Women in Energy: Emily Liss

Mar 31, 2022 / Blog

In celebration of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, LAGCOE is highlighting women who have been instrumental in the energy industry and supporters of our organization. Our intern, Meredith Privat, interviewed six women. Here is the fourth, Emily Hiss.

“For me, being a mother made me a better professional, because coming home every night to my girls reminded me what I was working for. And being a professional made me a better mother, because by pursuing my dreams, I was modeling for my girls how to pursue their dreams.”

—Michelle Obama, lawyer, author, and former First Lady of the United States

Women have had the challenge of being overlooked in history, though there have been many great contributions towards society that would not have been possible without them. We all know about famous names in energy such as Nikola Tesla and Albert Einstein, but what about Edith Clarke, inventor of the Clarke Calculator, or Lise Meitner, the scientist discovered nuclear fission?  Americans highlight the overlooked figures by celebrating Women’s History this month. To commemorate the month of March, LAGCOE will be looking at some modern women in the Energy Industry who have worked hard in their positions in various companies.

Name:  Emily Liss

Company/Organization:  Expro

Position:  Commercial Manager – North America, Mexico, and Caribbean

Emily Liss received her bachelor’s degree in social work at Arizona State University and her Master of Business Administration at the University of Louisiana. She has worked for Expro (formerly Frank’s International, LLC) for 8 years.  Following the completion of her MBA, she joined the energy industry with this job at Expro.

“I am happy that I found a role within this industry,” she says. “The industry has had a lot of ups and downs since I started in 2014 and we’ve had to adapt many times to remain viable during the toughest of times over the last few years.” She notes that there have been many changes that have been observed by those who work with oil and gas. “I love that the side of the industry that my company works in is fast-paced, competitive, and dynamic.  Every day brings new challenges, and every day is interesting.”

As more women decide on stepping into science, technology, engineering, and math to propel their careers forward through male dominated industries, they rely on role models who have maintained great work and opened more opportunity. Emily states, “If you are trained in STEM principles, you can add more value within your position at a future company with your knowledge base and skills.” Today, skills are just as important as education and experiences, so investing in yourself is a must.

While she has done well both in her education and career, there have still been hurdles in Emily’s way that other women have experienced. “In my career in this industry, there have been times where I’ve felt overlooked as a woman, especially once I went on maternity leave and had more personal priorities competing with my career priorities.  I still actively work to overcome disadvantages by working hard, proving my value and capabilities, and challenging myself within my work to learn and accomplish new things.” Many women find it challenging to overcome the pressure to do well at work and at home, juggling the struggles of being a mother with the need to preform well at work. However, more and more women are overcoming this societal barrier that says that mothers have a harder time at work. If anything, they are the ones who are creating faster solutions, adapting quickly to change, balancing priorities within the companies that they work with, and so much more. “Females are becoming more and more prominent in management roles within this industry, so the future is bright for upcoming women in the profession.”

Emily works hard to be a good role model to others. “I try my best to be a role model for my peers, both male and female.  While Commercials is more of an administrative field, I still interact regularly with other departments, including Engineering, Operations, Sales, Management, etc.  There are many instances where I’m the only female in a meeting or on a project team.   I try my best to ensure that I’m an active, contributing, and respected member of that team, and I feel that every interaction paves the way for the next female that will be a part of the team.” Emily helps us remember that as a woman in this industry, we are all paving the way for a future that embraces the women who will join the oil and gas industry for generations.

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 Blog entry by Meredith Privat. Meredith is an intern with LAGCOE majoring in Visual arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.