Milestones: OEC’s Mourton retires after 21 years at the helm

Sandra Mourton

Sandra Mourton, whose leadership and guidance of the Houston/Galveston-based Oilfield Energy Center (OEC) became synonymous with educating and informing the public about upstream oil and gas operations, has retired as executive director of that organization, effective June 30. During her 21-year tenure, Sandra took OEC’s original asset, the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum, and built upon that foundation to turn the operation into a multi-faceted center of oil and gas education.

Today, in addition to the Ocean Star museum and shop in Galveston, the OEC supports an Education Outreach Program (including oil and gas curricula for grades K through 12, teacher workshops and the Mobile Oilfield Learning Units), as well as the Hall of Fame and various events throughout the year. One of those who appreciates Sandra’s contributions is Mark Childers, who himself is an OEC Industry Pioneer (inducted in 2013) and who is renowned for his work as an engineer, manager, inventor and pioneer in the development of offshore drilling and production at several large industry companies: “Sandra has served the OEC for 21 years as it’s Executive Director, raising funds and having a major impact on the organization.”

Early days. Sandra was born in Isleworth, Middlesex, in England. Her early schooling at the age of 4 was also in Isleworth. She later graduated from Spring Grove College in Hounslow, Middlesex.

Sandra began her oil and gas career in 1975, working in England with a company called Retsco, a manufacturer of oil and gas field machinery, valves, instruments and fittings. There, she sold offshore drilling equipment into Scotland, England and France. In 1980, she was transferred to Houston and continued her passion for the oilfield equipment/service sector, particularly offshore, selling equipment in California, Texas and Louisiana. She eventually joined Houston-based Control Flow Inc. and continued selling oilfield products and rig equipment until joining what was then the Offshore Energy Center (OEC).

The move to OEC. The idea for the OEC was born in 1989, and it was founded as a non-profit corporation in 1990 by 186 companies, organizations and individuals. Funds were raised, and the Ocean Star, a retired jack-up rig, was acquired in 1995. The rig was moved to Galveston, refurbished, and opened as the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum and Education Center in 1997. Tens of thousands of students, teachers, industry tours, youth groups, and families have experienced the oilfield energy industry first-hand through the Ocean Star.

Visitors to the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum enjoy experiencing the offshore industry first-hand on the jack-up drilling rig. The museum features three floors of models and interactive displays illustrating the exciting story of offshore oil and gas from seismic technology and exploration and production to pipelining and marine transportation.

Sandra first visited the Ocean Star museum in 1997, prior to her taking on the role of Executive Director for the OEC in 2000. As mentioned, she began her oil and gas career in 1975 and during her sales tenure, she met hundreds, perhaps thousands of men and women who were/are as enthusiastic as she is about the industry. These contacts were to prove invaluable, as Sandra worked to build additional features into the OEC and garner support for these projects.

Fig. 1. The venerable <i>Ocean Star</i> jack-up, based in Galveston, Texas, was opened to the public in 1997 and underwent a renovation in 2016. Image: OEC.

In addition, she is a member and past President of the Society of Professional Women in Petroleum and was a board member of Houston Professional Women. Access to these industry companies and organizations gave Sandra the opportunity to learn more about their operations, equipment and/or services, as well as what these firms did to support the industry.

Indeed, one of those who appreciates Sandra’s deft touch with companies is OEC board of directors member and Halliburton Vice President of Industry Relations, Galen Cobb. “Sandra has been a true friend and outstanding advocate for our industry over the years,” reflects Galen. “She loves the Ocean Star with a passion and has been a committed leader for energy education that fosters the importance of both offshore and onshore oil and gas development.”

Educational Outreach Program. Over the last 21 years and even before then, Sandra has believed that the industry needs to continually educate the public about what it does, and how important oil and gas are to everyone’s lives. Literally, hundreds of things are made from oil or gas, and tens of thousands of people work in this industry.

Accordingly, while the Education Outreach Program was first developed in 1999 before she arrived, it was Sandra that carried it to new heights. For a number of years now, the OEC has offered continuing education Teacher Workshops for educators from Kindergarten through Grade 12. Related to hydrocarbon-based energy themes, these workshops are correlated according to state and national standards. This resource features STEM activities in the areas of science, social studies, math, physics, language arts, and environmental issues.

To aid teachers in disseminating these curricula to school kids in regard to oil and gas, the OEC offers special boxed kits of teaching tools. These include the Playing with Petroleum boxes for grades K through 5, and Knowledge Boxes for grades 6 through 12.

Perhaps the most noteworthy education innovation of Sandra’s tenure has been the Mobile Oilfield Learning Units (MOLUs). Each MOLU is a traveling exhibit, designed to bring STEM education to students remotely at their schools and similar venues. It features six self-contained stations with curriculum-based, hands-on activities about energy and the technologies and sciences involved with the oil and gas industry.

Fig. 2. The Mobile Oilfield Learning Units (MOLUs, left and right) are very popular with students and teachers, alike. Image: OEC.

The first unit, MOLU I, was a $1.2-million project, built and completed in 2008 and based in Houston. MOLU I rapidly became very popular with educators and students across Texas, parts of California and elsewhere, and won a World Oil Award in 2012 for Best Outreach Program. That success led to the building of the MOLU II unit, which was introduced in 2014 and is based in Houston, to service educational outreach needs in Southeast Texas and Louisiana. Finally, the MOLU III unit was built and introduced in 2018, to provide STEM opportunities for students in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and New York, in the Marcellus-Utica region. It is based in northeastern Pennsylvania.

One who appreciates Sandra’s educational outreach efforts is Bill Barkhouse, who is an OEC board director, as well as Chair of OEC’s Hall of Fame and a member of the OEC Education Committee. “Sandra Mourton has been an ‘unsung’ giant hero and a world-recognized leader of the OEC, in particular her role in supporting energy education for all,” says Bill. “And this includes the Ocean Star Drilling Rig & Museum and her understanding of the offshore industry—from the Hall of Fame giants of industry to society’s youth and STEM curricula, involving experiential learning through robotic MOLUs, affecting thousands of young people”!

Hall of Fame. The OEC’s Hall of Fame was established in 1998, as a means of recognizing those persons and technologies that took the industry to the offshore sector with distinction. During the 21 years that Sandra led OEC, the Hall of Fame thrived, with many well-deserving honorees being added.

In the Industry Pioneers group, 112 individuals have now been recognized, since inductions began in 1998. As the OEC itself says, “When individuals distinguish themselves in such a way that they stand out clearly as leaders in the birth of a nation, movement or industry, they are recognized as pioneers. The oil and gas industry is replete with such individuals whose lives have become the legends of our time.”

The Pioneering Technologies category recognizes that certain technologies stand out as milestones in the development of offshore resources. It honors organizations and individuals that developed and achieved break-out technologies that helped advance the harnessing of offshore oil and gas. This group has 16 main categories of innovation, and within each of those, there are an average six to seven specific technologies that have been honored.

One category initiated by Sandra in 2013, as she expanded the Hall of Fame, is the Founding Pioneers group. A Founding Pioneer is an individual whose business acumen or technological skill played a key role in the successful development of the international offshore industry. To be eligible, the honoree must have created a business or method that became an industry standard before the first offshore well was drilled, and that enabled the transition from land to offshore. To date, six industry legends have been honored in this group.

The Hall of Fame’s Industry Champions category is a relatively new group that Sandra created in 2016, in consultation with the OEC board of directors. An Industry Champion is an individual whose fortitude and dedication created positive change in the workplace or culture of the offshore industry. Distinct from business or technological pioneers, honorees are advocates or visionaries, who clear the way for the triumph of new ideas and approaches. So far, there are five inductees.

Additionally, in 2000, the Pinnacle Award was established under Sandra’s leadership to honor contemporary individuals, who have made significant contributions in moving the standards of the industry forward. The Pinnacle Award recognizes outstanding individuals who have taken today’s leading-edge tools and technologies and applied them to real-world challenges. In meeting these challenges, these individuals will have greatly advantaged their companies and indeed the industry as a whole. Since its inception, the award has recognized 20 outstanding leaders, some of whom are still active in the industry.

Events. Over the years, the OEC, under Sandra’s guidance, has hosted a number of events that have raised significant funding for the organization’s ongoing programs on a regular basis. In addition to direct grants from companies, funding has come from the OEC’s annual Ocean Star Gala in Houston, attended by anywhere from 600 to 900 industry professionals; the Galveston Bay Fishing Tournament; a golf tournament; a sporting clay tournament; Executive Speakers Luncheons and capital campaigns. Naturally, all of the live events were scrubbed during 2020, due to logistical interference from Covid.

A future beyond OEC. After 21 years of exemplary service, Sandra is now retired from OEC and looking forward to spending more time with her husband, George Hanst (who also has been in the oil and gas industry for 40+ years), and family, as well as catching up on travel. But her love of the industry will keep her involved periodically on various events and projects. In addition, she is still involved with the OEC Society, which is a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting the OEC’s goals and to promote membership for the Ocean Star Museum. And she has been offered the opportunity to attend the re-started Ocean Star Gala (assuming Covid remains in check) later this fall.

A great summation of Sandra’s time at OEC is offered by OEC board member and industry veteran executive Bob Warren. “Reflecting on my relationship approaching 20 years with the Oilfield Energy Center and Sandra, I consider her a valued colleague and a special person of purpose,” said Bob. “She has professionally managed the industry sponsors and relationships required to support the many OEC education programs and the Ocean Star Museum. I consider her a remarkable woman who has made a substantial contribution  to the continuing success of the OEC.”

We are sure that whatever Sandra chooses to be involved with, it will be a success. We wish her well!

About the Authors

Kurt Abraham

World Oil

Kurt Abraham kurt.abraham@worldoil.com