When engineering graduate Wendy Wagster joined Williams in 2005 as a Houston-based designer of compression stations, she was excited to spend time at several field locations seeing the ins and outs of natural gas operations.
“I had all this book knowledge but in the field, I was able to take things apart and look inside of them,” said Wagster, a graduate of Texas A&M University — Kingsville. “I loved working hands on with the crew.”
The Texas native started in Houston and relocated in 2006, when she took the opportunity to move to Princeton, N.J., as a division engineer and then later became supervisor of asset integrity in 2011.
Today, Wagster is senior operations manager for Williams’ Pennsylvania Leidy system and responsible for five compressor stations and more than 60 employees. As part of our Atlantic Sunrise project, she managed the installation of 120 miles of new pipeline, four meter stations and two compressor stations.
Once again, she’s working hand in hand with Williams’ frontline workers.
Based in White Haven, Penn., Wagster said she’s thankful for the many opportunities Williams provides employees who want to do the work and move up in leadership to follow their passions.
“Williams is what you decide to make of it,” she said. “All doors are open if you seek the opportunities that are out there.”
Wagster said she has an open-door leadership style and loves to mentor employees seeking their own paths at Williams.
“As an operations manager, I get to pour in to those around me. I love when someone gets that aha moment, really gets it, and starts running their part of the business.”
She tells her employees to be bold and stand up for themselves.
“Women are now here in the industry and starting to have a very strong presence,” she said. “I’m going to support and encourage those with me.”