I worked with a geologist, a land man, and an operations engineer to manage and optimize production for a field in West Texas. My challenge was to maximize the value of the current operations and look for future development opportunities. When I joined the team, it was kind of band of misfits trying to hold together an old field nobody cared about. By the end, we were amazing senior managers with the potential we had uncovered. I was proud of the work we did and the camaraderie and teamwork we forged. This was my last assignment as a corporate engineer before walking away to move back to my hometown and pursue a career as a writer.

I served as a liaison between the IT and Engineering functions at ExxonMobil. Management recognized that there was a disconnect between the two departments and sent me to be a bridge. I was embedded with an IT team, and spent almost two years helping IT and Engineering communicate and collaborate to get things done. Along the way, IT decided to go Agile and I served as the Product Owner for a team of software developers. This was the assignment I never expected. It opened my eyes to the world of IT and changed my perspective forever.

I served as a Loaned Executive from ExxonMobil to United Way of Greater Houston for the Fall 2016 campaign season. I primarily supported the LINC group to encourage young professionals to support United Way. I traveled all over the city of Houston speaking to groups about the work of UWGH, led bus tours of UWGH agencies, and planned and led LINC volunteer events. Plus, I got to experience some quintessential non-profit moments, such as going to pick up 40 garbage bags of stuffed animals from a donor's house. My time as a Loaned Executive was one of the most fun and rewarding assignments of my career at ExxonMobil.

I worked to plan & develop major international oil projects in the Middle East & Russia. My responsibilities included reservoir simulation, development planning, drill well planning & reservoir surveillance. This was a highly technical assignment that also required teamwork and cooperation across multiple departments. I learned to troubleshoot glitchy simulation programs, to convince gruff drillers to try new technology, and to communicate effectively with decisionmakers.