mi energy 2013 program

NABJ Media Institute on Energy | www.NABJ.org 1

February 21-22, 2013Westin Houston Memorial CityHouston, Texas

NABJ Media Institute on Energy

#NABJEnergy13

The National Association of Black Journalists gratefully acknowledges the support and participation of our sponsors. Without you, we would not be able to provide services and programs to our members who help educate and broaden the world’s understanding of critical issues.

Sponsor contributions allow NABJ to provide quality programming to journalists, media professionals, journalism students and educators all year long through the NABJ Media Institute.


Dear NABJ Family,

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), it is my pleasure to welcome you to the inaugural Media Institute on Energy. Our distinguished panelists will offer their perspectives and expertise on energy practices and how they affect our communities locally and nationally. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with officials and leaders in the industry, and there will be an exclusive site visit to BP’s Houston Energy Facility.

This special conference offers empowering sessions to help journalists learn more about oil, gas, wind, solar and other alternative fuels, as well as energy issues including shale and offshore production. Journalists and media professionals will also gain insight on how to break into and thrive in energy journalism.

NABJ’s leadership is hard at work making NABJ indispensable to you; creating projects and programs that will bolster the strength of NABJ, pushing for jobs, creating training opportunities and advocating for better representation of African Americans in media coverage.

I would also like to give a special thanks to our conference chair, Cindy George, and her team for organizing such an informative program.

Thank you for joining us for this inaugural Media Institute on Energy. We are confident it will provide valuable resources you can take back to your respective newsrooms and companies.

In Service,

Gregory Lee, Jr.

PresidentNational Association of Black Journalists

NABJ Media Institute on Energy | www.NABJ.org4

National Association of Black Journalists38th Annual Convention & Career Fair July 31 - August 4, 2013Orlando, FloridaGaylord Palms

WWW.NABJ.ORG


Dear NABJ Members and Guests,

Welcome to the NABJ Media Institute on Energy. It is our pleasure to welcome you to this inaugural event in Houston to discuss an important topic which will impact our country physically, economically and politically for generations to come.

The goal of this conference is to give journalists the tools to effectively report on issues related to the energy industry including fracking, workforce needs and offshore production. In addition, this two-day institute will provide valuable information about the opportunities and challenges for those interested in pursuing careers in energy journalism.

We have pulled together some of the top leaders in the fields of science and technology to provide their expertise about energy exploration as well as renewable sources. The sessions will explore topics ranging from the economic impact of energy practices on various communities to the growth in alternative energy. Additionally, we’ll go to BP’s Houston Energy Facility for an exclusive site visit to learn more about offshore technology, supply trading and production technology.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, the staff and the members of the National Association of Black Journalists, we would like to thank our sponsors whose support made this conference possible. We also want to thank our speakers and conference attendees whose participation will help arm journalists with the tools to inform readers, listeners, viewers and social media circles about this vital aspect of our economy.

Yours in Service,

Cindy GeorgeConference Chair & NABJ ParliamentarianReporter, Houston Chronicle

Mary BentonNABJ Region V DirectorReporter, KPRC-TV (NBC) Post-Newsweek

Region III DirectorDedrick Russell

Region IV DirectorA. J. Ross

Region V DirectorMary Benton

Region VI DirectorMichelle Fitzhugh-Craig

Associate RepresentativeDawn Roberts

StudentRepresentativeWesley Lowery

Founded by 44 men and women on December 12, 1975, in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of journalists, students and media-related professionals that provides quality programs and services to and advocates on behalf of black journalists worldwide. Many of NABJ’s members also belong to one of the dozens of professional and student chapters that serve black journalists nationwide.

The NABJ Media Institute offers quality web seminars and hands-on professional development, entrepreneurial guidance, technical training at national and regional conferences as well as sponsored events around the country.

NABJ will host its next Annual Convention and Career Fair in Orlando, July 31- August 4, 2013. Thousands of the nation’s foremost journalists, students, educators and media professionals will gather to partake in full and half-day seminars designed to strengthen enhance their skills. For additional information visit, www.nabj.org

PresidentGregory Lee

Vice PresidentBroadcastBob Butler

Vice PresidentPrintErrin Haines

SecretaryLisa D. Cox

TreasurerKeith Reed

ParliamentarianCindy George

Region I DirectorSherlon Christie

Region II DirectorCorey Dade

Executive DirectorMaurice Foster

Executive AssistantNatalia Prakash

Finance ManagerNathaniel Chambers

Membership ManagerVeronique Dodson

Program ManagersJannice HodgeTiane Johnson

ConsultantPaul Brock

Administrative Assistant Scott Berry

About NABJNABJ Board of Directors

NABJ Staff

6 NABJ Media Institute on Energy | www.NABJ.org


Thursday, February 217:00 a.m. CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. WELCOME & ENERGY OVERVIEW Greeting from Houston Mayor Annise Parker Greetings from Houston Congressman Al Green

8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. WORKSHOP I: Shale PlayThere are vast new energy resources being developed in the United States. Natural gas exploration is familiar to residents of the Midwest, but new discoveries and technologies are bringing similar opportunities to the Southwest, North, and Northeast. What is shale gas and how will it impact communities?

Moderator: Talia Buford, Energy Reporter, POLITICO ProPanelists: Don Van Nieuwenhuise, Director, University of Houston,

9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. WORKSHOP II: Offshore Production Economies around the world need energy – and plenty of it – to grow. Increasingly, that energy lies beneath the oceans of the world. Here in the United States, the Gulf of Mexico is an increasingly accessed basin for oil, accounting for nearly one-third of U.S. daily energy supplies. Why is offshore production valuable to the energy supply and the United States?

Moderator: Simone Sebastian, Assistant Editor, FuelFix, Houston Chronicle Media Group

Professional Geoscience ProgramsLaura Legere, Staff Writer, Scranton Times-Tribune Stephanie Wissman, Executive Director, Associated Petroleum Industries of PennsylvaniaErich Schwartzel, Energy Reporter, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteJerry Eumont, CFA, Managing Director/Consulting, Energy & Natural Resources, IHS

Panelists: Matthew Franchek, Director, Subsea Engineering Certificate Program, University of Houston Charlie Williams, Executive Director, Center for Offshore SafetyMarc Payne, General Manager New Ventures and Growth, Africa and Latin America E&P Operating Company, ChevronRandy Wester, Director, Global Subsea Engineering, FMC Technologies


11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. WORKSHOP III: Supply and Demand on Main Street: The ups and downs of pricing We’ve all seen it – a hurricane impacts the Gulf Coast. So why does the price of gasoline rise on the East Coast? And what are boutique fuels and why do they cause fluctuations in the price of gasoline? How do market forces impact the price at the pump?

Moderator: Brian Balboa, Senior Editor/Manager, ICIS, HoustonPanelists: Ray Dempsey, Vice President, Government Relations, BPDr. Zahid Iqbal, Professor, School of Business, Texas Southern UniversityRayola Dougher, Senior Economic Advisor, American Petroleum Institute

12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. WORKING LUNCH: Economics of Energy – Jobs, environment and the value propositionIn a stagnant economy, the energy sector has been a job creation machine. Find out why the prospects for jobs and continued growth in the sector are bright. API will also unveil an exclusive study that tracks these trends in minority communities. Moderator: Sylvester Monroe, Journalist/Editor, MarketplacePanelists: Carlos Rodriguez, Principal Research Scientist, American Institute for ResearchFrank M. Stewart, Managing Partner, FM Stewart Consulting and Former President, American Association of Blacks in EnergyHeidi VanGenderen, Director of Public Engagement, U.S. Department of EnergyRayola Dougher, Senior Economic Advisor, American Petroleum Institute

2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. WORKSHOP IV: Alternative Energy The current administration has made ‘clean energy’ the centerpiece of its energy strategy. What are the next steps in developing wind, solar, biofuels and other renewable sources? Executives making crucial decisions in the field discuss the opportunities and challenges.

Moderator: Kristi Swartz, Business Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Panelists: John Pappas, Associate Director, Texas A&M University Energy InstituteDick Williams, President, Shell Wind EnergyJoaquin Altenberg, Managing Partner, VERT Investment Group

Thursday, February 21


3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. WORKSHOP V: Working as a Journalist in Energy This is an overview of ways to break into the field of energy journalism, what resources are available to current journalists, where to find opportunities and how to pitch stories. Moderator: Cindy George, Reporter & The Houston Advocate, Houston ChroniclePanelists: Talia Buford, Energy Reporter, POLITICO Pro Simone Sebastian, Assistant Editor, FuelFix, Houston Chronicle Media GroupRuth Liao, Editor, LNG Americas, ICIS Heren

5:00 p.m. ADJOURNMENT6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. EVENING RECEPTION 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. DINNER

Friday, February 22

BP Energy Facility Site VisitHouston, Texas

7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. BREAKFAST

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. HELIOS PLAZA (supply trading)

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. HIVE VISIT (production technology)

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ROUNDTABLE (by invitation only)

Thursday, February 21


Speaker Bios

Brian Balboa joined ICIS in 2004 in Houston, and has covered a range of petrochemical markets. He is the editor of the flagship U.S. reports on Benzene and Styrene, the highest-profile feedstocks in the chemical chain. His market analysis on U.S. aromatics is highly sought after in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Contact him at [email protected].

Talia Buford is an energy reporter for POLITICO Pro, where she covers hydraulic fracturing, natural gas and arctic drilling. Before joining POLITICO, she spent five years at The Providence (R.I.) Journal, where she specialized in legal affairs, often homing in on technology within the criminal justice system. Contact her at [email protected].

Ray Dempsey, Jr., is vice president of government and public affairs for BP America in Washington. Dempsey is a 22-year veteran of BP. He has served as vice president, strategy and portfolio for BP’s fuels value chain strategic performance unit, a “Fortune 100”-sized division of BP, where he had responsibility for crude oil and fuel products market analysis. He is the president of the BP Foundation.

Rayola Dougher is a senior economic advisor for the American Petroleum Institute (API) and is with the Institute's Office of the Chief Economist. Her efforts focus on informing policymakers, the media and the public on energy market issues and trends. In addition to testifying before federal and state legislators, she has participated in numerous newspaper and radio interviews. Contact her at [email protected].

Matthew Franchek is founding director of the University of Houston’s subsea engineering program, the first of its kind in the country. The subsea master’s program, expected to begin in fall 2013, will teach the scientific and technical skills necessary to create the first generation of formally trained subsea engineering specialists.

Joaquin Altenberg is a managing partner for VERT Investment Group. He founded VERT Investment Group in 2008 after building another leading renewable energy company from a team of five people to more than 90. As head of the Renewable Development Group, he focused on wind, solar, methane capture, biomass and other utility scale renewable energy solutions.


Cindy George is a multimedia journalist for the Houston Chronicle who has translated her health reporting expertise into a new assignment as The Houston Advocate. In this role, she writes a Saturday newspaper column and powers a consumer affairs and government watchdog blog called, The Houston Advocate. She serves as Parliamentarian of the National Association of Black Journalists. Contact her at [email protected].

Laura Legere is a Scranton Times-Tribune award-winning staff writer who provides in-depth coverage of the environment. Legere has been recognized by the Society of Environmental Journalists for her coverage of Marcellus Shale drilling. Contact her at [email protected].

Ruth Liao is editor of ICIS Heren’s Americas LNG team in Houston, providing pricing assessments, market news and analysis on liquefied natural gas (LNG) global trade. She oversees and leads coverage of industry breaking news, project developments in North and South America and short-term trading market trends. Contact her at [email protected].

Dr. Zahid Iqbal is a professor of finance in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University. He obtained his Ph.D. in finance at the University of North Texas and joined Texas Southern University in 1988. He is currently the chair of the Department of Accounting and Finance.

Sylvester Monroe is an award-winning journalist and author. Most recently he has been an independent contractor for clients including American Public Media and Oracle Corp. At American Public Media, he works as a senior editor for the national public radio show Marketplace. He is also a contributing writer and editor for theroot.com. Prior to becoming an independent contractor, Monroe was a Senior Editor at EBONY magazine.

Jerry Eumont, CFA, is the managing director of Consulting, Energy and Natural Resources at IHS. He has 25 years of upstream, operations, and management consulting experience and is an expert within IHS on Unconventional Resource asset/play valuation and resource assessment for North and South America. Before joining IHS Global Inc., Jerry was a principal in two independent oil and gas firms focused in Texas and Louisiana.


Marc Payne is a Business Development Manager in the Global Gas division of Chevron Corporation based in San Ramon, CA. Marc’s primary focus is to assist in the commercial development of Chevron’s major natural gas, pipeline, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) and GTL (Gas to Liquids) projects around the world.

Dr. Carlos Rodriguez serves as a Principal Research Scientist at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). He is nationally recognized for his expertise on issues of equity, access and educational attainment for minority populations in K-12 and higher education, especially in STEM in higher education. He has ongoing work with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on evaluation issues related to underrepresented minorities and cultural contexts and has chaired NSF proposal review committees. Contact him at [email protected].

Erich Schwartzel is an energy reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and edits the newspaper’s Pipeline website, which focuses on news concerning the Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling site. Additionally, he hosts “In the Pipeline,” an online video news feature on Pipeline. He and his staff earned a 2011 Scripps Howard environmental reporting award for their work on Pipeline. Contact him at [email protected].

Simone Sebastian is an award-winning reporter with work published in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle and other major metropolitan newspapers. She has chronicled the revolution of U.S. energy production for the Houston Chronicle. Simone currently covers energy for the Houston Chronicle and FuelFix.com. Follow her @SimonesNews on Twitter and contact her at [email protected].

John Pappas is associate director of the Texas A&M Energy Engineering Institute (EEI). Pappas is the Vestas director of the Texas A&M Wind Energy Center, the first center formed under the EEI. Pappas is a registered professional engineer and was previously employed as a principal investigator, program manager and director of business development at the Center for Electromechanics, one of the largest research institutes at the University of Texas at Austin. Contact him at [email protected].


Frank M. Stewart is a consultant as well as a former President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) whose members are energy professionals from all sectors of the industry. Energy efficiency and renewable energy have been Stewart's professional focus for nearly 30 years. From 1994 until his retirement from federal service in 2002, Stewart was the senior executive in charge of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Golden, Colorado office. From 1990 to 1994, he served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy. Contact him at [email protected].

Kristi Swartz recently returned to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's business desk to focus on utilities, telecommunications and media. Before that, she spent two years as a member of the "Breaking news" team at AJC.com. She has spent 10 years as a business reporter, covering media, telecom and the business of sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Prior to that she covered energy and utilities for The Palm Beach Post as well as North Carolina's emerging biotech and start-up community for the Winston-Salem Journal. Contact her at [email protected].

Heidi VanGenderen is the Director of the Office of Public Engagement in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy. As such, she oversees efforts to effectively build the narrative supporting a clean energy economy; convey the Administration’s energy accomplishments and plans going forward; reinforce the “all of the above” strategy and strategic message framework; and help create the space for a robust clean energy policy discussion and agenda going forward through coordinated engagement. Contact her at [email protected].

Don Van Nieuwenhuise is director of the University of Houston’s professional geoscience and applied sequence and biostratigraphy programs. He is a research associate professor in the geosciences department and an adjunct professor in the petroleum engineering program. His previous experience includes 18 years with AMOCO in stratigraphic research, stratigraphic applications and management. Prior to joining AMOCO, he was a geologist for MOBIL in New Orleans, where he successfully drilled more than 15 exploration, production and blow-out kill wells.


Randy Wester is the global Director of Subsea Engineering at FMC Technologies, a $6 billion company that is a leading provider of technology solutions for the oil and gas industry. Randy graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and has worked for FMC for 32 years developing, delivering and managing subsea technologies for applications in deepwater basins around the world. Contact him at [email protected].

Richard “Dick” Williams is president of Shell WindEnergy, Inc. Based in Houston. Dick Williams joined Shell in 1980 after receiving his Electrical Engineering degree from Penn State. He spent 28 years in Shell’s Pipeline and Distribution businesses, holding numerous leadership positions in Engineering, Operations, Commercial, and Joint Venture activities. His last role there was Commercial Manager, responsible for all customer-facing activities. He was also involved with several major restructurings. Contact him at [email protected].

Stephanie Catarino Wissman joined the Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania as Executive Director in October 2011. API-PA, a division of the American Petroleum Institute (API), is the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Prior to joining API-PA, Ms. Wissman served for 4 years as the Director of Government Affairs for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the largest broad based business advocacy association in Pennsylvania. Contact her at [email protected].

Charlie Williams is the executive director for the Center for Offshore Safety. Williams has served as chief scientist for well engineering and production technology since 2005 and he has 40 years of experience working in the oil and gas industry. He directed a task force that helped develop COS and served as chairman of the COS governing board. Contact him at [email protected].


NABJ Calendar of Events

NABJ Region III Conference March 8-10, 2013

Charlotte, NC

2013 NABJ Conference on Health, Health Policy and Health Inequities

April 4-6, 2013Barbara Jordan Conference Center

Kaiser Family Foundation1330 G Street NWWashington, DC

NABJ Board of Directors Spring Meeting

April 12-14, 2013Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center

Orlando, FL

2013 Annual Convention & Career Fair July 31-August 4, 2013 Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center

Orlando, FL


1100 Knight Hall, Suite #3100College Park, MD 20742

Tel (301) 405-2048 Fax (301) 314-1714www.NABJ.org

mi energy 2013 program

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