**Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Written by Don Briggs
Women like Ginger Adam are leaving their mark on the long-established working man's industry.**
Throughout its history the oil and gas industry has always been perceived as a man's business. However, if you look at the landscape of the industry today you will see a significant emergence of highly qualified and successful women who play an integral role in the industry. As our society progressed and our economy became more globalized and demanding, it was inevitable that the makeup of our industry became more diversified and inclusive. Since beginning my career in the mid-1960s, I certainly have seen the positive growth and presence of women within the oil and gas industry.
**Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Written by Don Briggs
Women like Ginger Adam are leaving their mark on the long-established working man's industry.**
Throughout its history the oil and gas industry has always been perceived as a man's business. However, if you look at the landscape of the industry today you will see a significant emergence of highly qualified and successful women who play an integral role in the industry. As our society progressed and our economy became more globalized and demanding, it was inevitable that the makeup of our industry became more diversified and inclusive. Since beginning my career in the mid-1960s, I certainly have seen the positive growth and presence of women within the oil and gas industry.
A person who embodies this new character and veracity of our industry is Ginger Adam; she is among many "Women Who Means Business" in today's oilfield. Ginger was born and raised in Crowley, with family roots throughout the Acadiana area. She made her move to Baton Rouge 22 years ago after high school from Notre Dame to pursue her bachelor's and master's degrees from LSU, and her parents still live in Lafayette.
While in undergraduate and graduate school, Ginger had the opportunity to work for the Louisiana House of Representatives and as a graduate intern at the Department of Revenue and Taxation. This was her first glimpse into public service and state government, and these opportunities ultimately opened doors for her to pursue her dream of owning and operating her own company.
If you ask Ginger what her intentions were after finishing her academic accomplishments in 1994 with a bachelor of general studies and a master of public administration, it was to pursue a career in public policy. She started that career at the Louisiana Municipal Association managing the nonprofit organization the Louisiana Conference of Mayors. After working for several years with local elected officials statewide as a lobbyist pursuing public policy initiatives in the Legislature, she formed her own lobbying and governmental relations firm in 1999, Ginger E. Adam LLC. Establishing her own company enabled her to broaden her scope of issues and clients.
A registered lobbyist in Louisiana for the past 14 years, she is involved in the formulation of policy positions and legislative initiatives. She is responsible for delivering presentations and briefings to her clients on relevant issues as well as to members of the Legislature and executive branch officials. A great deal of her time is spent on research and educating policy-makers on issues that affect her clients, stakeholders and allied interests.
Today Ginger represents numerous interests, including Cleco Corp., Chesapeake Energy, Port of Lake Charles, Bossier City, Bossier Parish, and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners.
She represented the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association for five years and worked closely with me to advance our organization's legislative goals. The energy business has often been viewed as a man's industry but she was able to learn the oil and natural gas business working side by side with experts throughout the entire spectrum of the industry. As a side note, Ginger has family in the energy and pipeline transportation business, too, and relies on her thirst for knowledge to learn from all of these relationships. In my opinion, Ginger's enthusiasm and energy are contagious, and I've enjoyed working with her through the years on so many business issues important to our state and its economy.
Her experience in the oil and natural gas industry through LOGA presented her the opportunity to represent the largest operator in the Haynesville Shale in northwest Louisiana, Chesapeake Energy. A lot of her time is spent representing the interests of the company and its billion dollar plus investment in the State. State Rep. Jane Smith, a Bossier City legislator, has worked with Ginger over the past several years. "Ginger is the person I want on my team," Smith says. "She is committed to excellence and is a problem solver who is dedicated and loyal to the people she works with throughout the state."
If you ask Ginger how she advanced to this point in her career and life, she delights in saying that she grew up in a deep-rooted political community, Crowley. With so many notable public servants and individuals, it was commonplace to have discussions on elections, campaigns, public policy and news events.
In addition to her academic accomplishments, Ginger is a graduate of the Class of 2006 Leadership Louisiana/Council for a Better Louisiana and is a fellow of the Academy of Politics at LSU. She is active in numerous trade organizations, including LOGA and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Energy Council. In addition, she has served on the boards of the Association of Louisiana Lobbyists and the Louisiana Asset Management Pool. She is also a member of the Louisiana Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Ginger Adam is passionate about life and devoted as a strong advocate for our industry. She is a leading example of successful women within the energy business and proves how far our industry has come over the past decades.
Don Briggs lives in Lafayette and has been president of the Louisiana Independent Oil and Gas Association since 1992. To comment on this column, email him at [email protected].