Driving Progress

During her 17 years in the energy industry, Jacqueline Schlachter, an operations manager at Marathon Petroleum Company, has seen tremendous progress, from technological advances to greater workplace diversity. And in her volunteer role co-leading the company’s women’s employee networking group, Arise, she has the opportunity to foster further change. 

Overall, women in her field are increasingly getting “a seat at the table,” she adds. She would like to help more get there. “I want to empower other women,” she adds.  

Through Arise, women who work at Marathon can connect with each other across divisions, share advice and find mentors – all within an inclusive environment which fosters the expression of ideas and opinions.

“We’ve done some great events with keynote speakers, panels and networking,” Schlachter says. “We’re also working on professional development for women interested in having additional training to further their careers.”

The Benefits of Diversity

In addition to the women-focused events and initiatives, Arise members interact with Marathon’s other employee networking groups, which center on Asian, Black, Hispanic, veterans and LGBTQ+ workers.

“It’s important to build allyship,” Schlachter says. “When you get different voices being heard, idea generation expands.”

Diversity of thought, inclusivity of those with different backgrounds and welcoming of all perspectives can lead to numerous advancements including cost-savings measures, enhanced safety protocols and increased sustainability.   

“Together, we can make progress not only for our company, but also for the industry and the overall workforce.”

Capitalizing on Technological Advances

Technological advances are also driving progress at Marathon — and across the industry.

“Technology is a huge part of what we do on a daily basis,” says Schlachter. “We literally have data in our hands every second.”

The benefits are manifold. Among them are more efficient task management, better equipment maintenance and reduced environmental impact.

“Where we’ve been and where we are today is just so incredibly different,” says Schlachter. “I am very excited to see what the next 10 years will hold.”

Working Proactively

Those with careers in natural gas and oil consistently and proactively think of improved ways to work, she adds.

“We’ve got a lot of smart, innovative people in our industry at all levels who are coming up with new ways to detect vapors, new ways to reduce emissions on their own — [and] not because someone told them that they needed to do it,” notes Schlachter.

Their initiative makes her optimistic.

“The future of natural gas and oil is bright,” she says. “Everyone is going to continue to innovate and come up with new ways to make things more efficient and cost-effective while continuing to be safe, reliable and helpful to our communities.”