Next Event
The SPE San Joaquin Valley Section invites you to attend a general section meeting luncheon featuring Stuart Heisler and Carolina Wilshere of Anacapa Engineering and Design, Inc. on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Please note that we are back to our typical location and time as listed below!
California Oil
The Big Picture
Abstract:
Most SPE members work in the Upstream oil production sector and generally have a good understanding of the challenges affecting production. However, the California oil industry also includes Midstream oil transportation and Downstream oil refining which have their own challenges. All three sectors work together under a complex umbrella of state regulations aimed at reducing both supply and demand of hydrocarbon-based fuel. In addition, since California imports most of its oil, it's important to understand where the imports come from, how they are shipped, and how imports interact with in-state production. In this presentation, we attempt to explain the big picture of the California oil industry.
Speaker Bio:
Stuart Heisler has over 40 years of experience in conventional and alternative energy engineering. After earning a BS in Chemical Engineering at Wayne State University in 1982, he started his career with Shell Oil as a Production Engineer. He then worked as a Facilities Engineer for Chevron in the late 1980s before taking a position as a Process Engineer at TJ Cross Engineers in 1990 where he eventually became a partner and the Engineering Manager until the firm was acquired in 2015. After a brief stint at retirement, in 2017 Stuart co-founded Anacapa Engineering and Design, Inc. in Bakersfield, CA. Stuart holds a Mechanical Engineering License in CA and nine (9) US Patents in Solar Steam Generation for EOR. He is currently a member of SPE, API, and the Advisory Board at the California Energy Research Center (CERC) at CSUB.
After earning her BS in Chemical Engineering from the Instituto Tecnologico de Buenos Aires in Argentina, Carolina started her career in Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) in 2007 as a Workover and Operations Engineer managing mainly waterflood fields. In 2012, she moved to Bakersfield to work as a Senior Operations Engineer for Vintage Petroleum, deepening her experience managing waterflood, gas, and original pressure fields, and also supporting permitting and facilities projects. After taking some time off to start her family, Carolina joined Anacapa in 2021, where she eventually became a partner. Carolina holds a Chemical Engineering License in CA. She is currently a member of SPE, the Water Association of Kern County, Kern County Women in STEM, and enjoys supporting CSUB in all things STEM.
Date & Time:
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Doors open at 11:00 AM for lunch and networking; program begins at 11:40 AM.
Location:
Berry Annex Suite
11109 River Run Blvd
Bakersfield, CA 93311
Event Registration:
There is different pricing for members versus non-members, so please use the appropriate link to register. Join SPE today!
SPE MEMBER REGISTRATION LINK
NON-MEMBER REGISTRATION LINK
Registration will close 24 hours prior to the event. You can attend as a walk-in and pay at the event. However, walk-in lunch availability will be limited.
Members are encouraged to invite non-members to the event.