For employee Tatiana Chatman, celebrating Black History Month is more than noting a date on a calendar. It’s a chance to reflect on the past while advocating for inclusion in the present and future.
“Black History Month means learning more about myself and others,” said Chatman, a Williams engineer and leader in Williams Black Employee Resource Group (ERG). “It not only gives those in the African diaspora an opportunity to share more about themselves, it gives everyone at Williams an opportunity to form connections and celebrate different backgrounds.”
Chatman joined the Black ERG after joining Williams’ engineering development program upon graduation from Oklahoma State University in 2018.
She’s held engineering roles in Moundsville, W.V., Salt Lake City, Tulsa and now Houston, and finds the ERG to be an excellent resource for employees at any location.
In Tulsa, she’s organized Williams’ participation in Martin Luther King Jr. Day parades, and helped develop employee programming during Black History Month.
This year, the Black ERG is partnering with the Women of Williams ERG to host a panel for all employees featuring Black female leaders at Williams; and a separate event to discuss the history of Houston’s Freedmen’s Town. Book drives for students and other networking employee events also are planned in several locations.
Chatman said Williams commitment to inclusion is evident through the 10 ERGs that employees can participate in.
“ERGs give us an opportunity to understand each other and break down the barriers that may once have kept us from truly understanding how we can leverage each other’s differences to create a stronger team,” she said.
Chatman said that like many Black Americans who have conquered challenges, she is motivated by what could be.
“I wanted to become an engineer because I was bad at math in middle school. Math scared me but I knew that I wanted to be able to have a career that allowed me to dive into the details and do something that helps society.
“I was sure that engineering was going to continuously allow me to learn and challenge me to expand outside of what I know.”
At OSU, she often found herself in courses where she was the only Black, female student. One professor warned she might struggle in a male-dominated field.
“That was definitely my inspiration to succeed,” she said.
And that she did, graduating with a double major in computer engineering and electrical engineering, and was part of the winning team of an autonomous car competition that combined electrical, computer engineering and mechanical theory to concept, design and operate a car from scratch.
Chatman now visits colleges to encourage other young women to pursue their engineering careers and consider a job at Williams.
“Williams has great people that really take pride in the work that they do and have a passion for helping everyone succeed,” she said.
At Williams, she’s served on the technical services team as a control specialist, supported the power and automation team and developed expansion and compression projects for gathering systems.
She’s also made a name in another field – the gridiron. Chatman has played women’s tackle football for the Utah Falconz, the Tulsa Threat and the Oklahoma Rage, as running back and defensive back.
“I first started playing football in third grade. It’s an outlet for me to stretch myself, meet new people and keep the sport going for other women.”
Another challenge tackled by this talented Williams employee!
Learn more about Diversity and Inclusion at Williams.