Energy Support Matters.

I started my career as an administrative assistant at Enron ages ago (yes, I'm THAT old).?It was still a relatively young company and there seemed to be so many opportunities to grow and advance your career for those that were hungry to do so. I was definitely one of those people, but I quickly realized that when it came to the support professionals, those opportunities seemed to be few and far between or nonexistent. The administrative and support professionals were working hard...very hard. It just didn't seem fair that they were not afforded the same opportunities for growth and development.

Not one to be ok with those types of rules, I started asking questions and trying to figure out “why”, only to be met with the same answers over and over. “It's just the way the structure is set up.”

I have never believed that the only way to get to "C" is through A and B. I believe you can fly down and land on "C", dig under "C" to reach it, or even go the long way backwards through "Z", but there are many ways to get to "C". So, I tried to figure out a new plan. What I discovered was that doing excellent work, going above and beyond, building the right networks, gaining the right support...all helped me to break that seemingly impenetrable ceiling that a lot of support professionals face. I finally got on the career track of my dreams. And then...2001...the fall of Enron.

Months later, I entered a new chapter with a fresh start from scratch at Chevron. And again. The same ceilings and the same hurdles. Back to "A".?Only at Chevron I noticed something curious. The engineers were a part of these amazing communities. They were global communities that let them network with each other, discuss industry challenges and their own career challenges. Communities that gave them leadership opportunities. Communities like SPE, IADC, AAPG, SEG, etc.?So, I thought surely there must be one for support professionals. I searched and searched and there was nothing.

Happy to have a job in a great company despite starting from square one, I rolled up my sleeves and decided to dig in. I deployed the same tactics that I learned at Enron...to be excellent, to go above and beyond, to be curious, to ask for more even when you're afraid, to be visible, to challenge the status quo, to build the right networks, etc. In doing so, I earned a chance to experience so many aspects of the industry that support professionals rarely get to experience.

At Enron, I experienced going to oil leases and pipelines, touring refineries, even riding on trucks as they transported products. When I created the role of Technical Forums Coordinator at Chevron, I had a chance to sit in on each of the business unit's leadership team meetings and learned so much about the company - from reservoir management and subsurface characterization to operations and facilities engineering and more, all while traveling internationally and seeing firsthand how the industry operates. It was an education I could NEVER have received in a classroom, and I realized that learning...truly learning about our industry by experiencing it up close and personal gave me a much better understanding of what we do and why we do what we do as an industry.

That education helped me become the most effective in my role. It was an education I felt that support professionals MUST have an opportunity to gain. Not just for their own personal career growth, but also to be the most effective for the companies and industry they support. In 2013, after 11 years at Chevron, I decided to create that vision and started Oil & Gas Admins International, a professional organization much like those for the engineers, but for administrative and support Professionals in the energy industry. The goal of the organization is to provide energy industry education, certifications, industry field trips, and global networking opportunities to build strong industry-wide relationships. Since the founding of the organization, we have focused equally on career development and personal development as we believe they go hand-in-hand, and we have recruited leaders from companies in our industry to steer the direction of our organization and to meet the needs of the support professionals, and the industry, from a support perspective.

In 2021 we changed our name from Oil & Gas Admins International to Energy Industry Support International to reflect the growing changes in our industry and to stress that we are "not just admins", but strategic partners from all aspects of the energy industry with a desire to grow, to be excellent, and to be the most effective in the industry we support.

"Permission" is a funny thing. Over the years I've asked support Professionals what they thought was holding them back in their careers. A common answer is always somehow tied to permission. "There are no opportunities", "I don’t feel supported", "The company won't let me take the training, get on the projects, etc."?Our goal as an organization is to help support professionals "take control" of their careers and to realize that when it comes to your career and to your life, you NEVER need permission to do that. One of my biggest personal joys since founding this organization has been to see how so many of those in our community have grown and excelled over the years by doing just that – giving themselves permission to do so.?No limits.

This June we will execute our annual conference where we learn from energy industry leaders about the direction of our industry and where we hear from expert guest speakers that help our attendees with both career and personal development. Our fantastic vendor exhibition gives our attendees an excellent opportunity for networking with peers from several different energy companies and to learn about products and services from the vendors and suppliers that support the energy industry and that help support professionals succeed. Participation from global energy companies and our amazing sponsors and supporters have made this event one that we are very proud to execute each year.

I encourage you to learn about EiSi and to get involved. At EiSi, we believe in seizing every moment, in taking control of your career, and in lifting someone up along the way. We hope you will join us!

We Know the Industry. We Know Support