Making Friends and Making a Difference

by Rhonda Gerson, Oil & Energy Magazine

An interview with Judy Garber, soon-to-be-former executive director of Women in Energy

Judy Garber is retiring (again). She means it this time (mostly).

The last time Garber retired, she stepped away from her position of Executive Director for Oil & Energy Service Professionals (OESP) and stepped right into the executive director’s position for the nascent Women in Energy. Now, five years later, she’s ready to retire again.

Before she steps away from the limelight, though, Garber was kind enough to sit with Oil & Energy for an exclusive interview covering her career, the liquid fuel industry, Women in Energy, and the friends she has made along the way.

“There are few people in this industry with the depth of knowledge to compare with Judy,” comments Jim Collura, President of the National Energy & Fuels Institute (NEFI). “I have worked with her many times over the years, and she is the staunchest supporter the men and women of the liquid fuels industry could ever ask for.”

“I was in sales for a number of years, working for two manufacturers. I’d go to the NAOHSM shows (ed. note: National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, the precursor to OESP), and I could honestly say to the guys – and they were 99 percent men – ‘Can you show me how this works?’ They were always willing to teach. They were so open, and it was so refreshing. I always loved this show and this group.”

Laughing at the memory, she continues, “When the executive director position opened up, a friend suggested I interview for it. I was tired of the traveling from sales, so, even though I didn’t know what an association director did, I went on the interview. I was up against men who were service managers, and I came from a sales and marketing background. I think that may have won me the position. But those guys are still my friends, because we worked together for so long.”

It was shortly after being installed as executive director that Garber faced one of the rare cases of pushback for being a woman in a so-called man’s world. She recalls opening a trade magazine (not Oil & Energy), and seeing a scathing article by the publication’s editor. “He was going on about them hiring a woman. That they should have learned their lesson after a previous woman executive. I looked at that article and thought, ‘this isn’t real! He’s never even spoken to me!’ It turned out to be one of the best things that happened. The guys in NAOHSM all rallied around me. They didn’t want to be embarrassed by being called neanderthals!”

“These are really good people. I enjoyed working with them. That’s how Oil Heat Cares came about. I saw the passion and heart they had about their profession, and said to Dan Holohan, ‘what can we do?’ It’s one of the best things we could do. I used to love the stories about the single mom who owned her home and was having trouble. Those families that made just enough to have a place of their own, but still fell through the cracks. There were so many like that. It was really a collaboration with Dan, and it worked out to be a beautiful thing,” she adds.

Garber was also instrumental in establishing OESP’s scholarship program. After her board approved a scholarship, $500 was allocated for the award. This was not nearly enough, in Garber’s mind, so after a couple of years, she went to the organization’s supporters and suggested a matching scholarship and was able to raise the annual amount to $5,000. Garber got the ball rolling for a scholarship at Women in Energy, as well, but it is still in its infancy with only one recipient so far.

“Judy is one of the most passionate, kind, and firm women I have met,” says Deena Doyle, the incoming Executive Director. ”She knows the industry details and nuances, but she has also forged amazing relationships across the energy landscape and throughout various organizations.”

Merging Shows and Creating a Movement

Garber started getting pressure from vendors to the OESP Annual Conference, because attending three industry shows (OESP, Eastern Energy Expo, and NEFI Visions) was becoming unworkable. Garber looked at merging with one or the other, but the negotiations didn’t work out. The other organizations wanted OESP to give up too much of what made their show unique. Then, a call came in from Eric DeGesero to discuss merging the OESP and Eastern Energy shows.

Garber’s first response was to say no. She had been burned already. But, then, she says, “I heard a sweet voice ask, ‘Couldn’t we just at least talk?’ It was Marge Feinman. The three of us met at a run-down Holiday Inn to discuss merging the shows. We had blueprints and plans all over the floor, and I said, ‘Before we go any further, I want to do something for women.’ Marge said she felt the same way. We both knew there were no women at these shows, and we also knew that there were a lot of women propping up the companies that were sending all these men!”

The first event piggy-backed on the Eastern Energy Expo with a day of education. That was 2017. Garber believes they were lucky to have the support of men in the industry. One group had attempted something similar in previous years and gifted the new Women in Energy organization with its logo. Garber looks at the growth of Women in Energy with a parent’s pride.

“There were a heck of a lot of women out there, and they had different views, different needs. The biggest by far was, and it still is, ‘how do I navigate in a male environment?’ It’s really not that hard, but if you’ve never done it before, can be daunting. I remember being at shows where I was one of only ten women. You have to learn how to handle those situations,” she recalls.

The Women in Energy mission statement reads, “Our mission is to connect and empower women working in the energy industry. We do this by providing career resources, creating networking and mentoring opportunities, promoting educational courses, and developing strategies to minimize obstacles women may face in the industry.” Garber is proud of the many ways, large and small, that she has shaped the organization to meet those goals.

“Judy Garber has always put the people of the liquid fuels industry first. Women have always been part of our business model, but Judy and Women in Energy have shone the spotlight on them,” says Michael Devine, NORA President. “She should be very proud of the work that she has done with Women in Energy and OESP and the legacy she leaves behind.”

While Garber and Feinman had a strong background in the industry, some new members were unfamiliar with the technical aspects, and many others lacked a foundation in business knowledge. These needs begat the Webinar Wednesdays and Women in Energy Career Resources platform. The course catalog has numerous programs grouped by topic: Customer Service, Financial Wellness, Human Resources, Leadership, Personal Development, Sales and Marketing, and Welcome to the Energy Industry. Programs offered range from “Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel 101” and “Heating Systems Basics,” to “Winning the Battle Against Imposter Syndrome” and “Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discrimination,” to “Situational Leadership” and “Leading by Example” and “5 Habits to Relive Stress Today.” Most of the courses are recordings from the Webinar Wednesdays “lunch and learn” program that runs most of the year.

The other “big” initiative would be the new Mentorship Program. The Women in Energy website describes the program thusly:

The energy industry shapes the world we live in, and women play a pivotal role in creating that future. That’s why we’re bringing together a circle of empowered female mentors and mentees who will uplift one another to new heights.

The mission of the Women in Energy Mentorship Program is to embolden rising stars and encourage them to harness their innate strengths, amplify their voices with courage, and step into their calling as leaders in the energy revolution.

When women support each other, magic happens. We can’t wait for you to be a part of this spark and this sisterhood.

Mentors are strictly forbidden from using the program to recruit or solicit their mentees for job openings. They are urged to be a sounding board, to bring mentees to functions and introduce them around, to answer the less experienced member’s questions about the industry or business in general. Garber’s glee is contagious as she exclaims, “The results are amazing. This year, we didn’t have enough mentors for all the mentees. It’s going to really become something wonderful.”

But Garber understands the value in her smaller efforts, as well. “A lot of the women weren’t comfortable standing in front of a group and speaking. So, I thought that was important. I would ask them to speak in front of the group and introduce a speaker. It gave them just that extra oomph. Some of the younger ones, younger in their careers, I mean, they are so self-confident now. They needed it, and they knew they needed it. Now, I’ve seen that extra confidence in so many members, and it makes me just smile,” and you can hear the smile in her voice as she says it.

“Judy is leaving huge shoes to fill,” Doyle says. “As I have begun reverse shadowing Judy to take over for her retirement, I am in awe of the time, commitment, and true understanding of the members of Women in Energy, but also the products that our members sell. She is everyone’s cheerleader and always encourages people to rise up to meet the challenge or to just be better. She is an inspiration to all women.”

Moving Forward

“It has been wonderful to watch it (Women in Energy) grow. The new companies coming in are outside oil, propane, and gas, because where else can their women go? Our sessions aren’t technical, but everyone in the company, especially the women, has to have a general idea of how things work so they can better assist the customers and techs. We just had a big company join and enroll all their female employees, so now we have more than 800 members. And that’s how Women in Energy grows,” Garber says with pride.

No matter what happens, Garber will be promoting clean liquid fuels. “My home is heated with oil. We will probably be one of the longest holdouts. In my humble opinion, we’ve got to accept all the options. If we embraced everything and let people do their jobs, we’d have an abundance of energies, and they’d better dang well be clean!”

While her position has given her the flexibility to set her own schedule, her husband’s health incidents over the last year or so have given her pause. “I was able to do what I wanted, when I wanted to, instead of waiting until retirement. Life can change in an instant. I plan to continue to do what I want, when I want.”

She is also not going too far … Garber expects to stay on the board of Women in Energy as an advisor for “a few things that could use some help yet. But I don’t want to be at this desk anymore.” However, she adds, “ If I were to completely cut myself out, I’d miss all the people. They’ve turned into friends.”

And although she may be stepping away, she had to end with a message to all the women out there. “I would highly encourage young women to explore the energy industry as a career opportunity. The sky’s the limit. The salaries are good. The benefits are good. The people are good. No two days are alike. If you like a varied work life, the energy industry is
for you.”

The energy industry was certainly for Judy Garber, and we are all better since she has been a part of it.

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