WEN, a group of over 600 women who work in a variety of energy related professions from banking to traditional oil and gas disciplines, was established in 1994 and until now, membership has been limited to the Houston metro area. Liskow & Lewis attorneys, Dana M. Douglas and Kelly Becker, lobbied and applied for a southeastern chapter and were granted approval along with only two other cities (Bakersfield, CA and Dallas, TX).

The Women's Energy Network of Southeast Louisiana (WEN-SELA) hosted its inaugural luncheon on Thursday, August 13, 2009, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel where Marjorie McKeithen, past Secretary of the Louisiana Mineral Board and Assistant Secretary to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Office of Mineral Resources was the featured speaker.

Dana Douglas, a founder of WEN-SELA said, “We are excited to offer valuable networking opportunities and foster career and leadership development to females with a professional interest in the oil and gas industry here in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas.”

WEN-SELA offers monthly luncheons, alternating between the New Orleans and Baton Rouge markets, open to members and non-members. The next luncheon will feature David Dismukes, associate director and a professor with the LSU’s Center for Energy Studies, at the Camelot Club in downtown Baton Rouge on September 17, 2009.

Additional details on upcoming events and further information on WEN-SELA can be found at http://www.wenhouston.org/. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact WEN-SELA’s Membership Director, Kelly Brechtel Becker, at kbbecker@liskow.com.