AWE’s newest boardmember is the Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy for LCRA, Kristen Senechal. Widely regarded as an expert in strategic planning, Kristen brings a wealth of leadership experience to the AWE board. Prior to joining LCRA, Kristen led the strategic planning process for CenterPoint energy as their Director of Strategic Planning. Before she turned her attention to the energy industry, Kristen spent 10 years conducting cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center. She holds a doctorate in molecular biology as well as a Master’s of Business Administration. AWE is fortunate to have an executive of her stature on our board.
In 2014, Becky Motal was elected as the Association of Women in Energy's President and Chair of the Board.
Prior to being elected AWE's President, Ms. Motal was LCRA's first female general manager in Lower Colorado River Authority's (LCRA) history. Ms. Motal led LCRA, which provides water and electricity to more than a million Central Texans, through a tumultuous time in its history including record-breaking drought conditions, devastating wildfires, settlement of a water-sharing contract lawsuit with the San Antonio Water, and a massive, streamlining reorganization of the organization's structure and operations. As a result of her efforts, LCRA was able to reduce rates, remain competitive in the Texas energy market, and increase its customer base.
Ms. Motal first began working for LCRA in 1972 after receiving a bachelor's degree in math from the University of Texas. She left to pursue a law degree and worked as an environmental attorney before returning to LCRA in 1987 as manager of Economic and Financial Planning. In 2007, she was promoted to executive manager of External Affairs, where she coordinated LCRA's activities with state and federal regulatory agencies. In that position, Ms. Motal had oversight over local governmental affairs, public affairs, customer service and corporate events. She is also on the board of the Texas Public Power Association.
PEC Seeking Power Supply Manager
The Pedernales Electric Cooperative is seeking to fill an immediate opening for Power Supply Manager. The Power Supply Manager is responsible for managing the Cooperative’s power supply portfolio including the development and assessment of power supply strategy and plans, evaluation and acquisition of power supply contracts, development and structuring of supply options, and administration and oversight of power supply contracts.
Save the Date: AWE's Inaugural Oil & Gas Symposium
Please join us for our very first Oil & Gas Symposium. This year’s Power Matters conference will feature influential oil & gas leaders from Texas and around the country. More information and a list of speakers will be available soon.
POWER MATTERS II:
AWE Inaugural Oil & Gas Symposium
October 25-27
Four Seasons Downtown
Houston, Texas
Make Plans to Attend the 2nd Annual KBH Center Symposium: “The Future of the Oil and Gas Industry”
The centerpiece of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy, Business & Law will be the Second Annual KBH Center Symposium, which will take place on February 10, 2017. The title of the symposium is “The Future of the Oil and Gas Industry: Peak Oil or Peak Demand – What’s the Horizon?” and will feature some of the nation’s leaders in the oil and gas sector. API President and CEO Jack Gerard will give the luncheon keynote address, and industry leaders Scott Sheffield (Pioneer), David Baldwin (SCF Partners), Tom Petrie (Petrie Partners), and Sir Simon Mayall (Greenhill) will also speak. The oil and gas industry is grappling with external factors – lower commodity prices attributable to abundant new supplies of gas and oil, coupled with slowed economic growth in China and elsewhere – that are putting pressure on the industry’s traditional business model. In addition, the energy industry itself is changing as a result of improved drilling technologies, the viability of alternative energy sources, and global pressure to reduce carbon emissions. The industry experts at this conference will discuss these factors and others, as well as their perspectives on the likely impacts of the new President’s energy policy on the industry.
Boardmember Spotlight: Emily Pataki
This the latest installment of our Boardmember Spotlight. Each installment will have one of our board members answering a few questions about their experience, influences and advice to other women in the energy industry.
Emily Pataki, Board President, Pedernales Electric Coop
In what part of the energy industry do you work? How long have you been involved with the energy industry? What is most rewarding about your field to you?
I am the current Board President and the District 2 elected Director on the Pedernales Electric Cooperative Board of Directors. I am a little over two years into my first three year term on the Board. I began my service in June 2014; my Board peers elected me Vice President in 2015; and most recently, they honored me by electing me Board President in June 2016. Prior to serving on the PEC Board of Directors, I did not have much involvement with the energy industry other than growing up in a family that had dealings and businesses related to Energy. The most rewarding thing about serving on an electric cooperative board is getting the opportunity to improve something in the lives of all of our members – we serve over 230,000 members, their families, and their businesses, and by enacting policies at the Board level that make it possible for them to receive reliable, low-cost power safely and responsibly, I can hopefully make their experience with their electric provider a positive one.
What qualities helped you overcome the biggest career challenges you have faced?
I ran for my position on the PEC Board because I have always had a passion and interest in local community involvement. The best way to change the world, as we have heard from many respected leaders, is to get involved in your own backyard. My hope when I ran for the Director position was that I could influence PEC to be fundamentally engaged in its member communities so that the Co-op could provide valuable solutions to the different challenges that affect the diverse areas that it serves. I believe my emphasis on this approach has been beneficial for the relationships between PEC Headquarters and our members.
What qualities do you look for in new hires?
At PEC, we are committed to achieving excellence across all sectors of our business. That means we are not only looking for people with the right experience and the right training, but we are more specifically looking for individuals that will be committed to our vision for success. We want people that are dedicated to the cooperative model and willing to be positive and proactive in serving our membership.
Name, or describe, 3-5 people who have inspired you in your professional endeavors?
My dad has been the biggest influence on me when it comes to my professional endeavors. He is the CEO of Atec, Inc., an Aerospace Engineering firm in the Houston area, and his stewardship of that company has taught me so much about commitment to excellence, leadership, and perseverance.
Another person that has inspired me in my professional endeavors has been my fellow AWE Board Director Jessica Ogbonnaya. She has excelled in the financial sector as a young female, which is not the easiest thing to do. She has earned a respected leadership position at Citigroup, largely handling Fortune 500 oil and gas accounts, through hard work and personal sacrifice, and she has done so with integrity and grace.
A third inspirational figure for me is PEC CEO John Hewa. After arriving at the helm of the Co-op in 2013, he immediately charted a course that has taken us from a utility still in recovery-mode after years of instability and Executive turnover to one of the most transparent, reliable, and increasingly competitive utilities in Texas. It’s been an honor to help him achieve these wins for the PEC membership.
What advice would you offer women in the energy industry?
My advice to women would be to ask questions; seek out mentoring; sign up for extra projects; and do everything you can to learn things not only in your job description but in areas that might help you expand your skill set and opportunities in the future. Also, practice oral presentations – being able to communicate orally, whether to a Board room of people, to a workgroup, to superiors, or to your customers is an important and increasingly rare skill. If you can master this skill, you will automatically be in another class of candidates when future opportunities arise.
What advice do you offer Millennials, who are beginning their careers?
My advice to Millenials would be the same as the advice I would give to women, or anyone for that matter. Work on your ability to present in person, which means you must develop those interpersonal skills that are so often overlooked in the digital age. Spend some time away from smartphones and computers and get busy knowing your co-workers and learning how to communicate well with them. Also, the age-old adage of dressing for the job you want rather than the job you have is one I’ve found to be invaluable, even in 2016.
Lynn Good on How Duke Energy Is Getting Past Coal
CEO says utility is investing in renewables and natural gas, and ‘will continue to decarbonize’
Utility executives are navigating a rapidly changing landscape: low prices, weak electricity demand and increasingly strict emissions rules.
Duke Energy Corp., the giant utility based in Charlotte, N.C., is leading the charge among large, coal-heavy power producers toward natural gas, solar and wind power. But the company, which churns out electricity for 7.4 million customers in the Carolinas and four other states, still gets about one-third of its power from coal plants. It also has to clean up dozens of aging coal-ash ponds, the large, wet pools where the company disposes of the fly ash left over from burning coal at its power plants.
Pedernales Electric Cooperative Joins AWE as a corporate sponsor
The Pedernales Electric Cooperative has joined the family of sponsors of the Association of Women in Energy. PEC is the nation’s largest electric cooperative with over 225,000 member-owners and roughly 1 million people served. PEC has illuminated cities and helped the Hill Country grow and prosper since 1938. We’re proud of our heritage and excited about the possibilities the future will bring. From next-generation energy delivery methods to our Green Works environmental programs to MyUse Energy Analyzer, we’re always working to use technology that benefits our members while helping to protect the community we all share.
AWE boardmember, Emily Pataki, also serves as the President and District 2 Director of PEC’s Board of Directors. We are very excited to bring PEC into our family and appreciate their commitment to helping women in the energy industry prosper and grow in their careers.
AWE Power Matters Conference Cancelled Due to Hurricane Matthew
Regrettably, AWE was forced to cancel our upcoming Power Matters Conference due to severe weather in the Florida area from Hurricane Matthew. A decision has not been made regarding rescheduling, but attendees have been informed and will be kept up to date. Please check back with us for more information as it becomes available.
Study: Women Make Up 6% of CEO Positions in Energy
The number of women in the C-suite at U.S. energy companies is still not on par with their male counterparts.
Analysis from global advisory firm Korn Ferry reveals that women make up significantly less C-level positions in energy, with the exception of chief human resource officers (CHRO). Women account for 57 percent of CHRO positions in energy.
Korn Ferry’s analysis of energy companies represents 33 U.S. states, with the highest concentration (37 percent) residing in Texas, and finds that women make up about one-quarter (24 percent) of all C-suite positions.
Boardmember Spotlight: Lindsay Sander
Welcome to a new AWE web site feature: Boardmember Spotlight. Each installment will have one of our board members answering a few questions about their experience, influences and advice to other women in the energy industry.
Lindsay N. Sander, Sander Resources
In what part of the energy industry do you work? How long have you been involved with the energy industry? What is most rewarding about your field to you?
Oil and Gas. 15 years. It is a dream to work in a dynamic, under-appreciated and wonderful industry that is full of opportunity. Everything in this country is made possible by the actions taken by the men and women who make the production, transportation and refining of our natural resources possible.
What qualities helped you overcome the biggest career challenges you have faced?
Passion, perseverance, and honesty.
What qualities do you look for in new hires?
Ability to communicate- verbal and written, cognitive thinking, passion, creativity, humor and being a well-rounded, decent human being.
Name, or describe, 3-5 people who have inspired you in your professional endeavors?
- My Husband
- Marge Melvin- my 5th grade government teacher
- Minnesota Lt. Governor Carol Molnau – former boss
- President Ronald Reagan
What advice would you offer women in the energy industry?
Keep your head up, do good work and never, ever give up. The rest will take care of itself.
What advice do you offer Millennials, who are beginning their careers?
Listen, work hard and don’t expect to advance quickly or to be paid well for some time. Everyone is watching you and your Millennials label has already set you back (whether you want to acknowledge this or not). You have to earn your way just like everyone that came before you.