SPE Volunteers Share Their Stories

I joined SPE in 2013 while doing my MSc. in Petroleum Engineering. I then started participating in young professional (YP) activities and was invited to be the YP Chair of my section in 2016. In 2018, we hosted the bi-annual SPE Trinidad and Tobago Conference and I was part of the Regional Petrobowl Planning Committee. It was my first time being exposed to SPE events on a regional level. That same year, I attended ATCE in Dallas, my first international conference, and volunteered for the PetroBowl Championship. These two significant events really opened my eyes to the world of SPE and the endless benefits for members, notably students and YPs. 

Because of the network I built during the SPETT Conference, where I presented a paper based on my MSc. thesis, I learnt about PhD opportunities in my region. In 2019, I moved to Brazil and continued volunteering for PetroBowl and the Student Paper Contest both on the national and regional level. In 2020, the pandemic hit. Our regional director at the time, Cesar Patino led a team to develop the first ever virtual PetroBowl competition using software. SPE President, Shauna Noonan appreciated our solution so much that it was then used to host the virtual PetroBowl Championship in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, I was awarded the SPEI Giovanni Paccaloni YP Award for my community service and contributions to SPE as well as, represented SPE at the Emerging Leaders Alliance Conference. In 2022 and 2023, we upgraded the PetroBowl software to host Hybrid Championships thus, accommodating students with financial and visa challenges. 

In addition to my volunteer roles in student and YP activities, I started participating in technical conferences as part of the Program Committee and Session Chair. I have held various leadership roles that have honed my leadership skills and allowed me to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds worldwide. My most recently roles include: SPE Business and Leadership Committee – Chair, SPE ATCE 2025 Program Committee – Energy Transition Sub-committee – Chair, and SPE Sustainable Development Technical Section – Board of Directors. Furthermore, I have participated in over thirty-five distinguished lectures which has significantly enhanced my presentation and communication skills. 

SPE offers numerous benefits tailored to different stages of your career. It’s important to understand where you are in your career and what activities you enjoy or give you a sense of purpose. For instance, early in my career, I enjoyed volunteering for student and YP activities. Now, with more experience and no longer a YP, I am more confident in my technical skills and prefer to volunteer for technical activities. Always remember, active participation and contribution in volunteer activities are crucial, as people remember you for your actions. The oil and gas industry is small, so it’s important to leave a good impression as someone you volunteered with in the past may influence your career in the future.

I first joined SPE as a student member when my abstract was accepted for an SPE conference, and I needed an SPE number. Little did I know that this membership would turn into a gateway for personal growth and giving back to the community. SPE membership isn’t just a number—it’s an opportunity to benefit both yourself and others.

As someone who has spent much time in academia for both studies and work, I joined the SPE eMentoring program as a mentee to gain industrial insights. My industry mentor, Claudio, had been volunteering with SPE for years, and I asked him why. His response was simple but powerful: he wanted to give back to SPE because he had benefited so much from it. Claudio’s enthusiasm for helping others inspired me to start volunteering too.

Since then, I’ve been actively involved in various SPE conferences, including the 2023 and 2024 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) and the 2024 Canadian Energy Technology Conference & Exhibition (CET). Volunteering at these events has not only enhanced my communication skills but also expanded my professional network. For instance, I met Natan Battisti, a petroleum engineer at Harbour Energy, while we were both volunteering at the Startup Village during the 2023 ATCE. We’ve stayed in touch ever since and become great friends. These connections and experiences through SPE volunteering are invaluable.

In addition to volunteering at conferences, I am passionate about inspiring the next generation. That’s why I have been volunteering with the SPE Energy4me program as an Energy Ambassador. Through presentations and live demonstrations on energy topics, especially petroleum engineering, I’ve had the pleasure of engaging with curious high school students. Their eagerness to learn about the science behind the energy industry is always fulfilling. Additionally, I’ve been actively involved with the SPE University of Alberta Chapter, where I helped organize the Poster Competition for the Energizing Tomorrow conference and mentored undergraduate students throughout the process.

Volunteering with SPE has been a transformative experience. It has not only helped me grow professionally but also allowed me to make a positive impact on others. I encourage everyone to get involved—whether you’re a student, a young professional, or an experienced engineer, there’s always an opportunity to give back and grow with the SPE community.

P.S. My academic supervisor Dr. Tayfun Babadagli, who also encourages me to get involved with SPE, and industry mentor Claudio Virues are SPE Honorary and Distinguished Members. While I may not achieve their level of recognition in the future, I’m proud to contribute to this incredible community, even in a small way.

SPE has been an incredibly important part of my career and life as a petroleum engineer and industry leader. 2017 is my 40th year as an SPE member—since I joined as a freshman at Texas A&M University. My instructor for the first semester freshman engineering 101 course was none other than John Lee, PhD. He handed all of us an SPE membership application because all petroleum engineers should be members of SPE. And I agree!
 
I began my leadership journey in SPE in 1979 as the secretary of the student chapter. I moved to Midland after graduating from college and began volunteering with the then top-five Permian Basin section on the scholarship committee. I worked my way up through several offices to section chairman in 1989 when I was 29 years old. Now, when I speak to young professional (YP) groups, I remind them to step up into section leadership and not just spend their time in YP activities. Especially now, since there are many opportunities to lead.
 
In 1990, I was transferred to Houston and started volunteering with SPE again, starting over again with the scholarship committee. I worked my way up through several offices and became chairman in 2001. In my opinion, the chairman of the Gulf Coast Section is the most difficult job in SPE after the international President. I loved doing it, but it was a challenge!
 
In 2003, I was selected to be the regional director representing Houston and the rest of Gulf Coast North America. Despite leading two of SPE’s largest sections, I really didn’t know how SPE International was run. Serving on the SPE board was a revelation in so many ways. I met people from all over the world and improved my governance knowledge and leadership skills.
 
In 2012, I rejoined the board as the Vice President of Finance. I have always been attracted to the treasurer and financial jobs in other volunteer positions and SPE is no different. I loved learning about all the financial intricacies of how SPE’s business works. And finally, in 2014, I was nominated to be the 2017 President. It had been over thirty years since a former Gulf Coast Section chair had moved up to SPE President. I rolled off the SPE International Board in 2018 after 9 years on the board. I also retired from Chevron in 2018 and assumed my first corporate director role at Patterson-UTI. I serve and have served on a broad array of boards: public, private, sovereign wealth, university and nonprofit, but I learned most of my board room skills in SPE.

All former Presidents serve as Trustees of the SPE Foundation, overseeing an endowment and an annual fundraising appeal. I have served in all SPEF executive roles and am the 2024-26 President of the Foundation.
 
SPE has been extremely valuable to me not only in developing my engineering and leadership skills, but also in developing my personal network and connections throughout the industry across companies and countries. My favorite part of SPE involvement has been the people I have met and the places I have been. I wouldn’t trade it for anything and would recommend it to anyone.

I have been an SPE member since 1981. My first job out of college was as an associate chemist at Texaco. Because I didn’t know anything about oil and gas, having grown up in rural New York, my boss told me that the fastest way to learn about this industry would be to join SPE and read JPT every month, and so I did.

In one issue of JPT, there was a notice about the need for more Technical Editors for the various peer-reviewed journals. I was editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper and helped proofread my college newspaper, and thought that maybe I could be a Technical Editor. So I called the number and offered to help out, and I was invited to a Technical Editor meeting.

I learned a lot reading all those SPE manuscripts as a Technical Editor. I really wasn’t qualified to determine whether this was new technology that had not been published previously, but I figured the people listed in the references were knowledgeable about the topic, so I looked them up in the SPE Membership Directory, mailed the papers to them to review, compiled the results, filled out the paperwork, and sent it in. Well, somebody thought those skills might make me a good Review Chairman, so I was appointed as the first female SPE Review Chairman.

Yup, I broke a glass ceiling at SPE. I actually made the staff at headquarters change the form letter salutation from “Gentlemen” to “Dear Review Chairman.”

After learning so many fascinating things about oil and gas, I thought schoolchildren everywhere needed to learn more about this important industry, so I got on a kick about energy literacy.

When SPE launched the Energy Information Committee, I joined it and together we developed the SPE Magic Suitcase, with marbles in a beaker to illustrate porosity and other demonstrations. I wrote the user manual and beta-tested the first prototype in Houston schools, becoming the Gulf Coast Section’s Magic Suitcase Chairman. The program grew to six suitcases at one point, stationed in different areas of town for convenience.

When the local Scholarship Chairman saw how zealous I was with school kids, I was invited to join the Scholarship Committee to interview high school students. After doing that a few years, I was invited to be Scholarship Chairman. I gave such a good talk at the scholarship banquet that year, comparing Shell’s Mars project to NASA’s Mars project, Buddy Woodruff nominated me to be an SPE Distinguished Lecturer.

From Scholarship Chairman, I was appointed to the Gulf Coast Section Board as Community Services Chairman, then progressed to Membership Chair, then Secretary.

After serving seven years on the Board, I became Vice Chair, Chair, and then Past Chair of the biggest SPE section in the world. And I’m not even a petroleum engineer! I can’t tell you how much I benefitted from these leadership positions. I am a much better person after having developed tact, diplomacy, appreciation, patience, budgeting, prioritizing, and public speaking skills.

How do people learn these things if they don’t volunteer in organizations like SPE?

But my biggest achievement as an SPE volunteer was the SPE MasterDisc. Because I had a pile of SPE manuscripts sitting on my desk in 1991 when the Texaco Library got its first CD-ROM, I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could search for SPE papers on a CD-ROM?”

I was a committee of one for about 18 months, trying to convince the SPE Board and staff this could and should be done, and then the SPE Board formed the Electronic Publishing Committee to oversee the scanning and digitizing of 25,000 SPE papers that had been in file cabinets.

Searches by keyword, author, or year could be done on the SPE MasterDisc. You could also print out images of the papers from the 22 discs of the SPE eLibrary. These digital products later morphed into OnePetro^®, a treasure trove of petroleum engineering knowledge and experience that is instantly available to anyone in the world—and a significant revenue stream for SPE.

And to think a rural Yankee chemist gal who didn’t know beans about oil and gas had a hand in making this possible! That’s what happens when SPE volunteers step up and say: “I want to help.”

I am a Petroleum Engineer from the Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno in Bolivia.

I became an SPE member seven years ago, and after four years in different roles within the Bolivian Section, I became the section chair. During this time, my experience as an SPE volunteer has been gratifying and enriching. I have committed to my aspiration to belong to one of the largest non-profit organizations in the E&P industry.

Within the Bolivian Section, we have organized academic, athletic, and networking events to develop soft and technical skills but also to implement key values such as responsibility, integrity, and teamwork within our members.

We founded four SPE student chapters and had the first Petrocruz to help students get ready for the Petrobowl® Championship. In addition, we held the first PETROTON. More than 450 participants (children and adults) joined the 5K walk/run to support the VIVE Foundation which aids in the rehabilitation and social reintegration of our homeless.

Besides participating in the community, we are organizing the SPE Workshop on HSE and Sustainability being held 14–15 September 2017 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. This highly focused workshop features keynote speaker Luis Alberto Sánchez Fernández, Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energy, Bolivia.

Being an active SPE volunteer is a privilege and a wonderful way to serve the community. I encourage members to take advantage of SPE’s volunteer opportunities and share their time, knowledge, and experiences with others.

As a freshman at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, I was looking for a channel to fulfill my passion to serve. I connected with the mission of SPE “to collect, disseminate, and exchange technical knowledge and to provide opportunities for professionals to enhance their technical and professional competence.” The topic captures my odyssey so far in the world of “technical volunteerism.”

I was inspired, by commitment and service of very experienced senior colleagues in the oil and gas industry, to unleash my passion to serve SPE in different capacities. Namely, as Secretary and Chapter President of SPE's University of Port Harcourt Student Chapter, an SPE Board member of Port Harcourt since 2005, and a member of the SPE Nigeria Council since 2015. Also, I was instrumental in the merger of SPE International's Student Development Committee and Young Professionals Coordinating Committee into the Young Members Engagement Committee (YMEC).

During the course of my service to SPE, I have mastered the “art of volunteerism,” integrated with a special community of technical experts, carried out career guidance for students and young professionals around the world, built a strong network of technical professionals, been involved in Ambassador Lecturer Program, energy4Me®, pioneered the SPE African Region Young Professionals Technical Conference, facilitated the 1st African Regional Petrobowl® Qualifiers, taken part in other flagship programs of SPE, I could go on and on...

It has been an exciting adventure and the benefits are invaluable. Shell and SPE have provided me with the opportunity to hone my technical and leadership skills, respectively.

As long as oil continues to flow and gas continues to evolve out of solution, we shall surely meet again.  

I joined the O&G industry as a fresh graduate out of college back in 2002.

Being a Field Engineer and performing the job on different rigs, locations, and countries meant that I would meet new people regularly. In 2010, I landed my first assignment working in Sales. It just so happened that I started around the same time as 2010 ATCE. That’s when I realized that SPE was a wonderful organization to be a part of. It’s a great place to meet people and network.

So in the next year, I was quick to volunteer to be part of the SPE committees and became part of the publicity committee encouraging membership enrollments. Ever since then, I have volunteered for SPE.

Being a Technical Support Manager, SPE gives me a chance to network and to expand my contacts either with colleagues that work for competitors or with those who work for the customer or potential customers. It also allows me to stay in touch with colleagues and friends from previous companies or locations I’ve worked at. When coupled with working with a group of people who share the same passion for achieving a common goal such as the success of an event, volunteering gives an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.

It is a great feeling to be a part of any success, be it a person or an organization. It helps build your character and definitely adds value both personally and professionally. It’s never too late to volunteer. So what are you waiting for?