Gail Chenoweth, BSPE ‘82
Gail Chenoweth, who was raised in Midland, Texas, is the third generation in her family involved in the oil industry. Her maternal grandfather worked in the West Texas oil fields and her father, O. L. Chenoweth, was a 1942 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin Petroleum Engineering Department. Before returning to pursue her bachelor of science in petroleum engineering, Gail received a bachelor of arts in studio art from UT Austin in 1976 and worked as a jewelry designer in Dallas for two years.
While at UT PGE, Gail served on the Engineering Student Council and was a member of Pi Epsilon Tau petroleum engineering honor society. Following graduation in 1982, Gail began a remarkable career at Marathon Oil Company and continued to work for the company for 28 years before retiring in 2010. Since that time, she has engaged in consulting activities utilizing her broad experience in enhanced and improved oil recovery techniques and economic analysis.
One of her first assignments was in back in familiar territory, west Texas, where she worked as a reservoir engineer on the IRS certification of the giant Yates Field for immiscible CO2 gas injection. In 1988, Gail moved to Houston to engage in international reservoir engineering activities in Australia, Egypt, Norway and Ireland. She was transferred to the United Kingdom to work on the Brae Fields and performed reservoir modeling studies quantifying potential for CO2 injection and horizontal drilling projects in the Brae Oil Fields.
After being repatriated to Oklahoma where she supervised reservoir activities in Oklahoma, Michigan, and Illinois oil and gas fields, Gail returned to Houston as Supervisor and later Manager of the International Engineering group. While in Houston she worked in several areas including Director of the Enhanced Oil Recovery project for Marathon's Wyoming assets, Asset Manager of the Barnett Shale and Rocky Mountain Oil Teams, Planning Manager for the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations, and Worldwide Engineering Career Development Director. She has also had extensive experience in Acquisition and Disposition activities in all of these roles.
In 2004, Gail was honored as a Distinguished Graduate of the Cockrell School of Engineering and has served as the Chair of the External Advisory Committee for UT PGE. Gail was appointed by the governor of Wyoming to that state's EORI Commission and has served as a technical advisor of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Gail and her father, O.L. established the Gail Chenoweth Endowed Scholarship in Petroleum Engineering at UT Austin to benefit other young women entering the industry.
Gail enjoys many activities outside the fascinating oil business including golf, woodworking, jewelry making, and sewing. She has been an active volunteer in her community serving as City Alderman, working for Habitat for Humanity, and supporting local animal rescue organizations.
