front of a kayak
Early Career

Seeing the big picture

Staff Reports

Hi, my name is Zoe and I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in industrial engineering.

Zoe and two coworkers on top of a rock

Zoe (middle) hiking in Silverton, Colorado with her coworkers.

This year I am finishing up my final year in the early career development program at Williams. A highlight was a 60-day assignment in Bloomfield, New Mexico, in our Four Corners Area.

In Four Corners, I worked with technical services to develop a process for evaluating risk of overpressure situations at our compressor facilities. It was very rewarding to work on a project that directly impacts the safety of our assets, employees and nearby residents.

In addition to this project, I was able to observe typical day-to-day operations and get a better understanding of what is involved in gathering, processing and transporting natural gas products across the country.

Getting to participate in safety meetings, environmental impact analyses, vendor meetings and interacting face-to-face with our operating technicians helped shape my view and understanding of Williams’ operations, and has made me a better employee of our corporate office in Tulsa.

What made my time in New Mexico even more rewarding was getting to know my fellow coworkers, many of whom live in nearby Durango, Colorado. They welcomed me to the area with weekend hikes in the mountains, tours of the petroglyphs from 18th century ruins and weekly game nights. They truly went above and beyond to make me feel welcome and quickly immersed me into the Durango culture and lifestyle. It’s amazing how the warm Williams culture can be felt across the country!

front of a kayak

Kayaking in Southwest Colorado.

In the early career program, I’ve also worked in the enterprise architecture team, along with the project analysis team in finance team and the maintenance and reliability team in safety and operational discipline.

It’s been an amazing learning experience to have the opportunity to make connections with our operations, see how business is handled and where Williams makes money. By knowing the big picture and how all the departments work together, I see how collaboration makes all the pieces fit together.