Bank of America Women's Leadership Series

Many of tomorrow's best-paying careers will require training or education in a STEM discipline. Research shows that nearly 20 percent of all current U.S. jobs require STEM skills, and projections estimate that STEM jobs will grow about 9 percent over the next few years.

Houston is best known as the "Energy Capital of the World," which brings rise to the need for talented individuals to work in STEM fields.There is also a strong need for women to be more engaged in STEM careers and empower the next generation to be leaders in industries which have historically had a male majority.

Join Asia Society Texas Center for an enlightening conversation with energy executives on the importance of STEM education, leadership roles in STEM, challenges and opportunities in entering the STEM field, STEM's impact on economic sustainability, and how STEM education empowers the next generation of women leaders.

Schedule

6 p.m. | Reception
7 p.m. | Program

About the Speakers

Jennifer Chan is head of Planning and Business Development for ExxonMobil Chemical Company. In this role, she is currently leading the company’s culture transformation effort in addition to overseeing mergers and acquisitions, financial planning, and strategy development. Jennifer earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering practice from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992/1993. She joined Exxon in 1993 at the Baton Rouge Chemical Plant in Louisiana, and has since worked in a variety of planning, marketing, supply, and manufacturing positions, including Singapore Chemical Plant technical manager and Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant site manager. She has lived in Texas, London and Singapore, and has worked in ExxonMobil’s gas & power and refining & supply companies in addition to the chemical company. Jennifer is a long-standing active member of the Chemical Women’s Leadership Team which strives to grow and retain female talent across all levels and functions of ExxonMobil Chemical Company through visible female leadership. She is also an active mentor in ExxonMobil’s Women’s Interest Network, and serves on the board of advisors of ExxonMobil’s employee veterans’ advocacy support organization.

Dr. Janet Kong is the CEO, Supply & Trading Eastern Hemisphere, BP Singapore. The portfolio covers BP’s oil, gas, chemicals, carbon and finance trading activities, spanning the Middle East, Southern & East Africa, Australia, India, South East Asia and China. Previously for BP, she was the Head of Market Analysis for the Eastern Hemisphere oil analytics team. Prior to joining BP, Dr. Kong was Chief Strategist at China International Capital Corp (CICC) in charge of the overall investment analyses across assets and markets. Dr. Kong was also the Managing Director of Global Commodities at Goldman Sachs Asia where she contributed to the global commodity analysis and was the lead writing analyst on base and precious metals, formulating views and conducting analysis on the latest market development and future outlook, making trade recommendations, and leading strategic research. She has also worked for the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC as a country economist. Dr. Kong holds both a Ph.D. and an MA in Economics from Georgetown University and has written various papers and publications for the IMF, the World Bank, and HKMA.

Liz Schwarze assumed the role of vice president of Global Exploration for Chevron Upstream in April 2018 and is responsible for the company’s worldwide exploration program. Liz joined Chevron in 1990 as a development geologist in the Gulf of Mexico and has held positions of increasing responsibility in exploration, reservoir management, finance and business planning. She has worked on projects in Venezuela and Angola as well as the San Joaquin Valley and Permian Basin areas of the United States. Recent roles have included general manager of Exploration for Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company, based in Houston; general manager of Exploration for Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production Company, based in Singapore; and division manager of Exploration and Reservoir Characterization Services for Chevron’s Energy Technology Company, also in Houston. Liz holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Duke University, a master’s degree in geology from The University of Texas at Austin and a master’s in business administration from Tulane University. She is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Additional speakers and moderator will be announced.

About the Women's Leadership Series

The Bank of America Women's Leadership Series (WLS) celebrates influential, diverse women making a substantive impact in both the business and culture arenas, locally and globally.

Previous programs:

Bank of America Women’s Leadership Series Kicks Off 2018-2019 Season with Celebrated Female Asian Chefs
Asia Society Concludes 2017-2018 Women's Leadership Series with Women in Fashion Evening
Technology Trailblazers on the Business of Innovation
Third Year of Women’s Leadership Series Begins with Medical Innovators
Former UK First Lady Leads Dialogue on Women’s Education
Social Innovator Shares Her Story and Passion for Creating a More Secure Future
Women's Leadership Panel Addresses Female Representation in the C-Suite
Former Secretary of Labor Credits "Strong Families, Education, and Hard Work" for Success
Local Leaders Share Personal and Professional Successes at Inaugural Women's Leadership Program

The Women's Leadership Series Steering committee is chaired by Mandy Kao and Y. Ping Sun. Members include Nancy C. Allen, Lisa Barksdale, Dr. Anne Chao, Kathy Goossen, Dr. Ellen Gritz, Dr. Michelle Herrera, Brigitte Kalai, Shirley Kwan, Sultana Mangalji, Davana Petree and Vani Rao.

Title Sponsor 

Presenting Sponsors 

Lead Sponsors 

Nancy C. Allen
Susan Boggio
Anne and Albert Chao
Brigitte Kalai
Mandy and William Kao
 
Additional Support

Kathy and Marty Goossen
Dr. Yasmine Haddad
Dr. Michelle Herrera
Y. Ping Sun and David Leebron
Sahana and Kishore Sundararajan

Special Friends

Cindy Chan + Manli Cai
Cooking Girl Restaurant l Crown Dental l Fane Well School l The Goddard School, Sugar Land
Shaobo Du + Kathy Pang
Betty Gee + Tammy Su
Tiffany Le
Gina Li
Dr. Alice Mao
Diana Sun
Priscilla Zhu