Katie Mehnert

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Katie Mehnert
Katie-Mehnert.jpg
Born (1975-12-27) December 27, 1975 (age 46)
New Orleans, Louisiana
NationalityAmerican
Alma materLouisiana State University
Rice University
Center for Houston’s Future
Years active1997-current
Employer
TitleChief Executive Officer
Spouse(s)Mark Mehnert
Websitewww.katiemehnert.com

Katie Mehnert is an energy executive, American entrepreneur, business author, activist,[1] and speaker. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ALLY Energy,[2] formerly known as Pink Petro, a global social media platform and careers site created to address an equitable energy transition.[3][4][5][6][7]

Career[]

Mehnert worked as a Management Consultant from 1997-2004 in the energy industry with Enron, Duke Energy, Waste Management, and Entergy. She left her position to join Shell as a Global Program & Change Leader in 2004, having stayed for 7 years working in health and safety.[8] She then joined BP as the director of culture, safety and operational risk after the Deepwater Horizon spill.[9][10]

In 2013, during a flight from London to Houston, the idea of Pink Petro came to mind.[11][12] She left BP to launch Pink Petro in 2014 to focus on improving the livelihoods of women professionals in the energy industry by creating a social media and a learning community.[13][14][15] She launched the community with initial support from Shell, Halliburton and KPMG.

A year later, the HERWorld Energy forum was started in 2016 as a way for the energy industry to celebrate International Women’s Day .[16]

In 2020, Mehnert launched ALLY Energy and in 2021, she acquired Clean Energy Social[17]a jobs and networking community for the clean energy industry. The deal expands ALLY's platform into the solar, wind, power, oil and gas, power and utilities, biofuels, hydrogen, geothermal, carbon capture, and other sectors that make up the energy transition.

Education[]

Mehnert received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in 1997 and later attended Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, in 2009, for executive education in energy. She is a graduate of the Center for Houston’s Future.[18]

Equity in Energy[]

In 2020, Mehnert was appointed by the Honorable James Campos to serve as an Ambassador[19] to the United States Department of Energy in its Equity and Energy initiative. The Equity in Energy initiative is designed to expand the inclusion and participation of individuals in underserved communities, such as minorities, women, veterans, and formerly incarcerated persons, in all the programs of the Department of Energy and in the private energy sector. Equity in Energy is working to secure America's national security and energy dominance through maximizing and engaging all human capital to ensure America's independence for generations to come.

Awards[]

For her advocacy in gender and racial equality in the energy sector, Mehnert was named a Top 40 under 40 in The Houston Business Journal.[20] She was named a Top Woman to Watch in Energy[21] and a Top 50 Houston Woman.[22] She’s also received the Vanguard Award for developing a pool of talent in STEM careers from Girls Inc, and the recipient of the YWCA’s Top Woman in Energy.[23] Mehnert has also received the Women Who Mean Business award in energy[24] and was named a Global World Affairs Council Leader of Influence in 2021.[25]

Hurricane Harvey[]

In August 2017, Mehnert lost her West Houston home and business due to the federal ordered reservoir releases made by the United States Army Corps of Engineers during Hurricane Harvey.[26][27] While Harvey dumped a few feet of water into her home, the Mehnert's were able to stay on the second story. But a controlled release of nearby reservoirs washed through neighborhoods like hers in west Houston, submerging many homes above the first story. She and her daughter were rescued by volunteers Aug. 29.[28]

Advocacy and Activism[]

In 2021, Mehnert joined the cast of Hot Money[29][30] a documentary aimed at discussing the financial impact of climate change. The film was directed by Susan Kucera and produced by actor Jeff Bridges and former General NATO Commander Wesley Clark.

References[]

  1. ^ Schneider, Andrew (2020-08-26). "3 Years After Harvey, Reservoir Flood Risks Remain". Houston Public Media. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  2. ^ "Introducing ALLY: the online community of the energy workforce". PRWeb. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  3. ^ Johnson, Mary (1 Mar 2016). "Woman to watch: Pink Petro founder hosts global forum for women in energy". The Business Journals.
  4. ^ Price, Susan (4 August 2015). "This industry has even fewer women than tech".
  5. ^ Shah, Angela (22 October 2014). "Social Site Pink Petro Aims to Raise the Energy Industry's XX-Factor". Xconomy Inc (published 16 November 2016).
  6. ^ Shay, Miya (21 August 2015). "Houston economists wonder how low the price of oil will go". ABC 13 (published 16 November 2016).
  7. ^ "Katie Mehnert: Foster Industry Communities to Promote Women". Texas Monthly. 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  8. ^ Beeke, B. Candace (20 April 2015). "5 Houstonians to know and one to sort of feel bad for". The Business Journals (published 16 November 2016).
  9. ^ Blum, Jordan (28 August 2015). ""Pink" oil and gas social platform for women prepares Houston launch". The Business Journals.
  10. ^ Smith, Jacquelyn (27 May 2014). "2 Signs You're Working For A Terrible Boss". Business Insider (published 16 November 2016).
  11. ^ "Connect, Create, Share, Show Up…Life with Katie Mehnert". MomCom Life (published 16 November 2016). 6 December 2013.
  12. ^ "Katie Mehnert - Pink Petro". The Business Makers.
  13. ^ Johnson, Mary (9 March 2016). "HOUSTON: The pied piper of women in energy". The Business Journals.
  14. ^ McMullen, Maureen (26 March 2015). "How social technology connects women in the energy industry". Bakken.com (published 16 November 2016).
  15. ^ Aringoli, Federico (4 July 2014). "Una red social para cerrar la brecha en el petróleo". Rionegro (published 16 November 2016).
  16. ^ "Woman to watch: Pink Petro founder hosts global forum for women in energy". bizjournals.com. 2016. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  17. ^ "Houston energy startup makes strategic acquisition, doubles community size". InnovationMap. 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  18. ^ McNamara, Clare (27 May 2015). "Katie Mehnert On Life As A Marathon". Move Ahead Global (published 16 November 2016).
  19. ^ "Equity in Energy™". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  20. ^ Harms, Natalie (13 September 2016). "Here are HBJ's 2016 40 Under 40 Honorable Mentions". The Business Journals.
  21. ^ "5 Women to Watch in the Energy Industry". knect365.com. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  22. ^ Administrator. "50 Women". houstonwomanmagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  23. ^ "YWCA Houston announces 2016 Honorees for 30th Annual Outstanding Women's Luncheon" (PDF). YMCA Houston. 16 November 2016.
  24. ^ www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2020/10/16/2020-wwmb-energy.html. Retrieved 2021-10-31. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ^ "2021 Global Leader of Influence – Katie Mehnert - World Affairs Council of Greater Houston". wachouston.org. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  26. ^ reporter, miya shay, eyewitness news (2017-09-06). "Resident: My neighborhood is a retention pond". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  27. ^ "The Deliberate Flooding of West Houston". Houstonia. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  28. ^ "Natural Disaster Survivors Share Their Stories | Reader's Digest". Reader's Digest. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  29. ^ "Katie Mehnert Gives Her Take On The "Hot Money" Documentary - Talk 107.3FM". Talk 107.3. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  30. ^ Hot Money (2021) - IMDb, retrieved 2021-10-31

External links[]

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