Bringing Women-Owned Businesses into the Energy Field
Back (L-R): Lorraine Hyde, Teresa Lawrence, Sandy Hunter, Nelda Connors, Brian Hall.
Front (L-R): Beverly Bailey, Meg Cook, Connie Boe, Andrew Gaeckle. Robert Training &
Conference Center – Lifeboat Simulation. November 7, 2017.
“The WBENC Energy Executive Program plays
an important role in developing women’s businesses
as successful future suppliers of the energy, oil,
and gas industries and further breaking down
barriers for women entrepreneurs,” says
Pamela Prince-Eason, WBENC President & CEO.
Underwritten by a grant from Shell Oil Company,
this landmark program is part of a sustained effort
by major oil and gas companies to enable
women-owned businesses to become valued
partners in the global energy supply chain.
The WBENC Energy Executive Program
brought together 29 women-owned businesses,
industry experts, and professors from the University
of Texas, McCombs School of Business for one
By Lindsey All and Gloria Romano-Barrera
This year, the Women’s Business Enterprise
National Council (WBENC) launched the
inaugural WBENC Energy Executive Program
on November 5 – 10 at the Shell Robert Training &
Conference Center (RTCC). The week-long
immersive executive education experience
focused on increasing the competitive advantage,
capabilities, and strategy development of Women’s
Business Enterprise (WBE) leaders within the
energy, oil, and gas industry supply chains.
week of training, skill development and networking,
further showing the commitment towards
impacting the long-term success of diverse
businesses that are critical to the global energy
supply chains.
“The WBENC Energy Executive Program
sprang from an ambition long held by me and
my peers to drive real growth for MWBE’s in
the energy supply chain, and we were thrilled
to see this major step come to pass,” states
Debra Stewart, Director of Supplier Diversity
and Diversity Outreach at Shell Oil Company.
“The energy, ideas and drive the WBE’s brought
into the room was galvanizing. WBENC, the
UT instructors, executive presenters from our
energy companies and the Robert Training Center
staff delivered a one-of-a-kind learning experience,
and we are already seeing the beginnings of new
business ideas and opportunities as a result. The
Energy Executive Program is a great jumping off
point for capacity building for MWBE’s to
broaden their participation in the energy industry,
and we look forward to building on it in collaboration
with our peer companies, WBENC, NMSDC and
others going forward.”
All program participants received full funding
to participate in the program through WBENC’s
Dorothy B. Brothers Scholarship Fund and the
generous sponsorship of Shell Oil Company, BP
America, Inc., Chevron, Exxon Mobil Corporation,
WBENC
Energy Executive Program Class of 2017
Back Row (L-R):
Debbie Lowe, L’Tryce
Slade, Lorraine Hyde,
Teresa Sharp, Lela Mae
Wilkes, Audrey Gilbreath, Elizabeth Abdalla, Jessica
Johnson-Cope, Marilyn Stovall Fitzgerald.
Middle Row (L-R): Bernita McCann, Michele Ruiz,
Nelda Connors, Lori Davis, Dot Harris, Mary Darling,
Michele Adams, Carol Williams, Beverly Bailey.
Front Row (L-R): Sandy Hunter, Lianne Lami, Sheila
Benson, Artura Taylor, Janet Brewster, Jan Newman,
Meg Cook, Connie Boe, Teresa Lawrence, Ashley Herbert,
Kathleen Neset.
34 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 23, No. 6, 2017