Building Tomorrow's Energy Infrastructure Today

A seasoned Strategic Engineering and Continuous Improvement leader with more than 20 years of expertise across oil & gas, finance, and manufacturing. A Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, renowned for driving operational excellence, reducing costs, enhancing quality, accelerating processes, and strengthening customer satisfaction through impactful leadership and transformative change initiatives.

In an exclusive interview with Energy Tech Review he, shared his insights on shaping the future of energy by blending operational excellence with AI, automation, and a people-first approach to deliver resilient, value-driven digital transformation.

1. Could you talk about your professional background and current responsibilities as Director, Information Technology at Williams?

I currently serve as a Director in Information Technology at Williams, where I lead IT strategy, application management, and project delivery for our corporate functions. My team drives enterprise-wide results through automation, analytics, and AI—think AI-powered insights for decision-making and streamlined, agentic workflows that boost efficiency across the company.

My career spans the energy, automotive, and financial services industries, giving me a broad perspective shaped by roles in product development, enterprise risk management, process development, and IT. With my background in Lean Six Sigma, I bring a rigorous, data-driven approach to optimizing processes, while my foundation in the sciences helps me contribute unique perspective to energy-focused discussions, complementing the incredible expertise of my teams. This diverse background allows me to tackle challenges holistically. For example, my process improvement experience informs my approach to IT operations at Williams, ensuring IT operations at Williams are both efficient and aligned with our business goals.

2. Williams has been a leader in energy infrastructure. How do you balance the company’s rich operational heritage with the need for innovation and digital-first thinking?

Balancing Williams’ operational heritage with innovation and digital-first thinking is about building on our strengths while adapting to the future. Our legacy in energy infrastructure— rooted in reliability, safety, and responsible stewardship remains our foundation. To stay competitive, we integrate digital tools that enhance, not replace, what we do best.

Here’s how we make it work:

• Technology as an Enabler: We leverage AI and data analytics to optimize pipeline performance and better understand our operations, making our systems safer and more efficient. Automation takes on repetitive tasks, allowing our teams to tackle high-impact challenges. These advancements strengthen our core operations seamlessly.

• Collaboration Across Teams: Practical innovation is key. We work closely with operations, engineering, and business areas to ensure digital solutions address realworld needs. For instance, advanced analytics are rolled out only after getting insights from experts who know our infrastructure and our business best.

• Innovation with Purpose: We foster a digital-first mindset, but every idea is measured against our core values. Internal hackathons generate creative uses of data and AI, yet only those enhancing safety or creating value move forward. This keeps us agile without losing sight of what matters.

Innovation in energy isn’t about chasing trends; it’s about purposefully integrating technology, strengthening reliability, and crafting a digital future that honors our heritage while driving real progress.

• Evolution and Targeted Revolution: Our approach is intentional, favoring evolution but embracing revolutionary changes when they drive meaningful progress. Digital transformation secures our future while respecting our past. We’re not chasing trends; we’re crafting the next chapter of Williams’ story.

By thoughtfully integrating technology, we ensure our heritage fuels our innovation, keeping us at the forefront in energy.

3. Building a modern and secure digital ecosystem is essential for energy companies. What does “future-proofing” look like for you in practical terms at Williams?

To me, “future-proofing” means building IT systems and digital capabilities that meet today’s business needs while being adaptable, secure, and scalable for tomorrow’s demands. At Williams, this involves:

• Proactively integrating advanced cybersecurity across our digital footprint to ensure resilience against emerging threats.

• Investing in cloud technologies and automation, including agentic approaches, to boost agility, simplify processes, and empower our teams to make real-time decisions.

• Building interoperable platforms that support both legacy and next-generation assets, allowing modernization without disrupting stability.

• Staying true to our core value of being a reliable performer always striving to improve uptime, data integrity, and user trust across our technology landscape.

4. You have deep expertise in continuous improvement methodologies like Lean Six Sigma. How are these principles integrated into your IT strategy to enhance efficiency and reduce risks?

At Williams, we believe process improvement hinges on respect for people and continuous improvement. It is imperative that the people doing the work are involved in defining how the work is done. This allows us to leverage the experience of our teams and make sure the lessons they’ve learned, and their incredible creativity are part of improving how we operate in IT.

As a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, I’m always asking “why” to challenge how we operate, pushing for incremental gains that add up over time. This approach ensures our IT operations are efficient, reliable, and aligned with Williams’ vision to be the best-in-class operator in our space that supports a clean energy future.

5. What key advice would you share with emerging technology leaders on driving meaningful innovation in the energy sector while ensuring resilience and long-term value?

Drawing from my career and diverse experiences, here’s my advice:

• Embrace Range: A broad skill set sparks innovation. My work across industries and disciplines fuels creative solutions don’t shy away from varied experiences.

• Collaborate: Work closely with operations and other teams to ground innovation in real needs. Our best outcomes at Williams come from this alignment.

• Focus on Impact: Prioritize technologies like AI and automation that bolster efficiency and reliability. Always tie innovation to value.

• Lead Broadly: Impact isn’t just professional. Serving on the board of The ARC of Oklahoma, supporting people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, reminds me leadership is about purpose inside and outside the workplace.

In energy, innovation must deliver lasting value. A wideranging perspective, rooted in the sector’s realities, drives change that endures.