Five successful Aggies will be returning to College Station on Thursday to share some of their secrets of success with current students. This event, hosted by the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program at Texas A&M University, offers an excellent opportunity for students to learn from industry leaders.
“We are excited to bring back Aggie Boss Talk,” said Rodney Boehm, director of the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program. “I feel strongly that these Aggie bosses have a lot of wisdom to share. What better way to plan for your future than by learning from those who have overcome obstacles and achieved success.”
Aggie Boss Talk begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Rudder Theatre Complex on Thursday, March 21. There will be a panel discussion followed by a question and answer session. Please RSVP here.
A closer look at our Aggie Boss Talk panelists:
John Faulkinberry ’92
Vice President of Sales in North America, Emerson
Major: Industrial Distribution
John Faulkinberry has over 25 years of experience in the industrial sales marketplace. After graduation, he took an account manager position with Rainey Engineering, a small industrial supplier. After 11 years of developing essential skills and building markets with Rainey, Faulkinberry took a sales position with Dresser, Inc. selling control and relief valves. During his tenure with Dresser, he advanced several times, ending with the role of global account manager. Faulkinberry moved to Emerson in 2010 and has since been promoted three times to positions of increasing responsibility, leading to his current role of vice president of sales.
Stephanie Atkinson ’97
CEO, Compass Intelligence
Major: Industrial Distribution
Stephanie Atkinson, founder and CEO of Compass Intelligence, leads the organizational direction of the company, including strategic initiatives, client engagement activities, financial planning, and consulting services with vendors and companies across the globe. Her research and advisory services are specialized around telecommunications/mobile, information technology, network infrastructure, emerging technology, “internet of things” and other high-tech topics. Atkinson has worked in the telecommunications and high-tech market research and consulting industry for more than two decades. Under her direction, Compass Intelligence made the Aggie 100 list in 2019, which recognizes the fastest growing Aggie-owned businesses. Atkinson has also been listed in the Top 100 Wireless Technology Experts 2014 by Today's Wireless World, as well as Top Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Influencer (#8) by Onalytica, and the 50 Most Influential Women in Internet of Things (IoT) by IoTi. She chairs two invite-only conference summits including the IoT Exchange Smart Cities Summit and the Enterprise Transformation Exchange Summit. She serves as an executive or board advisor for Silverwood Partners, nGage Events, TechWeek Dallas and the Department of Engineering and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M. She is an author and contributor to CIO.com, hosts webinars as an influencer for IDG Tech, and has been quoted in numerous trade publications including CNN Money, the Wall Street Journal, U.S.A Today and CEO Magazine. She also volunteers for the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M.
Jay Still ’84
President and CEO, Guidon Energy
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Jay P. Still, president and CEO of Guidon Energy, founded the company in April 2016 in partnership with Blackstone Energy Partners, one of the leading private equity investors in the energy space. Since Guidon’s inception, the company has built a significant acreage position in the core of the Midland Basin, one of the most prolific oil and gas fields in the world. The company currently has approximately 60 employees with offices in Irving and Midland, Texas. The properties are being developed with extended reach horizontal wells utilizing leading edge development techniques and a manufacturing process with safety and environmental protection as the number one priority.
Previously, Still was president and COO, and a member of the board of directors of Laredo Petroleum. Prior to joining Laredo, he held various positions with Pioneer Natural Resources, most recently as executive vice president of domestic operations, where he was responsible for assets in the Rockies, Alaska, Barnett Shale, West Panhandle, Mid-Continent and South Texas. His responsibilities also included Corporate Engineering, EFS Midstream and Sustainable Development. In 1995 Still joined Pioneer’s predecessor, Parker & Parsley Petroleum Company, and prior to that spent 10 years with Mobil Corp.
Bonnie Black ’94
Vice President, Permian Well Planning and Permitting, Pioneer Natural Resources
Major: Civil Engineering
Since 2015, Bonnie Black has served as vice president of the Well Planning & Permitting Department at Pioneer Natural Resources. Her numerous responsibilities include work in the Permian Basin, a shale-rich region in West Texas where Pioneer leases about 750,000 gross acres. Black’s team prepares the inventory of future wells that will be drilled to develop the largest unconventional oil reservoir in the U.S. Her team works seamlessly with multiple departments, including Strategic Planning and Field Development, Land, Regulatory, Drilling and Completions. Black is also charged with nearly a dozen individual steps that must be completed to begin the process of drilling each well. She ensures all permits, land titles, surface rights, partner approvals, subsurface targets, well trajectories, drilling and completions plans, geologic interpretations, and budgets are delivered on time.
Before assuming her current duties, Black was vice president of Pioneer’s environmental and sustainable development processes, which she directed at both a state and federal level. Key responsibilities and initiatives included compliance, air emissions reduction, methane detection and seismic monitoring. Black joined Pioneer in Anchorage in 2007 as manager of Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) for the company’s Alaska asset. She has 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, with half her experience in Alaska and the other half in Texas. Prior to joining Pioneer, she was a business owner and industry consultant.
Brad Simmons ’83
Global Vice President, Built Environment
Major: Environmental Design (Architecture)
Brad Simmons, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is the global vice president of Built Environment. He is the senior leader responsible for developing the growth and strategy, industry thought leadership, executive project sponsorship with key client accounts, senior customer relationships, and attracting and developing top organization talent. The Built Environment business provides planning, design and construction services to a diverse mix of public and private sector clients. Simmons serves on the Building, Infrastructure & Advance Facilities global management leadership team. He has been with Jacobs since 1990, joining the company as part of the acquisition of Sverdrup in 1999. During that time, Simmons has served in a wide range of senior leadership roles at the regional, national and global level.
Simmons was elected to the prestigious American Institute of Architects College of Fellows in 2000, becoming one of the youngest architects honored in the organization’s 150+ year history. From 2000-2003, he served on the National Board of Directors for the American Institute of Architects and he served as national chair of the AIA’s 2005 National Convention in Las Vegas. In 2006, Simmons’ peers in the American Institute of Architects of Missouri honored him with the AIA Missouri Distinguished Service Award, for a career of leadership and commitment to the profession. Texas A&M’s College of Architecture recognized Simmons’ professional contributions by bestowing him with Outstanding Alumni Award in 2007.