty doctor listens to the information I convey and it is decided that the patient needs to be evacu-ated. I have done all the investigations I can with the equipment available to rule out several potential diagnoses, but I can’t rule them out completely and, as things are not improving, further investigations are required. I inform the radio op and the OIM of the situation and we start organiz-ing a MEDEVAC. The Coast Guard has been notied, and I prepare the patient for transfer (IV access, any medications needed, paperwork) while we wait for the helicopter. 0330 – I hand over the patient to the SAR medic, complete the electronic medical records, and the rest of the paperwork required, and call it a night. I am supposed to start my next shift in about three hours; however, rest is important for me to be at my best and it is agreed that I will open the clinic once I am rested, and should only be disturbed in case of emergency. Offshore life is work, eat, sleep and repeat with some exercise in between, but it’s a fascinating world with some very interesting people, and I hope more women decide to join the workforce. Tamara Gonzalez is a Span-ish nurse currently working as an offshore medic on a jack-up rig in the North Sea. Her background includes spe-cializing in emergency response and aeromedical transport, cardiac nursing and critical care. She has always been interested in unconventional paths and has also worked internationally on expeditions and military operations. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, especially water activities like kayaking and scuba diving, and spending time with friends and family while looking for new challenges.

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12Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comHYDROGENThe Color of Clean Energy By Shannon WestHydrogen fuel is energy efcient, ex-ible and clean. When used in a fuel cell it creates only water. Unlike fossil fuels which are nite, it is made from the most copious element in the entire universe; actu-ally, our sun is chiey composed of helium and hydrogen gases. Most of our chemical fuels contain hydrogen in some form such as a hydrocarbon or various other hydrogen compounds. Hydrogen has a greater energy content per unit of weight than other fuels, but the en-ergy content per volume is much lower. Hydrogen is an energy carrier meaning it can move energy in an applicable form from one location to another and can store it as well. Hydrogen is only found on this planet in bound form and, therefore, must be extracted from other materials such as water, biomass or fossil fuels and can then be used for energy purposes. To reduce CO2 emissions, hydrogen must be extracted from renewable sources. Hydrogen fuel can be produced in sever-al ways, the most common being natural gas reforming, which is a thermal pro-cess, and electrolysis. Steam reforming involves using a high temperature reac-tion with a hydrocarbon fuel to create hydrogen. A hydrogen harvesting pro-cess that is completely devoid of CO2 emissions is electrolysis which involves using electrical current to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be stored, used or processed from there. Now that we know that we can harness the power of this abundant resource, it’s time to inte-grate it into our current energy portfolio to achieve a more sustainable future!Several professionals in the hydrogen eld give us a glimpse into the future by answering the question: In terms of the role hydrogen will play in the future as part of our energy supply, what is the most exciting innovation on the horizon?Brittany Westlake, PhD, senior technical leader for Hydrogen Electrolysis, Low-Carbon Resources Initiative. “I’m always looking for new technology applications to address our energy challenges, so as new hydrogen projects begin to scale dramatically, I am most excited to look ahead at what role electrolyzer systems could play as a exible resource on the future grid. In my role at EPRI, I am leading re-search and development activities related to electrolyzers as part of the Low-Car-bon Resources Initiative (LCRI), co-led by EPRI and GTI Energy. This work is aimed at gaining a better understanding of electrolyzer system exibility and the potential for them as assets on the grid. LCRI has a number of projects investi-gating aspects such as possible degrada-tion from increased system ramping in exible operation, system testing in exible operation scenarios to measure performance, and economic studies to quan-tify the tradeoffs in op-eration and decreased hydrogen production.As we look to the future, the demand and value for exibility will only increase, so capturing the capabilities of electrolyz-ers will be critical to building a future energy system that is resilient, reliable, equitable and affordable.”Dr. Naomi Boness, managing direc-tor for the Natural Gas Initiative and co-managing director for the Hydro-gen Initiative at Stanford University. “One of the most exciting innovations on the horizon is using hydrogen to provide seasonal reliability and climate resilience to the developing renewable Brittany WestlakeDr. Naomi BonessADVERTISE WITH US!Are you looking to expand your reach in the oil and gas marketplace? Do you have a product or service that would beneﬁt the industry? If so, we would like to speak with you!CALL US (800) 562-2340 EX. 1 We have a creative team that can design your ad! OilwomanMagazine.com/advertise • Advertising@OilmanMagazine.com

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13Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comHYDROGENelectric grid. Converting curtailed sum-mer renewable energy from electrons to hydrogen molecules through elec-trolysis could provide the much-needed solution for long-term carbon-free energy storage. Two innovations are really needed to make this happen and both are a focus of current research in the hydrogen community: 1) Development of a durable electrolyzer that can operate with high efciency and is composed of materi-als that are not prone to degradation under the imbalance pressure regimes associated with an intermittent power supply. 2) Once we have generated the Hydrogen from curtailed renewable energy, we will need to store it either in physical containers, pipelines, chemi-cal carriers or in underground storage caverns. Hydrogen is a small molecule, and it has a low density, so it is inher-ently difcult to transport and store. I think the work currently underway to assess the potential of depleted oil and gas elds for hydrogen storage could prove to be a game changer that enables widespread use of hydrogen for long-duration energy storage.”Kaila Nepheline Raybuck, director of industrials and energy at the Bea-con Group. “What do a rainbow and hydrogen have in common? Hydrogen is a colorless, invisible gas but comes in a spectrum of coded name colors – from green to pink. As climate change around the world intensies, the world is racing for new energy so-lutions. Green hydrogen can be produced with no harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by us-ing renewable energy.What if we could use curtailed renewable energy to create green hydrogen? Furthermore, what if we were able to use existing infrastructure such as natural gas pipeline networks to fuel our homes with hydrogen – right down to our boilers? New gas boilers placed on the European market could soon be required to operate with ‘at least 20 percent hydrogen’ under new EU standards. According to the Energy Net-works Association, the U.K.’s gas grid will be able to blend 20 percent hydro-gen into gas networks by 2023. Currently, SoCalGas, one of the largest gas utilities in the world that serves some 22 million people is developing what they say would be the U.S.’s largest green hydrogen energy infrastructure sys-tem. With the right strategic policy and technology, we may see hydrogen-ready boilers become a commercially available technology in the United States.”*Each of the experts quoted in this article is a member of Women in Green Hydrogen (WiGH). To learn more about the organization or to connect with any of the women in its crowd-sourced data-base of female experts working in the eld of green hydrogen, visit https://women-in-green-hydrogen.net. Shannon West gradu-ated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Psychol-ogy from Texas State University, where she de-veloped a knack for writing research papers and case study analyses. After years of helping friends edit their university papers and cover letters, she is now putting those skills to use by copy editing and writing here at OILWOMAN Magazine. In her spare time, West also handcrafts jewelry. Instagram @shannonmakesjewelry. CHAPTER ONE81.1. DIFFERENT SHADES OF HYDROGENHydrogen can be produced with multiple processes and energy sources; a colour code nomenclature is becoming commonly used to facilitate discussion (Figure1.2). But policy makers should design policy using an objective measure of impact based on life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially since there might be cases that do not fully fall under one colour (e.g. mixed hydrogen sources, electrolysis with grid electricity) (see Section2.3). Color ProcessSourceTURQUOISE GRE ENPyrolysis ElectrolysisGREYSMR or gasiﬁcationMethane or coal Methane BLUEHYDROGEN HYDROGENHYDROGEN HYDROGENSMR or gasiﬁcationwith carbon capture (85-95%) Methane or coalRenewableelectricity*FIGURE 1.2 Selected shades of hydrogenNote: SMR = steam methane reforming.* Turquoise hydrogen is an emerging decarbonisation option. Selected shades of hydrogen. Courtesy of IRENA.Kaila Nepheline Raybuck

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14Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comLEADERSHIP Are You an Innovator or Follower? By Liz ThompsonEveryone likes to consider them-selves innovators, or at least believe that innovation is happening in their domain. But innovation management is a process that requires leaders to commit deeply and believe that the risk is worth the reward.For many business leaders, regardless of the industry, it can be a struggle to embrace creativity and innovation and to commit the needed resources of time, funding and staff to develop new methods of doing business. For many, it is a conict to invest when there is not a clear, immediate or guaranteed nancial return on invest-ment. When it comes to innovation, the biggest return on investment can be the learnings and the mindset shift, not just the nancial gains. Leaders need to ask themselves a couple of questions… “Do I want to be an innovator or a follower?” There is no right answer as both leaders and followers are needed. But one thing to keep in mind is that innovation without failure is impossible. Thus, the next question emerges… “Which do I value more, taking reasonable risks and learning or being a main-stream adopter?” And again, there is no right answer. Seth Godin, author and former dot com executive, once said, “No orga-nization ever created an innovation. People innovate, not companies.” With that in mind, for those who genuinely want to be leaders of inno-vation, there are certain “must-haves” for any process. The most important “must-haves” are remembering that internal culture impacts success and support from the top down is abso-lutely integral.1) Real innovation moves the organization forward strategically. Designate ownership and account-ability to measure progress. These measurements will often look quite different from other success metrics, are often more opaque, and are not even immediately nancial. These non-nancial metrics sometimes make team members feel uncomfort-able, and that is okay. Ultimately, everyone involved in this process needs to be willing to hear truth and be committed to creating a culture that drives creativity.2) Innovation has a clear align-ment with organizational business strategy. Leadership and designated team members need dened problems to solve that align with the stated busi-ness strategies. There is no point in-novating a widget or process that does not move the organization forward. 3) Innovation requires a dened process and funding. Leadership should begin by carving out one full year of budget solely dedicated to in-novation and trying new things. These dedicated resources include funding, full-time employees, and support from a consultant, such as EPIcenter, to challenge leaders and drive the pro-cess. There must be buy-in by the team members with leaders committed to ongoing sightlines of the process. Photo courtesy of lpeshkov – www.123RF.com“No organization ever created an innovation. People innovate, not companies.” – Seth GodinContinued on next page...

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16Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.com4) The right team members need to be at the table to make decisions, evaluate innovations, and de-risk both the technology and the business models to make things happen. The team should include individuals who are adaptive and tenured, new and nimble, and a mix of subject matter expertise and enthusiasm.5) Innovation success requires the right mindset.a. Both the leadership and innova-tion team must have a mantra of “how can we” rather than “we can’t” or “we’ve never done it that way before” or “it failed before.” There must be a will and desire to work, innovate, fail, resolve and execute – or at least learn. b. Sometimes innovative solutions emerge by hap-penstance during the process without a known or stated problem. With proper training and a curious mindset anything is possible. With these requirements in mind, let’s go back to the initial questions asked of business leaders, but in reverse order this time… “What do you value more, taking reasonable risks and learning while meeting strategic goals or pure nancial gain?” “Are you okay with failure, adjustments and trying again?” “Are you an innovator or a fol-lower?” Again, there is no right or wrong answer; just know which you are. Otherwise, you are getting in the way.Liz Thompson serves as the chief of advisory services at EPIcenter. The nonprot organization propels energy innovation and thought for our global future with a think tank, incubator and accelerator, strategic partnerships, advisory engagement and critical conversations about energy. EPIcenter is focused on ways to make the production and consumption of energy smarter, cleaner, more resilient and more efcient. EPIcen-ter’s advisory services sync innovation goals and aspirations with everyday realities. LEADERSHIP Breaking the Gas Ceiling: Women in the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry by Rebecca Ponton | Foreword by Marie-José NadeauThe international petroleum industry has long been known the world over as a “good old boys' club” and nowhere is the oil and gas industry's gender imbalance more apparent than offshore. The untold story, shared in these pages, is about the women who have been among the rst to inhabit this world, and whose stories previously have been a missing part of the history of the industry.Available from www.breakingthegasceiling.com or on Amazon “As a CEO, I believe it is imperative for today’s generation of young women to realize there is a seat for them in the boards of oil & gas companies as the “gas ceiling” can be broken quicker and easier than before. Reading this book, they will think about these women who have gone before them and broken down those barriers in order to give them new opportunities.-- Maria Moræus Hanssen, CEO, DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG“My belief is that diversity is key to both creativity and solid long-term business results. Even in a country like Norway, where professional gender diversity is greater than in any other country I have had interactions with, we have an underrepresentation of women in top management positions. I would therefore like to express my appreciation to Rebecca Ponton for keeping this important subject on the agenda by presenting to us positive, impressive and, at the same time, obtainable role models.-- Grethe K. Moen, CEO & President, Petoro AS“Everyone needs role models – and role models that look like you are even better. For women, the oil and gas industry has historically been pretty thin on role models for young women to look up to. Rebecca Ponton has provided an outstanding compilation of role models for all women who aspire to success in one of the most important industries of modern times.-- Dave Payne, Chevron VP Drilling & Completions“Rebecca Ponton has captured the compelling stories of many women, both the early pathnders in the oil and gas industry and new entrants. Through these stories, it is very satisfying to now see that the industry has matured to be a place where anyone – man or woman – who commits themselves to high performance can succeed. No doubt we are all the beneciaries of these intrepid women who have dened themselves by their work ethic and commitment.-- Greta Lydecker, Managing Director, Chevron Upstream Europe

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18Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comTHIRD ACTForming a Women’s Network After Retirement: It’s Never Too Late By Lucinda JacksonAs the lone woman in a male-dominated industry in the 1970s, I’d look with twinges of jealousy at men with their networking of lunches, golf, shing trips and other “man-things” to which I wasn’t invited. When nally my company hired another woman, we couldn’t really be friends because if we sat next to each other at any meeting we’d get:“What are you two girls scheming about? You need to mingle!”As more women entered the business, one or two of us would occasionally get together for 10-minute power lunches, inhaling our food while running through a check-list with a thumbs up/thumbs down assessment: job, boss, husband, kids, life. I was impressed and inspired by the other women in the workplace. We’d all been pioneers in the energy and chemical businesses: the rst woman on the oil rig, the rst woman at the renery, the rst women to get an international assignment, and so on. But, so sadly, we didn’t have time to fully connect or sup-port each other.Though I wish I’d done it decades earlier, nally at retirement, I had my chance. I emailed all the women I knew at my com-pany, Chevron Corporation, who were retired or soon-to-be:“I am thinking about getting us together to share what we are doing now and brainstorm visions for the future. We are such a powerful group, I know we could get ideas and inspiration from each other.” I made it clear that it was not a competi-tion about who was having the best retire-ment; we didn’t have to do any of that anymore. This was about listening and getting ideas and nding commonalities. This was our time to be who we are. And so the Third Act Group was born. Our rst meeting was a pot-luck at my house. After that, we rotated meeting at each other’s houses. When the pandem-ic hit, Zoom kept us going.Forty members strong now, we’ve been together for over ve years. What We Talk AboutOf course, we share news on weddings and divorces, births and deaths, starting new careers and shutting down old ones, physical wins along with illnesses and dis-eases, moves to new homes and damages to old ones, successes and losses.But every meeting has a focus. We center on a topic query and each have ve min-utes to tell our story. Here are questions and answers from some of our discus-sions:What are you learning at this stage of life? Everything! How to relax, how to live with ourselves, how to deal with upsets, how to have fun.What is your biggest challenge or barrier now? Some of us say we don’t have as much control over what happens as we thought we would; this is a free-form stage of life Above: Greta Lydecker former Kenai Renery, Alaska, 2012. Left: Kit Armstrong during an oil spill drill in Valdez, Alaska, 1997. Lucinda Jackson Nigeria site assessment and mangrove restoration, 1998.

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19Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comTHIRD ACTand anything can hit us. Some have part-ners with a different vision or partners who don’t want to do anything. We are dealing with illness. There’s so much to do; others feel almost directionless. What new idea, friendship or connec-tion have you gotten from our Third Act Group? It ranges from a new gym to join, a new friend to contact, nancial guidance, ideas for a business, laughter and Span-ish lessons. We share ideas for books to read, hikes to try, places to explore – even different angles on how to view life and our intentions.From your experience, was/is Chevron a female-friendly company?This session turned into a letter to Chev-ron’s CEO and chief diversity ofcer about how we could aid in Chevron’s gender diversity efforts with our honest feedback, unhindered by fear of conse-quences. We all had fullling careers at Chevron and want the company to suc-ceed. We proposed independent diversity audit teams and diversity mentoring of younger male and female leaders to create a more inclusive culture. What is your vision for your retire-ment? What does a successful retirement look like to you? Several women remarked that a successful retirement was balancing achievement/goals/ambition versus relaxation/plea-sure. Others wanted a one, three or ve-year plan for an intentional retirement. Most agreed that success is an individual denition.How has the pandemic changed your Third Act and what are you doing about it?We leaned on each other during the pandemic. Many of us are Type A people looking for ideas of how to survive with-out travel, sports, friend get-togethers and business. Aspects that helped us through the pandemic include projects, Zoom, family, longer-term vision, positivity – and support from each other. What would your current self say to your former self at work? We invited women currently working at Chevron to attend one of our sessions. They had heard about our group and asked about coming to one of our meet-ings to learn from us – and suggested this topic. The key take-away was encour-agement to be braver, speak up more, empower yourself, and fuel the res of your ambition and condence. What is the one thing that has given you the most satisfaction so far in your Third Act? Or what have you discovered about yourself that then ties to the most satisfaction?AUTHOR, SPEAKER, CONSULTANTEmpowering Women in the Workplace and the Next ActLucinda Jackson, PhD scientist and global corporate executive, is the author of the memoir Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious about her struggles to succeed in male-dominated oil and gas and chemical organizations. Her story continues in her new book coming out April 2022: Project Escape: Lessons for an Unscripted Life about the complex transition from hard-hitting career to retirement. Jackson is the Founder of LJ Ventures, where she speaks and consults on energy and the environment and empowering women in the workplace and post-career. Connect with Jackson or nd her books at: www.lucindajackson.com Career-focused women don’t slide into retirement unscathed. Project Escape celebrates self-reection, re-discovery, adventure, acceptance and love. It is an exciting, evocative hope-lled journey not to be missed!”— Margaret Davis Ghielmetti, Author, Brave(ish)“ Lessons for an Unscripted LifeLUCINDA JACKSONContinued on next page...

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20Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comTHIRD ACTSometimes there is a tendency to want to share the laundry list of all the things we’ve been doing. But here our focus was on our most favorite part of this era that truly fullls us. Our discoveries include our yearnings and capacities for family, love, contribution, leadership and purpose. We cherish the time we have now to contemplate our core values, en-joy freedom from schedules, and indulge our curiosities. We can play. We can be a better friend. What have you NOT done that you’d like to do? Here we wanted to encourage each other to be brave. One woman wanted to be on a board but had not hit “send” – so we egged her on! Though we all had fullling careers, you might note that most of these topics are about the future. None of us are interest-ed in stagnating in our glory days. But we have tremendous respect for each other and what we accomplished in our careers. One thing you lose in retirement is that people you meet don’t know about your past. We knew each other “when” and saw each other as leaders, successful professionals, with much admiration. We all appreciate associat-ing with a group that knows what we’ve done but can now focus on what’s next.What We Get Out of ItI’ll let the members speak for them-selves: “The Third Act Group calls us into community with each other.”“You and the other Chevron women have been integral to this transition – thanks to your creative initiative – and have been fellow companions on this Third Act journey we are all on!”“I love everyone’s positive energy. It’s wonderful being surrounded by so many intelligent, caring, and curious women!”“I want to stay in commu-nication with these amazing women because I truly am inspired by all of you.”“I always come away encour-aged after spending time with this group.”“Several of you were men-tors and helped me be suc-cessful in my career. I could feel the support and care and love. I never felt hidden agendas or competition. I got honest feedback and constructive – not destructive – criticism. I had male mentors, as well, but the women mentors were easier to be completely honest and safer to be vul-nerable with.”“After these meetings, I feel very grounded after listen-ing to those who have hit a rough patch.”“I am so grateful to have worked in such a strong, supportive culture as Chevron. I worked in other companies prior to Chevron and they don’t begin to compare. What a wonderful experience then and now.”“What a powerful group of women. I haven’t felt support in that way profes-sionally for years. What radiated for me was the vast knowledge and expertise in that room. I feel that group could change the world.” We continue to be pioneers. Women like us are redening this age: We are going back to school, starting new roman-tic relationships, exploring creativity, developing encore careers, nding new spiritual paths (we have an ordained pastor among us), stretching ourselves physically (kudos to our open water swimmers!), ghting for causes, volun-teering time and money, dealing with older age of ourselves and our friends and partners. This is such an extraordinary mix of brave leaders; I hope we rally around each other for our Fourth Act, Fifth Act and more. The name of our net-work should really be Next Act rather than Third Act. We are just getting started. This group is about honoring who we were and cheering on who we are becoming. Lucinda Jackson is the author of the memoir Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious about her struggles to succeed in male-dominated work set-tings. As a Ph.D. scientist and global corporate executive, Jackson spent almost fty years in academia and For-tune 500 companies. She has published articles, book chapters and patents, and is featured on podcasts and radio. She lives near San Francisco and is the founder of Lucinda Jackson Ventures, where she speaks and consults on empowering women in the workplace. Connect with Jackson or nd her book at: lucindajackson.com. Nancy Wolff circa 1994. Janet Murphy on a jack-up rig (early ‘90s).Offshore Colombia Bev Zabel 2009.

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23Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comFEATUREIn searching for reasons to explain the low numbers of women in the energy industry (females make up 22 percent of the sector’s workforce), often an easy answer is tossed out – they’re risk averse. Certainly, the industry is inherently risky – economically, physically and even professionally. Of the many adjectives used to describe Vicki Hollub, CEO of Occidental Petroleum, who many would agree was the dealmaker of the year (if not the decade) in 2019 with her acqui-sition of Anadarko, “risk averse” was not one of them. Anyone who knows – or even knows of – Kathy Lehne (pronounced Laynee), the founder of Sun Coast Resources, Inc. in Houston, Texas, denitely would never accuse her of being risk averse. In fact, she has said herself that she is a risk taker, something she embraces in both her professional and personal life.Another rare female CEO in the oil and gas industry, Christina Sistrunk, who retired as CEO of Aera Energy in 2020, urges women to bet on themselves just as she did in her own long and success-ful career. While it’s unlikely Lehne is aware of Sistrunk’s advice, it’s certainly a philosophy she has embodied in busi-ness and life.In a story that has become part of oil and gas lore, Lehne, at the age of 23, took her $2,000 life savings and founded Sun Coast. This wasn’t some youthful, spur of the moment deci-sion; it was a calculated risk. Lehne had been working in the fuel distribution industry since her senior year of high school, thanks to her school’s innova-tive vocational program, which enabled students to attend classes half the day and work the other half. After gradua-tion, she continued with the company for the next ve years, learning the busi-ness from the ground up, starting with administrative duties and later moving to Houston and into marketing.In 1985, Lehne made the decision to enter what she once referred to as “the shark-infested waters” of wholesale fuel marketing and transportation at a time when there were only a few woman-owned wholesale petroleum marketers in Texas. (Thirty-seven years later, you would be hard pressed to nd many more than that and none with the stature and recognition of Sun Coast, which has grown into one of the largest woman-owned businesses in Texas – employing a eet of over 900 trucks, more than 1,000 people, and annual revenue in excess of $1 billion in 2021.)Seemingly destined to fail, as one news-paper article put it, Lehne acknowledges the market in the mid-1980s was sup-plied by second, third and fourth genera-tion fuel distributors, “who gave me very little chance of survival. This was a key motivating driver for me.” Being so eas-ily discounted by the industry gave her all the more determination to do what-ever was necessary – “legally and ethi-cally” – to lead Sun Coast into becoming an exceptional enterprise that businesses could rely on for their fuel needs, no matter what. That phrase would become something of a company mantra.“Fear of failure is always a motivat-ing factor in any endeavor. It certainly motivated me in the beginning,” Lehne admits. “After Sun Coast began to pick up steam, I felt my competition should begin to fear my competitive spirit and success in the eld of battle. I worked day and night for years to grow Sun Coast into what it is today,” Lehne says. “I hired the right people to help me.”Thirty-seven years later, that continues to be one of the pillars of her success. Kathy Lehne Holding the Winning Hand By Rebecca Ponton Continued on next page...

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“It is so important to have the right people in the right positions for the right reasons,” one of whom happens to be husband, Kyle Lehne, who has worked with her at Sun Coast for over a quarter century, as chief business development ofcer (CBDO).Unfortunately, doing everything right is no guarantee that factors outside of one’s control won’t cause things to go wrong – particularly in a cyclical industry like oil and gas – a lesson Lehne learned early on. Less than a year after she founded Sun Coast, crude oil prices col-lapsed from $28 a barrel in June 1985 to $10 in March 1986; fuel prices followed a corresponding decline.Lehne says that volatility taught her that Sun Coast needed to have contingency plans in place to deal with whatever market conditions came along. In order to succeed during times of extreme uctuation, she says she had to “right size” the company and do so quickly. Implementing that approach from the very beginning has enabled Sun Coast to thrive during what Lehne calls “every conceivable economic expansion and contraction” over the past 37 years. She credits Sun Coast’s team of profes-sionals with “amazing entrepreneurial spirit” and says they have shown the ca-pability to adapt quickly to ever-changing market environments and remain laser-focused on offering their loyal customers (currently numbering in the thousands) whatever they need in terms of quality products, unique exible programs and services, to keep them running at peak performance 24/7 – no matter what. That drive and determination to nd a solution to any problem manifest them-selves in Lehne’s willingness to take risks. “I have never been risk averse,” she says simply. “Every business endeavor or life challenge involves taking risks; some of which are greater than others. Heck, life is a risk.” Lehne believes risks are simply challenges that, if handled properly, will propel an ordinary operation into an ex-traordinary one. In her view, it’s all about the “extra.” Challenges require thought-ful solutions, which often lead to innova-tion, and that is what fuels the world’s economy. Research shows innovative companies that embrace change grow and prosper more than those that avoid taking risks. “Motivated professionals like to work for companies that thrive on turning what may be considered impossible into the possible and probable,” Lehne says. “That’s the environment I have fostered from the very beginning at Sun Coast. Thank goodness for the innovators and inventors who have propelled us from the stone ages to outer space!”Lehne describes herself as “always having had a positive mental attitude,” and surrounds herself with like-minded people, which is not just a personal 25Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comFEATURE“Every business endeavor or challenge involves taking risks. Heck, life is a risk.”Continued on next page...

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26Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comFEATUREchoice, but a business decision. She’s convinced, “Nothing will kill the en-trepreneurial spirit more quickly than those who are negative in the way they approach changes and challenges.” The ultimate job of every manager, she believes, should be to develop strategies that contribute to improving their area of responsibility, motivating their staff, and working well with other teams in their organization to successfully achieve accepted and understood goals and objectives. She also believes every task within any company should be mea-sured, and everyone in the rm should fully understand what is expected and how their performance will be evaluated. “Without a roadmap to determine ex-actly where a company is heading, how in the world would they ever know when they arrive?” she asks rhetorically. Judging by the accolades Sun Coast and Lehne personally continue to garner 37 years after the company’s founding, it is safe to say Lehne and Sun Coast have arrived. The fuel distributor also has earned a reputation for arriving on the scene where it is most needed in times of crises. Recognized as the “go to” company during natural disasters and unforeseen circumstances, it has re-sponded to over 75 named storms with fuel, equipment, manpower and supplies to rst responders, rescue and recovery units, state, local and federal agen-cies, and businesses of every type. In fact, during Hurricane Maria, a deadly Category 5 storm in 2017, Sun Coast dispatched nearly 100 trucks to Puerto Rico via military aircraft and vessels, providing fueling services for vehicles and generators throughout the island for nearly a year. During the record-setting hurricane season of 2020, Sun Coast responded with emergency fuel and related sup-plies to those impacted throughout twelve states, from South Texas to New Jersey. When COVID-19 struck, Sun Coast quickly pivoted to producing, aggregating and supplying hundreds of customers with hand sanitizer, face masks and shields, bleach, sanitation wipes and sprays, latex gloves, as well as a vast array of other related products and services to battle the pandemic. Employees worked around the clock to package and distribute those supplies throughout the nation. Winter storm Uri in February of 2021 affected all of Texas and severely tested its power grid, disrupting electricity and access to water in over four million households through-out Texas. The Arctic blast also impacted the fuel supply chain at petroleum termi-nals throughout the state, forcing eleven reneries to shut down for a period of time, taking nearly four million barrels per day of rening ca-pacity ofine. Moreover, crude produc-tion in America’s massive oileld in the Texas Permian Basin declined by over 50 percent. Sun Coast worked around the clock to source fuel and water sup-plies wherever available for customers trying to get up and running after the deep freeze. “Sun Coast’s Emergency Response Team sprang into action, like we have done during countless natural disas-ters,” Lehne says. “I am so proud of our dedicated professionals who time and again deliver fuel, lubricants, water, generator fueling services and so much more when these supplies are needed the most.”“At Sun Coast we never say ‘no’ to whatever our valued customers need, particularly during periods of peril. We will acquire or produce whatever is needed, no matter what.” That last phrase is more than just a favorite expression of Lehne’s; she exemplies it with ac-tion, as evidenced by this most recent crisis and particularly the 60 consecutive days she spent living and working in the ofce alongside her employees dur-ing the 2017 storm season. “When we say, ‘Sun Coast Delivers,’ we mean it,” Lehne states emphatically. As if guring out the logistics and sup-plying life-saving fuel during disaster re-lief efforts aren’t enough of an adrena-line rush, Lehne also has inltrated the world of high-stakes poker, yet another male-dominated arena. In 2015, she was the rst female player to compete in the inaugural Super High Roller Bowl in Las Vegas. Four years later, she scored a ca-reer best, nishing third at the Super High Roller Bowl Bahamas, taking home a stunning $1.785 million in prize money. Poker site, vip-grinders, wrote Lehne “stole the show by making history as the rst woman ever to reach a nal table and cash in a Super High Roller Bowl.” Just to reiterate, Lehne says, “I am and have always been a risk taker, and there certainly is a great deal of risk involved in running a multi-million-dollar enterprise. How-ever, the risks are motivating, challeng-ing and exciting. I get the same adrena-line rush when I play cards with other motivated players. Be it a friendly or high stakes game, I enjoy the challenge, competition, relaxation and excitement that are part of the gamesmanship and strategies necessary to win. These days I also like to relax with family and friends on our ranch in the country. My compa-ny, cards, travel, country life, family and friends – it doesn’t get better than that.”Lehne told Forbes in 2009, “I haven’t sold Sun Coast because I’m not com-pletely nished with what I want to do.” With Kyle’s and her three children now grown – daughters, Karly and Kelsy, are actively involved in the day-to-day operations at Sun Coast, and son, Kash, is currently attending Texas A&M Uni-versity – perhaps Lehne is strategizing her next move, which will involve taking a calculated risk and, when the time is right, passing the torch to the next generation.Reprinted and updated by permission. This interview originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of NAPE Magazine.

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28Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comOFFSHORERosie the Driller By Ally CedenoOn a drilling rig in the North Sea, Rosie Hutchins stood in the derrick, a tower-like framework that supports the hoisting equipment that raises and lowers drill pipe. Hutchins was strapped into a harness on a platform in the derrick called the monkey board, a small area used for the roughnecks to stand to trip pipe. As a newly appointed roughneck, Hutchins was tasked with placing stands of pipe to be made up and go down the hole.Seventy-ve feet below Hutchins on the rig oor, the drill crew waited for her to complete her task. She remem-bers thinking at the time that she did not want to let her crew down or – worse –drop the ninety-ve foot stand of pipe across the derrick. A native of Cork, Ireland, Hutchins pursued a bachelor’s degree at the University of Plymouth to study physical geog-raphy and geology, and graduated with honors. Her rst job offshore was as a mud logger, a junior geological po-sition at a service company. After a few hitches offshore, Hutchins wanted to pivot her career in a different direction: She wanted to work on the rig oor.Two years later, Hutchins landed a role with a major drilling contractor. She worked in an entry level position, called a roustabout, to pursue her dream of working up to a job on the rig oor.From the moment she stepped foot on a drilling rig, Hutchins found a satisfy-ing job that challenged her daily. She shares, “Of course every job has its ups and downs and this job is anything but easy; however, it is varied and interest-ing, sometimes challenging and often rewarding.”She also credits her crew for making it a welcoming environment. “When you are on a good crew, as I am lucky enough to have been, there is an im-mense sense of camara-derie,” says Hutchins with pride.Back on the monkey board with a pipe in hand, Hutchins felt terri-ed, yet ready to achieve her task. She threw the stand into its place and felt an overwhelming sense of achievement; this new roughneck had aced her task.Working as a roughneck and accom-plishing jobs, such as tripping pipe on the monkey board, Hutchins gained a new level of condence to maintain a long-term career offshore. In total, she has worked nine years offshore, mak-ing her way to the position of assistant driller with the company.As an assistant driller, Hutchins cur-rently has a wide range of responsibili-ties. These range from supervising the daily drilling activities, operating rig oor equipment and performing down-hole or well control calculations, to organizing the people and equipment needed for upcoming operations.Very few women work offshore and, of those, not many have held the role of assistant driller in the offshore energy industry. It was reported in 2017 that just 1,681 women traveled offshore in the North Sea, representing over three percent of the workforce. However, Hutchins has hope that this is changing. Throughout her career, she has seen an increasing number of women work-ing offshore. “I have noticed a steady increase in the number of women offshore generally over the last 10 years and particularly in roles which would have previously been perceived as more male dominated.”Hutchins believes that more women can pursue jobs offshore and does not want a woman to shy away from the challenge. She wants any woman considering the industry to know, “It is a rewarding and brilliant place to work and no one should feel like they aren’t able to pursue it!”Reprinted with permission from the author. This article originally appeared in the November 11, 2019, issue of Women Offshore.Photo courtesy of Marc Morrison – www.marcmorrison.com

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29Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comOFFSHOREAlly Cedeno is the founder and president of the Women Offshore Foundation, a 2008 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and a 2020 graduate of Rice Uni-versity’s Jones Graduate School of Business with a Master of Business Administration (MBA). She is licensed as a chief mate of unlimited tonnage vessels and has worked as a senior dynamic positioning operator. Cedeno’s experience on the water spans both the maritime and offshore energy industries over the last 13 years. At Transocean, she aspires to be in vessel management and is training as an assistant driller on a 7th-generation, ultra-deepwater drillship built in South Korea in 2016. Cedeno spent much of her career at sea as one of the only women in operations on the vessels she worked on, yet she is de-termined to change that with the Women Offshore Foun-dation, an online organization and resource center for a diverse workforce on the water. The organization’s mission is to propel women into meaningful careers through access to a worldwide community and professional development resources, while raising awareness among industry leaders and decision makers about issues affecting women on the water. www.womenoffshore.org Oilwoman Cartoon

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30Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comAI/ROBOTICS Artificial Intelligence: Optimizing the Future of Energy and Industry By Shirley IkeArticial intelligence (AI) is impacting the future of virtually every industry and every human being. Everywhere you look, AI and robotics are being used in the real world, from robot vacuums in our homes to self-driving cars and appointment bookings, even enabling us to plan ahead for global events like the possibility of another pandemic. Working in AI, I am at the forefront of transforming complex and dynamic data into actionable intelligence, by combining domain knowledge with digital technologies. I nd it fascinating, because when you pull it back to the basics, we are part of a growing trend allowing computers to become smarter, enabling them to carry out functions that humans currently can do much better. While AI is not new, advanced machine learning techniques are revo-lutionizing the concept – not as some would have it to replace human intelli-gence, but rather to bring analytical ca-pabilities to multiple large and disparate datasets on a near real-time basis.I began my career in the United Kingdom, graduating from Imperial College London with a master’s degree in chemical engineering. Following this, I began working as a ow assurance consultant with Wood PLC and moved through more senior consultant roles before relocating stateside to Houston, Texas. Following my relocation, I established myself within our U.S. team as a lead consultant and was then promoted to business manager for Wood’s Energy and Flow Assurance group. Here, I made it my mission to drive home the importance and acceptance of data analysis and machine learning tech-niques to provide insights in numerous industries, including oil and gas, which brought on my promotion to opera-tions manager for the Digital Trans-formation and Innovation group, in addition to my prior role. This unique position allows me to oversee two disciplines, both Digital Transformation and Innovation as well as Energy and Flow Assurance within Deriving Value from Difference panel at the SSTB conference (Feb. 2020). Panel seated from L to R: Barbara Stewart, Courtney Battle, Amol Bakshi, Shirley Ike and Nikhil Shahane.

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31Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comDEVELOPING WOMEN LEADERS OF TOMORROWImagine what would be possible if early in their career, women had access to the coaching and tools that are typically available to only senior executives? And at a fraction of the cost?Pinkcareers offers research-based, experiential learning solutions so organizations can develop and retain exceptional female leaders. Ready to take your team to the next level? Get in touch. richa@pinkcareers.com @pinkcareers_ www.pinkcareers.comAI/ROBOTICS Wood’s Americas Operations. It is an exciting time to be on Wood’s Applied Intelligence team. I am able to leverage both our industry leading engineering expertise and digital technologies to solve challenges facing the oil and gas industry, like operability, reliability and maintainability. In addition to this, I ensure Wood’s domain knowledge and expertise are also being extended to other industries through our projects and clients, including manufacturing, chemical companies, mining projects and more. AI technology is shaping up to be the next major source of economic growth, predicted to add an estimated $15.7 trillion to the global GDP due to AI-driven business practices. In my work, I get to witness how AI and machine learning are advancing the ways in which we operate, specically within monitoring and inspections. For example, 3D models are enabling better project visualization to help our clients with planning, integrity and op-erator training. With the use of digital technologies, pipes can be virtually laid so we can determine more accurate lengths and orientations of piping for new tie-ins. Alternatively, the use of 3D imaging and scans of subsea equipment using advanced robotics allows for integrity assessments, which assist calculations regarding how much a pipe has moved or, as we refer to it in the industry, how much a pipe is “walking.” We even hold operator training using 3D models and advanced visualization technologies (VR, AR, MR and XR). These “gamied” environments allow important and advanced training where individuals can perform virtual walk-throughs of the asset and practice performing simple tasks prior to eld deployment, giving them rst-class training, as well as providing an ad-equate experience to ensure efciency and utmost safety once on site.AI and machine learning models are also being used to optimize processes and equipment on site, reducing GHG emissions and the overall carbon footprint of many of our projects. Tracking these emissions is an excellent starting point, currently allowing com-panies to identify emission sources, as well as problem areas. Often, we nd that even a simple change in operating conditions can result in more favorable operations overall – effective solutions which we might struggle to pinpoint without AI.At Wood, we are actively working with renewable energy clients and compa-nies focused on the energy transition Continued on next page...

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32Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comAI/ROBOTICS to optimize their energy generation projects, like those at wind and solar farms. On wind farms, the use of AI is being explored to control aspects like the operating parameters of individual turbines, and on solar farms AI can be used to analyze generation and con-sumption of energy on site.Using historical data, or even simula-tions of processes to capture outliers, allows us to become better prepared for the challenges we are facing in the en-ergy transition. With this insight, we can more quickly analyze and respond to project behavior as well as ensure that we are future-ready, enabling industry to achieve desired outcomes under an array of varying conditions. Demand for this type of insight as well as automation, across industries, is growing exponentially. It seems that most businesses are now realizing the value of AI and robotics and are actively pushing full steam ahead to implement this digital technology into their daily operations, bringing opera-tions across the globe into the future and making the energy market, speci-cally, easier to analyze and respond to. Not only are advanced technologies like AI ensuring that we are prepared to tackle the future, but they are also driving efciency in the work we do, allowing us to see minimum savings of around $1 million per year on individual projects, as we deliver resilient solutions for a sustainable future. This alone is allowing us to unlock funds, previously used elsewhere, to confront the chal-lenges we face around the energy transi-tion and tackling climate change. The digital and automated solutions that we currently have at our ngertips are enabling companies across the globe to improve performance and agility while driving efciencies at every level of their organizations, transforming operations with tailored and strate-gic guidance that delivers measurable business value, at faster speeds than ever before. These robust, automated and cloud-based solutions that we are implementing each day not only opti-mize our projects and progress toward a cleaner future, but they are keeping employees safe, reducing and managing multiple risks, like cybersecurity, health and safety, and regulatory compliance. These t-for-purpose uses help bridge a gap to support remote operations and workers while ensuring reputational management for businesses.It is an exciting time to be a part of the industry. Digital technology is adapting quickly to tackle our biggest challenges and ensure that businesses are future-ready and resilient as we focus on a more sustainable future for all.Shirley Ike oversees both digital transforma-tion and innovation as well as energy and ow assurance within Wood’s Americas Operations. In her role as business/operations manager within the ap-plied intelligence team at Wood, she leverages industry leading engineer-ing expertise and digital technologies to unlock client challenges across energy and industry. Shirley Ike | LinkedIn ADVERTISE WITH US!Are you looking to expand your reach in the oil and gas marketplace? Do you have a product or service that would beneﬁt the industry? If so, we would like to speak with you!CALL US (800) 562-2340 EX. 1 We have a creative team that can design your ad! OilwomanMagazine.com/advertise • Advertising@OilmanMagazine.comL to R: Coauthors Chris Mcdermott (bp), Shirley Ike (Wood Plc), and Martin Braniff (Wood Plc), accepting the award for the ASME Arthur Lubinski Best ASME Paper at OTC 2016.

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34Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comTRANSFORMATIONTransformative Shifts in the Oil and Gas Industry By Kendra LeeOver the last two years, traditional context for decision-making has fundamentally changed, and business leaders worldwide have been thrust into a historic intersection – adapt or forfeit. The oil and gas industry, in particular, is facing challenges and uncertainties that demand immediate proactive and reactive decision-making. Oil and gas majors on both sides of the Atlantic held annual shareholder meetings at a time when they were under immense pressure to set short, medium and long-term climate targets consistent with the Paris Agreement. Oil and gas is an industry historically reluctant to change, yet one in most need of restructuring for three key reasons: The Great Crew Change, which is the mass of geophysicists and engineers that are aging out and retiring; technical advancements like articial intelligence; and evolving business drivers such as increasingly inhospitable political and geographi-cal environments. Failure to adapt quickly to these changes can result in severe repercussions to the environ-ment and the health and safety of employees. The Great Crew ChangeAn estimated 50 to 71 percent of the oil and gas workforce is 50 years old or older and have retired or will retire in the next few years. They’ll take with them an extensive array of skills and experience. The COVID-19 pandemic made it worse. In the United States alone, the industry has lost 107,000 jobs since 2020, most of which may take years to return. The industry is turning to millennials, which account for over a third of the U.S. labor force; however, that genera-tion has an overwhelmingly negative opinion of the oil and gas industry and doesn’t see a future there. This demographic seeks far more than a healthy paycheck. They want their work to positively impact society, so they set their sights on companies that prioritize the environment, diver-sity and equality, and corporate social responsibility – big asks for the oil and gas industry. But it can be done. Financial and health wellness benets are high on millennials’ lists of must-haves. Student loan assistance, 401(k) contributions and wellness programs are high on their lists, as are nancial education programs and job training for professional development. They like to see opportunities for advance-ment – a clear career path. It may seem over the top but it is important to adopt benets – such as employee concierge services that include run-ning errands, travel planning, shop-ping and auto services – that affect work-life balance, decrease stress and burnout, and improve overall well-ness. Millennials are also attracted to companies with an exemplary corpo-rate culture built on empathy, diver-sity and social responsibility. Photo courtesy of ilianamihaleva – www.123RF.comContinued on next page...

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36Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comTRANSFORMATIONTechnical AdvancementsThe Great Crew Change has been a demographic time bomb driving the adoption of new technologies, includ-ing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), augmented reality (AR), arti-cial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, among others. New technologies have become key strategic enablers of competitive advantage, and progres-sive, tech-driven millennials love to get their heads and hands on them. Millennials also communicate differ-ently than other generations. They prefer to use social networks, instant messaging, blogs and wikis – all the technologies and platforms they cut their teeth on growing up.Adopting new technologies means CIOs have become responsible for capturing value from technologies, which may require upskilling and reskilling employees and making a change in operating model. There are three smart tactics that can make the transition run more smoothly: 1) create an ambassador program; 2) engage employees in the decision-making process; and 3) make it fun.Ambassador programs are powerful internal marketing programs run by engaged and enthusiastic employees. They are the inuencers sitting at the elbow of the executive team that carry the brand message or corporate vision for other employees. They are also instrumental in encouraging em-ployee involvement in decision-mak-ing. Although the nal decisions are made on the executive level, it builds trust and frees the executive team to focus on other areas of the company. Evolving Business Drivers For various reasons, oil and gas well permits have uctuated wildly over the last year and will continue to do so. President Biden’s pledge to con-front climate change put a damper on the industry, but sanctions on Russia in the face of the Ukrainian conict have the industry being pushed to in-crease drilling amid surging gas prices. Industry executives are pressed to nd new ways to adapt. It would be prudent to evaluate risk and resilience to determine what is working well and what actions can be taken to correct any failures. It’s helpful that the port-folio of products is relatively small, with very few new product introduc-tions. It makes facing turbulence a bit easier to manage. In taking into consideration the needs and safety of employees, executives can adjust operations and models to satisfy market conditions with an end goal of maintaining stability and growth. Making the ChangesThere are no silver bullets for ad-dressing these three very diverse industry transformations. Still, maintaining an innovative and agile mindset leads the company away from traditional, bureaucratic leader-ship and places emphasis on learning cycles, improvement and customer or end-user value. Despite the challenging conditions over the last two years and any po-tential challenges in the future, the oil and gas industry is resilient. Whether the lead-up to change is subtle – changes in technology, the rise of new competitors, a shift in laws or regulations, chemicals, process equip-ment or underlying economic trends – or a raging pandemic, the oil and gas industry will evolve and amend. When the new era of oil and gas pulls back the curtain of change, it will reveal a laser focus on optimiz-ing businesses and executing projects. The industry is undergoing signicant shifts and embracing change, and managing it well ensures organiza-tional dexterity. Organizations with a culture built to expect the unexpected can weather most any event – even extraordinary situations like a global pandemic, a sluggish supply chain or a net zero mandate.Kendra Lee has served as chairman of the board for Merichem Company since 2012 and CEO since 2014. She has worked for Merichem Company for over 25 years, be-ginning her career in the research laboratories. Lee continued her progression in Merichem Company in chemical sales management and the corporate functions of treasur-er and corporate secretary before being appointed to serve on the board of directors of Merichem Company on April 29, 2010. Lee received her Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University and her Master of Business Admin-istration (MBA) from the University of Houston. Photo courtesy of ilianamihaleva – www.123RF.com

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38Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.com38Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.com38Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comOFFSHORE UKA (North) Sea Change in Leadership By Rebecca PontonEarly 2022 brought a name change; the start of 2023 will bring a leadership change. After helming Offshore Ener-gies UK (OEUK), formerly Oil & Gas UK, for the past seven years, Deirdre Michie OBE announced in early July that she will be stepping down from her role as CEO at the end of the year and the recruit-ment process has begun to have her successor in place at the start of the new year. Michie’s name is synonymous with the energy industry specically in the UK, but also worldwide. She joined the industry in 1986 with an LLB in Scots Law from the University of Dundee in Scotland. Despite the fact that the industry was in a downturn, Shell was still taking on graduates because it recognized if it didn’t, it would open up a generation gap in its workforce – something that is of real concern again today.Here are some highlights from my interview with Michie that have been excerpted from my book, Breaking the GAS Ceiling: Women in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry (Modern History Press; May 2019). At the end of 2011, [after taking a sabbatical to be with her two sons before they left for university], Michie went back to a “fabulous global role,” [at Shell] as general man-ager strategic sourcing based out of Aberdeen, and trav-eled regularly to meet with her international team and its suppliers. She remained in that position until 2014 when she led the reorganization of a multidisciplinary team to develop and deliver a revised sustainable operating model for Shell’s UK upstream operations. She concluded her extensive career with Shell upon being appointed the rst woman CEO of Oil & Gas UK, the highly inuential 430-plus member trade organization widely recognized as the voice of the offshore oil and gas industry. While the job doesn’t require her to go offshore, Michie thinks it is important to be up to date in at least the mini-mum training to ensure a good understanding of what is required for personnel working offshore. “I do think to be credible in this job I need to under-stand what the requirements are. It is an extraordinary thing to go offshore and to be going along in the heli-copter and suddenly these installations appear out of nowhere. The experience is amazing, and I think the shame is we can’t get everybody to go and see it and touch it and feel it. A big challenge for our industry is that it is offshore and people can’t see and appreciate the technology, the engi-neering, and the skills of the offshore workforce and its commitment to the industry. It’s a challenge for us to get people to appreciate what is out there and what it’s doing for all of us in terms of keeping the lights on and con-tributing to the UK economy through supporting thousands of skilled jobs and attracting investment.” Michie says one of [her] goals has been to review Oil & Gas UK’s role, its mis-sion and its objectives. “I want to make sure this team continues to be a leading voice, and a very effective one for this sector, recognizing the changes that are taking place around it. That’s what we’ve been working on as a team so that, as the industry continues to change, continues to face challenges, we have an organization that understands that, is very responsive to its member-ship and its needs, whether it’s the oil volatility or the move to a lower carbon future. So, in summary, that as an organization we are robust, sustainable, and people want to work with us and for us.”Michie is condent that there is still a great future for the industry and those that work in it, if there is a focus on where we want to be in the decades ahead, and on work-ing cooperatively to get there. “I think it was this longer term perspective that got me the job rather than the fact that I am a woman. It’s about who I am, not what I am.”After such a long and illustrious career, it’s hard to imag-ine that Michie will not stay involved with the energy industry in some capacity. Hopefully, we will ring in the new year with some news about Michie’s next act. “I think it was this longer term perspective that got me the job rather than the fact that I am a woman. It’s about who I am, not what I am.”Deirdre Michie OBE. Photo courtesy of OEUK.

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40Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comBOOKSHELFAnomalies: Pioneering Women in Petroleum Geology 1917 – 2017 By Robbie Rice GriesAnomalyanom·a·ly | \ ə-ˈnä-mə-lē \plural anomaliesDenition: A departure from the expected or normal; a geologic feature that is dif-ferent from the general surrounding and is often of potential economic value. The First Woman to Become Geology Manager: Dollie Radler Hall (1897-1995)Dollie was not only the rst female geologist manager in the oil business, she was also the rst to hit the “glass ceiling.” After [Powers’ death in 1932 she was promoted to] “Acting Chief Geologist” for ve years, but Amerada still refused to make the position permanent and, instead, brought her protégé and close friend, Rodger Denison, to Tulsa over her head as “Chief Geologist.” Their roles were now reversed with him as her boss. She had always been supportive of Rodger, as can be judged from remarks made in one of her letters to him in 1928 while she was his boss: “You have received your check before now and I am sure you have survived the shock [he received a raise]. No, the ‘Powers that Be’ did not see t to increase my check, but that is just another of the penalties I pay for being a woman in a man’s profes-sion. That, however, does not lessen my pride and joy in your achievements. I always have the satisfaction of know-ing that I have already accomplished more than my wildest dreams when I started on my geologic career, and that I have also accomplished as much as any woman in the same kind of work. So, this isn’t such a bad world after all.” Roxana Hires Women in Petroleum Geology: Helen Jeanne Skewes (1891-1951)Dick Conkling was part of the group of 50 geologists who met in Tulsa in Febru-ary 1917 and founded the Southwest Association of Geologists (soon to be renamed the American Association of Petroleum Geologists). Two months after this meeting in April 1917, Dick hired Helen Jeanne Skewes to be an assistant to him [at Roxana Petroleum Company, the creation of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group] as an “ofce” geologist in the subsurface department. Thus, Helen Skewes would make history as the rst female geologist hired as an employee (not consultant) geologist in the petroleum industry. [Au-thor’s note: Dick was ultimately responsi-ble for hiring or getting about 20 women hired in Oklahoma and the Rockies].In February 1918, Dick hired Roxana’s second female geologist, Margaret Campbell from the University of Chi-cago. In May, two more women, Esther Franz and Mary Emily Wright, were hired from the University of Chicago. The following month, Dick branched out of the Chicago system and hired Fredrica Probst (the sister of Karl Probst, a Roxana engineer) from the University of Wisconsin.Dick’s wife, Winnie Conklin, unemploy-able because, like most companies at the time, Roxana did not employ married women, possibly was frustrated by her sideline role. However, she was present on most business trips in geology eld trips discussed in Roxoleum [the company news magazine]... She was reported to be learning drafting skills in the drafting department, and she spent time in the Texas division ofce doing quadrangle mapping, where she was pronounced “quite a draftsman” (Roxoleum, April 1919, p. 16), but she was never on the payroll. The First Oil and Gas Biostratig-rapher and a War Heroine: Julia Anna Gardner (1882-1960)Julia Anna Gardner was a remarkable woman, not only for being an avid scientist, doing geologic eld work on her own along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, Texas interior, and in Mexico, but also for actively participating in WWI and WWII. Her AAPG memorial by U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) colleague, A. Nelson Sayre, describes her contribu-tions to be of “inestimable value to all geologists interested in the development of the mineral and human resources of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains; a host of friends and admirers from all walks of life; and an example of perse-verance and courage, tempered by kindli-ness, that is rarely equaled (Sayre, 1961).”

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41Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comBOOKSHELFSayre (p. 1420) continues discussing Julia’s geologic career history: “Miss Gardner, after her return to the States [in 1919 after being injured in the line of duty], joined the U.S. Geological Survey and resumed her studies of the Coastal Plain … all of her work concerned with the Tertiary beds …[mapping from the east coast, around Florida, throughout the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and into Mexico.]...“In the eld, she usually traveled alone. If there were no hotel accommodations she stayed at the nearest farmhouse and, more than once, when she was out in the boondocks at nightfall, she slept in her car which she drove with more daring than skill, although she always seemed to get through. She seemed to be almost without the sense of fear.” Excerpted by permission from the author. Anomalies: Pioneering Women in Petroleum Geology 1917 – 2017 (JeWel Publish-ing, LLC) by Robbie Rice Gries. Editor’s note (my review on Amazon): There is a fascinating backstory to this book. The author, Robbie Gries, discovered the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ (AAPG) old membership cards had been stored in the organiza-tion’s basement and, miraculously, no one had ever thrown them away. In going through them, she realized that women had been members of AAPG dating back to 1919 and a part of the industry even longer than that. It was a revelation not only to Gries, who was AAPG’s rst female president in 2001, but to other members as well. This book is the result of her meticulous and painstaking research (although she is quick to credit the help she received from other AAPG members) and per-sonal interviews (when possible), and is a treasure trove of historical informa-tion that should be part of the curricu-lum in every high school and college geology class. It’s also of interest to anyone who enjoys reading stories of women who have broken the glass ceil-ing and succeeded in male-dominated industries. Thanks to Gries for preserv-ing this piece of history!Robbie Gries was the rst woman to graduate from Colorado State University with a degree in geology and later became the AAPG’s rst female president in 2001. In 2012, she was the rst woman to be awarded the Michel Halbouty Award for Outstanding Leadership. Gries is the author of Anomalies: Pioneering Women in Petroleum Geology 1917 – 2017. With a career spanning almost 50 years in the oil and gas industry as a petroleum geologist, she worked for large and small companies, before forming her own company, and is president of Priority Oil & Gas, LLC. Originally from Texas, Gries now resides in Colorado.

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42Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comAAPGNew Era For AAPG As Executive Committee Has Potential To Achieve Equal Representation By Rebecca Ponton“I was honored to represent women in that breakthrough,” Robbie Gries says of being named the rst woman president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) in 2001, eighty-four years after the found-ing of the organization. Since then, two other women – Randi Martinsen and Denise Cox – have served as president but, as the position carries only a one-year term, so have 16 men. In the 2020 election, both candidates for president-elect – Gretchen Gillis and Susan Morrice – are women. While that’s not a rst, if all the women running win their ofces, the executive committee potentially could see equal representation with four men and four women holding ofce, which could have a profound impact on the future of the organization. In contrast, the current eight-member executive committee has one female of-cer, Secretary Stephanie Nwoko, whose two-year term runs through 2021.Gries credits past president Jack Parker (1983-84) with “starting a revolution. He saw the future and decided to make a change.” Noticing there were no women in positions of leadership, no female committee chairs, and few female award winners, Parker issued an “executive order” to have a woman on each com-mittee and, by the late ‘80s, early ‘90s, Gries says 25 percent of the AAPG committees were chaired by women and the path was paved for several hundred to receive awards since then.In 1994, Gries was asked to chair the in-ternational convention, which ultimately led to her becoming president. She calls the timing “serendipitous,” as AAPG had just expanded to six international regions. During her tenure, she chose to visit all six, something she calls “an excep-tional [experience]. We introduced the world to the fact that AAPG had female leadership.”Gries says AAPG’s Visiting Geoscientists, who come from different countries and cultures, and represent the diversity found globally within AAPG, and who travel the world talking to students, are the “best representation of who [we] are.”The 2017 book Anomalies – Pioneering Women in Petroleum Geology: 1917-2017 is Gries’ legacy. When she initially pro-posed celebrating the rst 100 women in AAPG to the afnity group, then called Prowess (now AAPG Women’s Network – AAPGWN), she said none of them had any idea how long women had be-longed to the organization. “We thought maybe since the ‘50s,” and calls it a “miracle” that AAPG had not thrown away the old membership les, which were gathering dust in the basement. “We were shocked to realize that the rst women joined in 1919,” but in her research Gries discovered women had entered the business even before then. “That treasure of old membership cards was illuminating. No one – men or women – knew women were going out on the rigs in the ‘20s and ‘30s. No clue at all.”“I never imagined [living in] Laramie, Wyoming, that I would be elected AAPG’s president,” Randi Martinsen says of becoming the second woman to hold that ofce 12 years after Robbie Gries made history. Her rst boss may have set a precedent when he put ap-plications to several professional organi-zations on her desk with the expectation that she would join them. “When I joined AAPG, it was the essen-tial source for science and geoscience. Part of being a professional is belonging to professional societies,” she says, call-ing the network she formed “incredibly benecial.” “I don’t know that you can form the bonds remotely that you can form in person working together in groups.”Above: Denise Cox, then AAPG president-elect 2017, at the Rock Star exhibit, exuberantly celebrates 100 of her female predecessors in the geosciences. Left: Breaking 84 years of tradition, Robbie Gries made history as AAPG’s rst female president (2001-2002).Continued on next page...

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44Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comAAPG“I left industry when it was booming in the late ‘70s because I got married and my husband was a professor at the University of Wyoming. I thought I was putting my career on the back burner. I gave it ve years and, if I wasn’t profes-sionally satised, we’d have to come to another arrangement.” Once there, the university asked Martinsen to teach. She was still consulting as a geologist, but when the mid-80s downturn hit, the university asked her to take on more responsibility.“Rather than diminishing my career, teaching was a different path. I never expected that I would end up teaching at a university and have a long career there – or be elected AAPG president from Wyoming.”“That was one of my messages as President: Don’t be afraid to take a new or different path because you never know where it will lead you.”Three years after Martinsen’s tenure, Denise Cox be-came AAPG’s third female president (2018-19). “What’s really important to me,” she says now, “is the energy transi-tion and the role of petroleum – we’re at a tipping point – and how we’re going to embrace the future of energy. How can we work as an industry, as individuals, and as a diverse group of geoscientists to come up with the best sustainable energy solutions?”In a quest to nd answers, Cox used her time as president to visit 24 countries, 28 universities, speak at 18 professional society conferences or meetings and ve Student and Young Professional leadership events, which she says, “Al-lowed me to connect with AAPG’s global membership and communicate the importance of geoscience in sus-tainable energy development.” Cox, who is passionate about inspiring the current generation says, “I connect myself to young professionals to keep my mind open and forward-looking.” She [has read] the book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant, which posits that it is not neces-sarily a person’s immediate family that has the most inuence on their career, but their rst role model or coach. She recalls a lecture when she was a student at Binghamton University by AAPG Visiting Geoscientist, Susan Landon. “I saw in her what I could achieve [and] I knew I would be a petroleum geologist.”“When you tell a young person, ‘I see the greatness in you; I see the potential you have,’ it sets in their DNA. Many young people that I [encountered] last year have since contacted me and said, ‘I met you and you believed in me.’ Those words get me out of bed every day because if I can keep motivating this next generation, they will break out and come up with the solutions we need to make the world a bet-ter place.”Later in her own career, there would be three women who left a lasting impression on her. Rice Univer-sity professor Martha Lou Broussard, the rst woman to receive a degree from that school’s Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences department, was her rst example of a woman who faced conscious and unconscious bias as a leader. “She was the Vice President of the AAPG Executive Committee and I was terried of her,” Cox says laugh-ing, “because she had accomplished so much and was breaking barriers.”Pinar Yilmaz, geoscience advisor at ExxonMobil, was “instrumental” in helping Cox develop a global network as a committee chair. Later, when Cox became president-elect, Yilmaz was an executive resource with her under-standing of global business and cultural protocols. Cox recalls then-AAPG President Rob-bie Gries acknowledging her success in updating a longstanding committee to one having global representation including race, gender, and age diversity. The year she stood for president-elect was the same year she helped Gries edit her book Anomalies and she “grew to know and respect the women in geosci-ence who opened doors and paved the way for [women’s] leadership today.” While she was AAPG’s third female president, in celebrating 100 women in geoscience, Cox says she feels like she was the 103rd. “They’re supporting me. It is a karma debt. It’s a commitment for me now to motivate more women to stand for leadership.”Whatever the outcome of the elec-tion, with two female candidates for president-elect, AAPG will have its fourth female president in 2021 – 104 years after its founding – and its104th woman of inuence in geoscience, as Cox would say.Excerpted by permission from the author. This article originally appeared on Forbes.com on May 20, 2020, and has been lightly edited. Editor’s note: Gretchen Gillis has just concluded her term as president of AAPG 2021-2022. For more informa-tion, go to www.aapg.org. Randi Martinsen, AAPG’s second female president (2014-15), in the Valley of Fire, Nevada (circa 1973). Outgoing AAPG president Gretchen Gillis at the 2018 Aramco Bedouin Festival.

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46Oilwoman Magazine / July-August 2022 / OilwomanMagazine.comUKRAINE Female Ukrainian Geoscientist Refugee Funds By Robbie GriesRobbie (Ruth Roberta) Gries is organizing this fundraiser.Many Ukrainian female geolo-gists have escaped the violence in Ukraine to nearby Poland and other countries, some with children, parents and siblings. Most have left their spouses, brothers, fathers and other male friends behind ghting the Russian invasion. All are needing support to sustain them as they look for work, housing, schools, medical help, etc. Some are trying to send medical equipment, clothes, equipment, etc. to their men left behind. Proceeds from this GoFundMe will go directly to the women identied as geologist refugees in Poland, to begin with, and others as they are identied. At this time, ten women have been identied with these needs. Polish geoscientist, Dr. Piotr Krzywiec, with the Institute of Geological Sciences in Warsaw, is on the ground identifying and coordinating contact with these refugees. Ms. Robbie Gries is in Denver, Colorado, and will coordinate the transfer of funding to these geologists/geoscientists. Gries is a former president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and visited Ukraine and Poland during her presidential term. Past presidents, Randi Martinsen and Denise Cox, are also strongly and nancially supporting this effort as well as current president, Gretchen Gillis.For more information, go to: www.gofundme.com/f/female-ukrainian-geoscientist-refugee-funds.

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