Interview with 2006 SPE President Eve Sprunt

Abstract

2006 SPE President Eve Sprunt is Senior Technical Advisor for Chevron Technology Ventures in San Ramon, California, which manages Chevron’s research, venture investing, and business ventures in emerging energy technologies such as hydrogen, wind, solar, and biomass. She previously was Venture Executive for the company’s Venture Equities and Energy and Power Funds. She joined Chevron in 2000 as Senior Science and Technology Coordinator, Health, Environment, and Safety, managing the corporation’s global climate change policy. Before joining Chevron, Sprunt worked for 21 years for Mobil Corp., including positions in upstream new business development. In addition, she worked in research and development in a wide range of technologies, including formation evaluation and production engineering. Sprunt holds 23 patents and has authored 28 technical articles, edited two books, and has been a frequent editorial columnist for petroleum industry publications, including JPT. A member of SPE since 1980, she was named a Distinguished Member in 2000. Sprunt was a member of the SPE Board of Directors during 1991–94 and earned the North, East, and Central Texas Region Service Award in 1996. Her many Society activities include service as a Distinguished Lecturer, Senior Technical Editor of SPE publications, Executive Editor of SPE Formation Evaluation, and Program Committee Chairperson of the 1988 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE). Sprunt is a founder of the Soc. of Core Analysts and has served on visiting committees for the Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT) and the Colorado School of Mines. She earned BS and MS degrees from MIT in Earth and planetary sciences and a PhD degree from Stanford U. in geophysics. What do you hope to accomplish in your year as SPE President? As President, I will focus on what we can do to improve the image of the petroleum industry. Since joining Chevron, my work has been outside of traditional E&P career assignments. I have been responsible for global climate change policy and now alternative energy. After working with people in the downstream, I realized that most of us in the upstream do not have the information to defend the use of our products. When somebody challenges society’s need for hydrocarbons, we do not tell them why oil is such a good product, how it competes on an environmental basis, or why the world needs oil to the extent that, when we produce it, people come running to get it. So the major theme for my presidency will be to get the message out about the great benefits our products provide for society. Our industry has some powerful and moving stories to tell, and I hope to provide our members with examples through my monthly columns in JPT. I will be addressing the widely publicized concerns about our industry that hamper our ability to recruit new employees, drill in new lands, or build new processing facilities, and that even affect the self-esteem of our members. I want to arm energy professionals with facts, so that when people ask whether we are running out of oil or if the industry is blocking the development of alternative fuels, they can be persuasive advocates for our industry instead of backing away. My column’s theme will be “Stand Tall and Speak Out.” I want our members to be proud of the service they provide to society.