PMI Houston Energy Corridor: "Managing Projects, Empowering People: The Human Side of Project Management"

Pre-Dinner Presentation: Sustaining Performance and Sharing Insight: A Holistic Approach to Risk and Recognition in Drilling Operations

JuliaRock Headshot

Andres Nunez originally from Ecuador, Chemical Engineering major, MBA and master’s degree in Renewal Energy. 18 years of Oil & Gas experience, mainly related to Drilling operations under Integrated Services modality for SLB.
During my career I was assigned in different roles including Engineering, Technology and Performance, Business Development and Project Management.
Over 9 years of experience in orchestrating high-value projects across diverse geographical locations including the USA, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador and Colombia. Expert in leveraging comprehensive project management methodologies to deliver projects that meet and exceed objectives in terms of scope, time, cost, and quality.

Adept at steering projects through complex operational landscapes, ensuring customer success, and forging strong relationships with major clients like Chevron, Ecopetrol, ONGC, Emerald, Equion, Saudi Aramco, Exxon and bp.

Different publications made in SPE Conferences, IADC Conferences, Project Management Section, related to risk management and Integrated Projects in Offshore environments.

Topic Synopsis:

Over a two-year integrated drilling campaign delivered under a performance-based risk and reward contract, the project was successfully executed despite evolving challenges. These included the need to adapt the contractual model, align risk appetites across organizations, and sustain collaboration amid increasing complexity, while managing stakeholder involved.

A critical enabler of success was the integration of new technologies and digital solutions, supported by a continuously applied risk management process. This process ensured that emerging risks were consistently identified, assessed, and addressed throughout the project. In parallel, key performance indicators were adjusted to reflect the project’s evolving nature and maintain alignment with strategic objectives.

While successful project delivery typically brings satisfaction to stakeholders and a focus on closure activities, the importance of capturing lessons learned and sharing success is often overlooked. As the project transitioned into its close-out phase, the challenge shifted to recognizing achievements, facilitating knowledge transfer, and communicating success across both the organization and the industry.

With a multidisciplinary team of over 20 customer-facing professionals—each with diverse perspectives and competing workloads—ensuring visibility and recognition required a deliberate strategy. A tailored approach was developed and led to document key achievements, promote internal recognition, and share insights externally. This initiative supported team members' professional development while increasing the project’s visibility.

Through sustained engagement with internal teams and client stakeholders, multiple opportunities were secured to present the project’s outcomes on high-profile platforms in 2024 and 2025. These efforts resulted in more than 10 project forum presentations across various disciplines and audiences.

Learning Objectives:

This session will highlight:

Key risk management strategies
The adaptability required to maintain performance under uncertainty,
The structured approach used to share project success.
It will also explore the motivations and enablers that empowered team members to actively contribute to the project’s lasting impact.

PDU Triangle:

1.0 Business Acumen PDU

Power Skills Leadership

Dinner Presentation: Managing Projects, Empowering People: The Human Side of Project Management

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Korinna Lark is a Senior Program Manager at Contracting Resources Group responsible for the development, oversight, and administration of CRG's IT portfolio. She brings more than 20 years of experience successfully delivering complex IT programs for a wide-range of companies and industries, including telecommunications, government and media. She specializes in developing productive teams, organizational project management, and continuous process improvement.

Prior to joining CRG Korinna held roles of increasing responsibility over eight years at Comcast NBC Universal. As Director of Technical Program Management for Entertainment Services and AI Products she led a team of technical program managers, and served as a subject matter expert in the implementation of agile methodologies, program management governance, and the delivery of AI products. As a Senior Technical Program Manager, she delivered many transformational programs including, the implementation of an enterprise billing system for Xfinity Mobile, the point of sale system for all Xfinity Stores, and replaced the CRM system that supports all customer service representatives.

Korinna, a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Agile Leader (CAL-E), and a PMI certified Discipline Agilist (CDA), holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Arcadia University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and African Studies from West Virginia University. She is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), served on the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee for PMI, and the Project Management Proficiency Certificate Advisory Board for the Community College of Philadelphia.

Topic Synopsis:

Empowered teams are the true drivers of successful projects. Join us to discover how shifting from a directive mindset to an empowering leadership style can elevate team performance, motivation, and project outcomes.

We will explore how project managers can foster a culture of empowerment, one where team members are trusted, informed, motivated, and equipped to make decisions and take ownership of their work.

Empowerment isn’t about letting go of control. It is about building competencies, sharing knowledge, and creating an environment where people thrive. Learn how to unlock the full potential of your team by promoting transparency, encouraging calculated risk-taking, and aligning individual contributions with meaningful rewards and recognition.

Learning Objectives:

• Involve team members in decision-making and goal-setting

• Cultivate initiative and accountability

• Use training and communication as tools of empowerment

• Recognize and reinforce high-impact behaviors

• Integrate empowerment into the DNA of project planning and execution

PDU Triangle:

1.0 Business Acumen PDU

Power Skills Leadership

Event Information

Event Date	07-10-2025 5:00 pm
Event End Date	07-10-2025 8:00 pm
Cut Off Date	07-10-2025 8:00 pm
Capacity	40
Individual Price	$30 Members / $40 Guests
Location	Home2 Suites Energy Corridor

Speakers

Andres Nunez

Pre-Dinner Speaker

Originally from Ecuador, Chemical Engineering major, MBA and master’s degree in Renewal Energy. 18 years of Oil & Gas experience, mainly related to Drilling operations under Integrated Services modality for SLB. During my career I was assigned in different roles including Engineering, Technology and Performance, Business Development and Project Management. Over 9 years of experience in orchestrating high-value projects across diverse geographical locations including the USA, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador and Colombia. Expert in leveraging comprehensive project management methodologies to deliver projects that meet and exceed objectives in terms of scope, time, cost, and quality. Adept at steering projects through complex operational landscapes, ensuring customer success, and forging strong relationships with major clients like Chevron, Ecopetrol, ONGC, Emerald, Equion, Saudi Aramco, Exxon and bp. Different publications made in SPE Conferences, IADC Conferences, Project Management Section, related to risk management and Integrated Projects in Offshore environments.

Korinna Lark

Dinner Speaker

Korinna Lark is a Senior Program Manager at Contracting Resources Group responsible for the development, oversight, and administration of CRG's IT portfolio. She brings more than 20 years of experience successfully delivering complex IT programs for a wide-range of companies and industries, including telecommunications, government and media. She specializes in developing productive teams, organizational project management, and continuous process improvement. Prior to joining CRG Korinna held roles of increasing responsibility over eight years at Comcast NBC Universal. As Director of Technical Program Management for Entertainment Services and AI Products she led a team of technical program managers, and served as a subject matter expert in the implementation of agile methodologies, program management governance, and the delivery of AI products. As a Senior Technical Program Manager, she delivered many transformational programs including, the implementation of an enterprise billing system for Xfinity Mobile, the point of sale system for all Xfinity Stores, and replaced the CRM system that supports all customer service representatives. Korinna, a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Agile Leader (CAL-E), and a PMI certified Discipline Agilist (CDA), holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Arcadia University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and African Studies from West Virginia University. She is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), served on the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee for PMI, and the Project Management Proficiency Certificate Advisory Board for the Community College of Philadelphia.