The Women of Oil
More men than women work in the oil industry, but women are making ranks and
breaking glass ceilings.
By Debra McGhan
When it comes to oil, it’s not just a man’s world any longer. From loading
tankers to human resources to vice presidents and presidents, women are making a
huge impact on this previously male-dominated industry.
The common threads among the women on today’s Alaska petroleum scene include
many factors. All positive. These are genuine, likeable individuals with bold,
positive spirits and fascinating stories.
From a striking berth operator who ties up 2,000-ton tankers and loads them with
oil; to a soft-spoken viola player that is redesigning Alyeska Pipeline Service
Co.’s entire operation; to a vivacious, proud mother of two in charge of
Pipelines and Prudhoe Bay Operations for Phillips Petroleum, these women are
moving and shaking in the oil world.
“I think women are very good at multi-tasking and collaborating,” said
Kathleen O’Connell, system renewal lead for Alyeska Pipeline. “And it’s
something I do a lot in my job today.”
O’Connell’s current position involves rebuilding Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.
from the ground up after almost 200 people were cut from the staff in Anchorage,
Fairbanks and Valdez. Her job is to streamline operations by reducing costs. A
good fit because during the past 20 years she has worked in numerous areas of
the oil world and has a firm understanding of every facet.
“I worked with Exxon for 15 years and during that time I landed the engineers’
dream job. I was a facility engineer for a large gas plant and it was my job to
run the plant and maximize the profits,” explained O’Connell. “To do that I had
to understand every aspect of the plant and its abilities, as well as study the
futures market to see what prices might do.”
After five years with Alyeska, O’Connell now has a good understanding of
pipeline operations. One of her duties included running the power vapor plant at
the pipeline terminal in Valdez.
“From a technical side, the power vapor plant is a very interesting process
involving a highly trained, highly skilled staff. A place where you can see an
almost immediate impact based on the value of work effort.”
Her appreciation of people, their talents, skills and energy makes her current
job–which includes laying off staff–a tough challenge. “Any time you cut it’s
going to be hard,” she said. But rising costs and declining product requires
streamlining operations and cutting the budget.
“The circumstances within Alyeska have changed over the past 20 years and what
made sense 20 years ago doesn’t necessarily make sense today,” she says. “I see
this as an opportunity to look at what we do and how we do it and make it
better.”
When it comes to shaping the oil business, Meg Yaege, Phillips Petroleum
vice president of the Greater Prudhoe Bay area and president of Phillips Alaska
Pipelines, has a powerful role.
“My job requires a split personality. I am president of the Alaska Pipelines and
a representative for Phillips on the TAPS (trans-Alaskan pipeline system) Owner
Committee. I also serve as vice president for the Greater Prudhoe Bay Area. So I
am taking care of both the pipeline and production assets.”
Yaege, who grew up in Kansas and started work at 14 detasseling corn, credits
her mentors for much of what she’s achieved in her career.
“I think my success in this business is a result of the fact that I loved the
work and did a good job. But also because I had several key mentors working
behind the scenes to support and promote me. One, a now retired Arco Pipeline
company president, saw potential in me and helped guide me to gain the
experience I needed to do the job I have today. I’ve worked in every phase of
the industry from engineering to planning and evaluation to management support
and financial.”
Yaege says her husband Kris, whom she met in high school and married at age 20,
is her biggest hero. “He was always supportive of my career. I never would be
where I am today without him. After our two sons were born, we made the decision
that he would stay home and be the primary caregiver.” That arrangement, she
says, has worked well for her family. “Kris has done a great job with our boys.”
Another powerful force on the oil operations scene is Ruth Germany-Bice,
Greater Prudhoe Bay operations manager for BP. Germany-Bice came to Alaska in
1979 to work for BP after seeing an article in Time Life magazine on the
construction of the pipeline.
“It really appealed to my adventurous side,” she said. Growing up
in Dallas, Texas, surrounded by oil pumps and a family of tax accountants, she
wanted something new, so she packed
up her young son and made the move north.
Like the other women in her field, Germany-Bice has worked her way up through
the oil world ranks with hard work, determination and a thirst for learning.
Today, her job involves overseeing the operations of 10 processing plants and
500-600 employees.
“We are responsible for processing all the oil and gas from the wellhead through
to delivery into Pump Station One. With a finance background, I think what I
bring to this job is a clear view of the business element, a good understanding
of how BP works and a real interest in the people side of things.
No two weeks are ever the same here, which makes this job both interesting and
challenging.”
While Germany-Bice has her hand on the BP controls, Diane Prier is
leading the charge for Williams Alaska Petroleum. (Williams announced recently
plans to sell its refineries at North Pole and Memphis, Tenn. In Alaska, 29 gas
stations around the state will also be sold. No job layoffs are expected.)
With a degree in chemical engineering and a master in business administration,
Prier spent 20 years in the school of oil doing everything from designing
equipment for offshore production platforms to trouble-shooting for natural gas
processing plants to operations manager for pipelines and gas plants, with
companies such as Exxon, Raytheon and Williams.
In August 2001, Prier was promoted and named president of Williams Alaska. Over
the course of her career, the challenges have been many and varied but Prier
said she loves learning new things, adventure and trying different approaches.
All elements vital to taking on her latest role in Alaska.
“I am responsible for the development and livelihood of 500 people. I work
closely with operations in the North Pole refinery and the wholesale sales end
of things as well as the retail sector. In addition I work at both the local and
international level so I wear a lot of different hats. It’s very exciting and
the best challenge I’ve ever had.
“This job has enough different facets to keep me busy, engaged and learning for
quite some time.”
Variety and fast pace have also followed Linda Powell during her 13-year
career with Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.
She began her career as a temp filing slides, then went on to produce television
ads for the company. Later she worked on internal communications and writing
initiatives for the company. Her career also has included a stint as a manager
on the pipeline, working on a design committee during a previous reorganization
of Alyeska operations and as the support manager in Valdez, overseeing several
departments.
Unlike many of her peers with engineering degrees, Powell’s education is in
liberal and fine arts.
“I always say, everything I do well, I learned in art school. Education is vital
so just get one. Many skills you learn can be applied to almost any career.”
In her current position with the human resources department, Powell spends her
days helping others with development. A tough job in a time when the company is
reorganizing and many people face layoffs.
“There are still lots of opportunities out there but you have to be smart. You
have to work hard. I tell people, when it gets hard, you get tough,” she said.
“I really believe that people learn the most when things are the hardest.”
Nancy Williams, a berth operator for
Alyeska, knows that lesson well. As an administrative assistant, Williams wanted
more of a challenge from her job. Fascinated with pipeline operations, she would
often finish her secretarial chores and then make the rounds with the
technicians.
Encouraged when told she would make a good operator because of her interest and
excellent paperwork skills, she decided to pursue this new career path. But as a
comely, young woman, no one took her seriously.
“I was the secretary and I know there were a lot of people who didn’t think I
could do this. But I was determined. I think if you really want something and
are willing to put in the hard work it takes to achieve that goal, you can
accomplish anything.” Now, instead of tallying expense sheets and answering
phones, Williams is a liaison between the oil tankers and Alyeska Pipeline
Service Co. operations.
“As a berth operator we have about 153 steps we perform prior to docking the
ship and connecting the arms. Sometimes, like in January when the wind is
howling and there’s a 30 below zero chill factor and I’m out there tying up a
ship, I wonder why I love my job so much. But I wouldn’t trade places with
anyone.
“Before, I had an office with no windows and a job with no challenge,” said
Williams. “Now I have an ocean view and an exciting position that has allowed me
to grow as a person. I never take my job for granted.”
Deb Krontz, a civil engineer for
Alyeska Pipeline, doesn’t take her job for granted either. She came to her
career later in life after returning to college in her mid 30s.
“I don’t think it’s ever too late to get an education. You just can’t let
excuses get in your way. I knew a mother with two kids she was raising on her
own and she did it. You just have to put your mind to it and stay focused.”
With her degree in hand, Krontz landed a position with Alyeska Pipeline Service
Co. working in Valdez. She spent the next four years sustaining infrastructure
for the Valdez Marine Terminal to serve their function without having any
negative impact to the environment.
“One project I worked on was for slope stability. I was able to write a
procedure for that process that now lives on and will allow other engineers to
just do the work without having to figure out how to do it. The end results were
very rewarding for me.
“It’s all about making sure the structure can remain intact as time and
environmental factors impact it,” she said. “System integrity. My job today
involves helping design changes to the management systems and business processes
that will live on for years to come. Changes that I believe will ultimately
result in better efficiency.”
As oil reserves diminish, the focus in the future for the oil industry must be
about efficiency, exploration, streamlined operation and making sure the systems
that are currently in place remain intact. A role these women all take very
seriously and work every day to achieve.
