WEN – South Texas, situated in San Antonio, is growing to reach new areas. For the first time in chapter history, it attracted a Supporting Sponsor from 145 miles away. That sponsorship is a result of an effort to increase chapter activities in the Corpus Christi area which is covered in the South Texas charter.
Port Corpus Christi, in full support of the WEN mission, has joined WEN South Texas as an Executive Sponsor of the chapter. The sponsorship was started following a successful networking mixer, attracting professionals from a range of industries and companies
“With such a large oil, gas, and wind industry presence, we knew we had to reach out to all the energy players in Corpus, and we’re so excited to have been well received,” said Jan Lee, President, WEN-ST.
The first event took place on April 17 at the Omni Hotel, attracting about 40 people. Thanks to the planning efforts of Lauren Guerra, President-Elect, and Kym Bolado, Director of Coastal Bend Program Development, attendance at other events has increased rapidly.
A crowd of 120 energy professionals attended the latest program in Corpus Christi on August 6. Guests were delighted to hear WEN-ST member Rebecca Ponton discuss her book, Breaking the GAS Ceiling: Women in the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry, which chronicles the contributions of 23 women in the oil and gas industry.
An impressive panel of female energy professions closed out the event. The panel included Trina Martinez, Vice President and General Manager, CITGO Corpus Christi Refineries; Alicia Matus, Site Manager, LyondellBasell; and Valerie Pompa, Owner and CEO, VAP Business Solutions, LLC gave insight into their professional careers and backgrounds. Going into topics related to leadership, teamwork, work-life balance and more, this panel gave attendees perspective on the opportunities and challenges for female energy professionals today. The panel was moderated by Kym Bolado, CEO of SHALE Magazine and Host of In the Oil Patch radio show.
This event gained local media attention, including features on KiiiTV and KrisTV.
A couple more events are planned in Corpus Christi this year. The chapter hopes to continue this trend of growth in 2020, attracting new members and proving quality, unique programs to the area.
