Deena Doyle Steps Up for Women In Energy

From “walking uphill in mud” to paving the way for women to evolve in their careers

On New Year’s Day, Deena Doyle officially became the Executive Director of Women In Energy. She brings an enthusiasm for her organization, the industry, and most of all, her members, that is supported by more than a decade working in the energy sector. Doyle sat with Oil & Energy to discuss her plans for her first year as well as a vision for the future.

“What I find most exciting about Women In Energy is that there is no competition, and everyone is really cheering for each other and helpingeach other. I started working at a time when a manager could say, ‘If you’re overweight, it shows you can’t control your body, so why would we let you control our business?’ I also had situations where I wanted to be at something for my kids, and that created conflict. In those days you couldn’t be a parent and a great employee. What we’re doing is shielding women and saving them from situations like that. We help our members set boundaries. You can have bad leaders anywhere, at any time, but you can also have leaders who are connected to emotional intelligence and lead with energy. Managers who provide recognition and positive feedback drive the same results as someone who micromanages. We are part of that change as women leading the energy industry,” Doyle begins.

Doyle has seemingly done it all. She has a degree in Elementary Education and was one of the first group of STEM certified teachers. She moved into retail, with a focus in HR and Operations, and worked at Starbucks, Target, and Apple. Looking for a more realistic schedule for her family, she moved to Blue Cow Software. “I got to transition into the energy space. This started some very strong memories and relationships. I fondly look back at my days at Blue Cow and still consider them my forever team, no matter where we all ended up,” Doyle reminisces.

From Blue Cow she moved to Tank Utility and then Cargas and then Qualpay. “The journey has been one of evolution, ups and downs as well as professional growth. I have been a member of Women In Energy since my Blue Cow days and it was special. I met Marci Gagnon at my first Women In Energy conference and was amazed at just how much she knew, but also how much of a cheerleader she was for everyone! She introduced me to Judy (Garber) and Marge (Feinman). I was so impressed with what Judy was able to build to help women feel empowered, supported and seen and heard in the energy world,” Doyle says.

It was the evolution of women in the industry that first attracted Doyle to Women In Energy. She saw Bobbi Hill selling trucks at the Hershey Park show, and Allison Heaney running her family-owned business.

Doyle’s goal for the first year is to “not miss anything that someone loves. My goal is to increase membership and to make sure to keep all of the special things that each member looked forward to or loved and that is why they are part of Women In Energy.”

“We’ve done a few things that are a new – we want to focus on vocational and technical schools to capture the younger females coming into the industry – but help them to adjust to a business setting. We ran a webinar on ‘your best color’ to help them be more professional and unique, using color as a catalyst. Ten years ago, you wouldn’t have thought about it, you’d just wear a blue suit to the interview, and not consider how the entire color palate can make you look professional. At the same time, we also offered webinars from Dr. Jenny Frank of NORA discussing the value of an Energy Certification Degree, and Jin Jin Huang from Sprague Energy discussing renewable energy and solar.”

The next Women In Energy Conference will be at the Crown Plaza in Princeton, New Jersey, from September 9 to September 11. Although they have not released a lot of information, nominations are open for the Rising Star Award and Woman of the Year award. Doyle notes that last year’s Rising Star was on the panel at the M-PACT tradeshow. “Hailey Newman – it was cool to see how she’s an expert on a panel, and she was one of our rising stars, and she’s discussing electric charging stations. That’s the whole shift of what energy looks like today.”

Doyle has described the early days of her career as “walking uphill in the mud,” adding that meeting women who were driving change inspired her to do more and to mentor others. She references the glass ceiling of retail “back in the day,” and what it meant to a single mom with two kids, and trying to find time to do everything. These challenges fueled her desire to do more, be more, and help other women succeed.

She concluded our meeting by retelling a conversation she had with her one of her sons. “It’s a reminder, whatever you do, people are always watching, and watching you set an example. My son said to me that he was proud of me, how, at my age and level of career, I was doing something special with Women in Energy. ‘Do you realize you’re motivating other moms whose kids are going off to school? My friend’s mom sees you as Director of Customer Success at Qualpay and Executive Director of Women in Energy, and she said, ‘why not me?’ Now she is looking at her options.’ I don’t always realize that people see what they see when they look at me. My kids are watching. My niece is watching. They’re seeing the drive, seeing the change. That message is so important to me.”

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