“Seven Years of Being the Only Woman in the Gulf of Mexico and the Strategies Used to Get Promoted to V.P. Positions Around the Globe”
Paula Harris
Senior Vice President of Community Affairs for Houston Astros Executive Director for Astros Foundation
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Noon – 1 PM CST 11:30 AM Lunch served
Petroleum Club of Lafayette - 111 Heymann Blvd, Lafayette, LA
Biography
Paula Harris Paula Harris enjoyed a 33-year career with Schlumberger. Paula started as a field engineer logging wells in the Gulf of Mexico. The position she held when she retired was to design and implement strategic ESG programming to ensure Schlumberger is a respected partner in the communities in which we work across the globe.
Paula serves as Board Chair of the Petroleum Club of Houston, she also chairs Energized for STEM Charter School Board and the Texas A&M Black Former Students board. She serves as Board Secretary for the Children’s Museum of Houston. She has been profiled in the “Black Engineer”, “Graduating Engineer”, “Money Magazine”, and “Rolling Out”. Mrs. Harris has received numerous recognitions, including being named Black Engineer’s “50 who make a Difference”, “Key Women in Energy”, “Greater Houston Women’s Chamber -Woman of Distinction”, “Texas Executive Women Award”, United Nations Global Citizenship Award”, “Texas A&M Aggie Impact Award” “Houston Business Journal Lifetime Legacy Award” and the “Women of Color in Technology” award. Paula is a highly requested global speaker on topics such as Women in Energy, Energy Education, STEM and Coding in Schools and Navigating the Energy Transition. Paula’s memberships include The Executive Leadership Council, National Society of Black Engineers, The Links Incorporated, Society of Petroleum Engineers and American Leadership Forum and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
aula has previously served as an elected official on the Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees. She was an integral part of developing theories of action, promoting strategy STEM planning and developing and managing the districts $1.6-billion-dollar budget. Her emphasis was increasing the academic achievement of the 215,000 children in the district. During her 8 years (2 terms) on the HISD Board of Trustees, Paula served as board president, and vice president and the district was recognized twice by the White House under her leadership. She is currently board President of the Energized for STEM Charter School.
Mrs. Harris is an author and her first book is titled “For Sister: The Guide for Professional Black Women.” Paula’s publishing company, MadisonHouse Publishing, next published her children’s book entitled “When I Grow UP, I Want to Be an Engineer”. This book has been translated into 4 languages and over 100,000 copies of this popular book have been distributed globally to school systems and STEM organizations. Paula’s passion is introducing children and especially girls around the globe to STEM education with a focus on coding and robotics. The book and workshops have been global initiatives to ensure that children from all walks of life can get exposed to and excited about STEM.
Paula is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Petroleum Engineering and she has also obtained a master’s in Educational Technology Design from Abilene Christian and certification in Sustainable Leadership from Cambridge University. Paula and her husband Dwayne own DPM Investments and Paula is excited about her new development, DPM Alliance Energy. They are also the proud parents of Madison Serelia Harris a senior at Spelman College in Atlanta majoring in Computer Science.
Currently, Ms. Harris is the Executive Director of the Astros Foundation and Senior Vice President of Community Affairs of the Houston Astros.
Any feedback will be welcome for the Evangeline Section meeting: SPEEvangelineSection@gmail.com
Meal headcount DEADLINE IS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17TH.
NOTE: If registered after October 17th, The Petroleum Club may not have enough prepared food for you to have lunch. Registration is required to attend the event.
You may still register until Oct 23rd.
SPE Members & Guests Register HERE for meal headcount by TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17TH.
Recommended guidelines regarding COVID-19 will be followed. Lunch served ~11:30 AM. Anyone with an interest in this subject is very welcome to attend.
*Note Pricing Details
SPE Members:
$25 if paid by Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
$30 if registered by October 17-23, 2023 and select Pay at Door.
Note the email invoice will show $25, but $30 will be charged at the door.
$30 if no pre-registration.
If you use a Petroleum Club Membership to pay, please register and choose Pay at Door. Your Petroleum Club account will be charged $30.
NON-SPE Members:
$35 if paid by Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
$40 if registered by October 17-23, 2023 and select Pay at Door.
Note the email invoice will show $35, but $40 will be charged at the door.
$40 if no pre-registration.
For Petroleum Club Membership to pay, please register and choose Pay at Door.
Your Petroleum Club account will be charged $40.
Students/Faculty: First ten (10) are free; >10 then $10 / $15 at the door. Students/Faculty must email David Boucher for lunch vouchers by Tuesday, October 23 and there is no need to register on the SPE website.
Members in Transition (looking for work) $0 in-person if pre-registered by Oct 23, 2023. Join us to network and keep your industry knowledge current at no cost if you are not currently employed. AND Please email David Boucher.
See this guide for step-by-step instructions on registering.
If you have trouble registering, try disabling the pop-up blocker in your web browser. If you continue to have problems, contact speevangelinesection@gmail.com.
To receive a Continuing Education Credit Certificate by email, please email Continuing Education Credit Certificate by October 25 or sign the roster at the meeting. You will be emailed after our meeting. Monthly Meeting = 1 CEU.
For questions: SPEEvangelineSection@gmail.com or
Heather Hodges or 337-849-3914 or Karen Lestelle or 337-277-0014