SoCalGas has been recognized with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Los Angeles Company of the Year Award by the SHPE Los Angeles chapter at their 5th annual Founders Legacy celebration. Each year, SHPE Los Angeles celebrates its mission’s successes and honors corporate partners, members, and students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). SoCalGas Vice President of Gas Engineering and System Integrity Gina Orozco proudly accepted the award during the virtual celebration on February 10th, 2022, expressing gratitude to SHPE for this great honor and for recognizing SoCalGas’ engagement and partnership throughout the years.
SHPE CEO Chris Wilkie said, “SoCalGas has been a longtime supporter of SHPE in Southern California and at the national level in recent years. We are grateful to them for their proven commitment as one of our Industry Partnership Council members to recruiting diverse talent from a national pool of leading Hispanics in STEM. And we offer our congratulations to them for this well-deserved award from our Los Angeles chapter.”
“Supporting STEM education and its accessibility to underserved youth has been a longstanding focus for SoCalGas,” said SoCalGas Vice President of Gas Engineering and System Integrity Gina Orozco, adding, “We are a company of engineers, including myself.”
Recipients of this award have demonstrated dedication and outstanding commitment to SHPE’s growth and achievement and SoCalGas is proud to be a vital partner for the organization. SoCalGas is invested not only in STEM Education, but in workforce development, sustainability, safety, and emergency preparedness programs through more than 900 nonprofits throughout our 12-county service area.
The award was presented by George Pla, Founder and CEO of Cordova Corporation, who said, “SoCalGas is a friend and valued partner, we happen to share the same values,” noting that, “SoCalGas has a diverse staff, has a supplier diversity program that reflects the communities they serve, and they give back.” He also added that SoCalGas employees are very involved in helping young students prepare for careers in STEM.
SoCalGas Chief Talent and Culture Officer Erin Smith said, “SoCalGas is committed to leading California’s energy transition and achieving net zero emissions by 2045 through key investments in innovation and a diverse, talented workforce. We are proud to partner with SHPE in our shared goal of developing and supporting the future pipeline of innovative STEM professionals.”
SHPE Los Angeles chapter President Amado Galaviz III has been volunteering with the organization for seven years. He said, “I'm incredibly happy and honored that SoCalGas has been selected as the recipient of the SHPE Los Angeles Company of the Year Award to be presented at our Founder Legacy Celebration. I’m so grateful for SoCalGas’ support throughout the years. I am so grateful to the human resources workforce development colleagues who have supported SHPE with many collaborations.”
SHPE is a national nonprofit organization serving and advancing Hispanics in STEM. With more than 13,000 student and professional members, and close to 300 chapters, SHPE’s mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support, and development. To accomplish this, SHPE provides a variety of programming, services, resources, and events, including hosting the largest Hispanic STEM convention in the nation. For more information, visit http://shpe.org.
The virtual reception is available online at: 5th Annual Founders Legacy Celebration Video
