The Latest Chapter

When is the last time you logged on – and updated your summary?

Read what others are doing…update your summary today.

Cynthia and Joe Thomas both worked for ARCO in Accounting. Cynthia recently retired from Berry Corporation after two stints totaling 20 years; prior to that she had 17 years at ARCO Oil and Gas and ARCO Western Energy in both the Dallas and Bakersfield offices. Joe worked for ARCO Oil and Gas and ARCO Western Energy for 19 years and at Contek (a sponsor of many Dallas ARCO happy hours!) for 10 years as well as stints at Ice Cream Partners (Nestle/Haagen Dazs) and teaching high school math. “We are retired and enjoy volunteering (school and church), going to the gym and traveling (including visiting grandchildren in California).”

Pictured below are Cynthia and Joe Thomas, with Bob and Sandy Schow, fellow ARCO Oil and Gas and ARCO Western Energy colleagues. They recently reconnected in Granbury. “We kept in touch for birthdays, but saw each other in person in October for the first time in YEARS!,” shared Cynthia.

Chris Lewis worked for ARCO and IBM before joining BP in Houston as a finance advisor since 2007.

Edmund Sierra is an advisor and consultant to clients in energy, oil and gas, and resource development.

Mike Reddin retired from full-time work; he is serving as an independent director for a couple of small energy companies.

Craig Moseley traveled with his daughter to visit the temples of the Angkor Wat complex and other parts of Cambodia in 2024.  “We also spent a few days in Taiwan on the way to Cambodia,” said Craig. “My wife and I also welcomed our first grandchild to the family in 2024!”

Industry Optimism

As a global subsurface solution team lead with BP, chair of the SPE membership committee and an active mentor, Vivek Peraser sees a wealth of opportunity . “I am feeling optimistic about what the future holds,” said Vivek. “To meet increasing demands, oil and gas companies have to continue investing in oil and gas development. During and after covid, there was a perception the world was moving toward a fossil fuel free world. With the supply crunch, we are realizing fossil fuel is here to stay and we will transition more slowly to renewable energy.”

“My personal vision is to be the mentor I sought when I began my career over a decade ago. With social media platforms, it has become easier to build connections. Asking questions is always a valuable step towards growth and success. Through my role with BP and SPE, I encourage people to connect with me. I am available through LinkedIn, and most of the mentoring I am doing is with someone I have not met before. They might have a question, ask me to review their resume or CV, or ask for job recommendations. The reward for me is when they keep in touch, and share where they are working.

Vivek’s career trajectory includes a Masters in petroleum engineering from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, followed by work as a production and reservoir engineer in Prudhoe. With BP Alaska’s acquisition by Hilcorp, a three year role in Houston became permanent. Today, Vivek is leading a project offshore the East Coast of Canada in a JV with Equinor. Outside of BP, he is active with SPE and received the SASE – Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers Achievement award in 2024.

Other member updates:

Don D’Armond is fully retired and focusing on volunteer work in Houston. He restored a 1960 Chevy Impala and has five grandchildren in Houston and Austin.

Janeen Judah is on the boards of Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ: PTEN) and private Aethon Energy. Nonprofit commitments include president of SPE Foundation and president of Phi Mu Foundation. Janeen is dividing her time between Bryan/College Station, Houston & Holland, Michigan.

Randall Mills is CEO of L&M Financial, dba Ant Farm Development Services. “I have been a pioneer in the Information Technology Automation and AI for over 39 years. I am passionate about using technology and artificial intelligence to help businesses be profitable and succeed. I was Vice President, Strategic Marketing, CitiGroup / Associates First Capital Corp. ) and 10 years in gas accounting / natural gas marketing with AOGC Dallas.”

Tom Schmid is currently retired and practiceing law a little.  Traveling a lot with family and 3 beautiful grandkids.  Lots of fun. Staying busy with home projects and visiting old acquantices and friends from overseas.  I enjoy the ARCO happy hours and hope to get to more of them next year.