PMI Houston Energy Corridor: "Project Managers Thinking Like Entrepreneurs"

Pre-Dinner Presentation: Project Management in Action: Securing Oil & Gas Operations Against Cyber Threats
Julio Ruiz is a seasoned Project Manager and Consultant with over 12 years of extensive expertise in information security, software development, and digital transformation. As the owner of RPC (Ruiz Projects and Consulting), he oversees a diverse portfolio of technology and innovation projects connecting business opportunities across Central and South America.
Julio holds certifications, including Project Management Professional (PMP®), Kanban Management Professional (KMP), Scrum Master, and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor. Academically, he earned a degree in Systems Engineering from Simón Bolívar University (Colombia), specialized in Project Management Engineering at North University (Colombia), and completed an MBA in Project Management at Amberton University (Texas). Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Education in Leadership Studies with a focus on Emergency Management at Louisiana State University Shreveport.
Julio has experience as a public speaker in PMI conferences and dinner meetings in PMI Dallas, PMI Houston, PMI Austin, PMI Lima Peru, and PMI Caribe Colombia chapters. Also, he is an active volunteer in the Project Management Institute (PMI) community. Julio co-founded the PMI Caribe Colombia Chapter. He has also served in leadership roles, including Vice President of Applied Project Management at the PMI Dallas Chapter. In these roles, he has spearheaded programs that connect project management practices with schools, universities, and communities, leaving a lasting impact.
Topic Synopsis:
In the oil and gas industry, cybersecurity threats pose a serious risk to operational technology (OT), industrial control systems (ICS), and critical infrastructure. Responding effectively requires more than just technical expertise—it demands strategic project management to mitigate risks, ensure business continuity, and maintain compliance with industry regulations.
This presentation is designed for project managers in the oil and gas sector who may not be cybersecurity experts but want to understand how their project management skills can enhance cybersecurity incident response efforts. Participants will explore how risk management, adaptive project planning, and cross-functional collaboration play a critical role in securing energy operations against evolving threats.
Key topics include managing cyber risks in mission-critical environments, integrating security requirements into project scope, and applying agile and hybrid project management approaches for rapid incident response. Attendees will leave with practical tools and strategies to enhance their team’s resilience, adaptability, and coordination—empowering them to lead cybersecurity projects that protect infrastructure, minimize downtime, and align with business objectives.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify cybersecurity threats in oil and gas operations by understanding risks to industrial control systems (ICS), operational technology (OT), and critical infrastructure.
- Apply project management tools and techniques to enhance cybersecurity incident response, minimize downtime, and ensure business continuity.
- Strengthen adaptability and cross-functional collaboration between IT, OT, and leadership teams to improve cyber resilience in high-risk environments.
PDU Triangle:
0.5 Business Acumen PDU & 0.5 Ways of Working PDU
Dinner Presentation: Project Managers Thinking Like Entrepreneurs
Eddie Monroe is the CEO of CCE Business Solutions. A consulting services company created in 2022 focusing exclusively on Technical Project Leadership. After spending 10+ years working for major consulting firms, leading projects and teams to successful engagements for small to fortune 500 companies, Eddie decided to start CCE to fill a gap in the industry. That gap is true customer focused project management, that resource project managers who think like entrepreneurs.
To handle simple and complex technical projects, Eddie believes in remaining calm, staying adaptive, understanding the business impact and focusing on the customer experience.
Since earning his PMP, Eddie has held roles from Project Manager to Executive Leadership for building and leading Project Management Offices (PMO). These roles prepared Eddie to become a business owner, an author (Your Career Will…) and mentor numerous project managers.
Topic Synopsis:
Project Managers typically work on projects based on scopes of work (SOW). That SOW is a contract. You have a contract of some sort, leading a team and oversee budgets, which leads to you basically having a business.
In addition, Project Managers serve as the person responsible for resolving conflict, decision making, main communication point of contact, etc. These are all key attributes of company owners and leaders. So, let’s think about how to run your projects like a leader of an organization.
Learning Objectives:
PDU Triangle:
0.5 Business Acumen PDU & 0.5 Ways of Working PDU
Event Information
Event Date | 05-08-2025 5:00 pm |
Event End Date | 05-08-2025 8:00 pm |
Cut Off Date | 05-08-2025 8:00 pm |
Capacity | 40 |
Registered | 3 |
Available Place | 37 |
Individual Price | $30 Members / $40 Guests |
Location | Salata Home Office |
Agendas
5:00 pm to 5:30 pm |
Networking and Registration |
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm |
Pre-dinner Speaker Presentation |
6:30 pm to 7:00 pm |
Networking, Dinner Opens, Chapter Announcements |
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm |
Dinner Speaker Presentation |
Speakers

Eddie Monroe
Eddie Monroe is the CEO of CCE Business Solutions. A consulting services company created in 2022 focusing exclusively on Technical Project Leadership. After spending 10+ years working for major consulting firms, leading projects and teams to successful engagements for small to fortune 500 companies, Eddie decided to start CCE to fill a gap in the industry. That gap is true customer focused project management, that resource project managers who think like entrepreneurs. To handle simple and complex technical projects, Eddie believes in remaining calm, staying adaptive, understanding the business impact and focusing on the customer experience. Since earning his PMP, Eddie has held roles from Project Manager to Executive Leadership for building and leading Project Management Offices (PMO). These roles prepared Eddie to become a business owner, an author (Your Career Will…) and mentor numerous project managers.

Julio Ruiz
Julio Ruiz is a seasoned Project Manager and Consultant with over 12 years of extensive expertise in information security, software development, and digital transformation. As the owner of RPC (Ruiz Projects and Consulting), he oversees a diverse portfolio of technology and innovation projects connecting business opportunities across Central and South America. Julio holds certifications, including Project Management Professional (PMP®), Kanban Management Professional (KMP), Scrum Master, and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor. Academically, he earned a degree in Systems Engineering from Simón Bolívar University (Colombia), specialized in Project Management Engineering at North University (Colombia), and completed an MBA in Project Management at Amberton University (Texas). Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Education in Leadership Studies with a focus on Emergency Management at Louisiana State University Shreveport. Julio has experience as a public speaker in PMI conferences and dinner meetings in PMI Dallas, PMI Houston, PMI Austin, PMI Lima Peru, and PMI Caribe Colombia chapters. Also, he is an active volunteer in the Project Management Institute (PMI) community. Julio co-founded the PMI Caribe Colombia Chapter. He has also served in leadership roles, including Vice President of Applied Project Management at the PMI Dallas Chapter. In these roles, he has spearheaded programs that connect project management practices with schools, universities, and communities, leaving a lasting impact.