San Antonio, Texas is a vibrant energy hub, and home to recognized energy enterprises such as Valero Energy Corporation, Marathon Corporation, and NuStar Energy L.P, among others.
Beginning in 2008, the South Texas area received an economic boost when technology opened up the Eagle Ford Shale, a roughly 50-mile-wide oil- and gas-producing site reaching about 400 miles from just north of Laredo to Brazos County, northeast of Austin. As a result of this expansion in the energy industry, an opportunity to create a network between the growing number of women in the energy sector arose.
In 2013, two women that saw this need and joined forces to drive the opportunity for women to connect in their own South Texas community, and in April of that same year, Janet Irwine and Paula Waggone-Aguilar pulled together an amazing group of women to form the South Texas Chapter of the Women’s Energy Network (WEN-ST). In just its first nine months, WEN-ST grew to 146 members, and continues to grow providing networking and professional development opportunities for its members. Today, WEN-ST covers a 200-mile radius around San Antonio, including Austin, Corpus Christi, and Laredo.
Founding Board Members:
- Paula Waggoner-Aguilar, The Energy CFO, President
- Monica Madrid Rose, ITSA Energy, President Elect
- Janet Irwine, Tesoro Companies, Inc., Director Program Development
- Nora Bryant, Burleson Law, Secretary
- Siobhan Karger Mullen, Burleson Law, Director Membership Development
- Jana Kennelly, UTSA, Director Community Initiatives
- Lynnae Willett, BHP, Co-Director Marketing
- Haley Curry, STEER, Co-Director Marketing
- Brittany M. Weil, Burleson Law, Event Chair
- Lisa Trefger, NuStar Energy, Treasurer