Charting a Path—and Breaking Down Barriers

Emily Moeller-Prom (C’08)
Execution Planning Advisor, ExxonMobil

Participating in Principia’s 3+2 dual-degree engineering program, MoellerProm earned a BS in engineering science (with minors in math and chemistry) from Principia in 2008 and a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2009. “The small class sizes in Principia’s chemistry and math courses gave me a better foundation than other students in the University of Minnesota program,” Moeller-Prom says. “And being in school an additional year gave me extra time for internships and extracurricular activities that made me more well-rounded.”

Perhaps the most valuable of those activities was working on the solar car. Moeller-Prom was part of the array and body teams, despite having no electrical or car-building experience. She also served as one of the drivers in the 2,500-mile race from Austin, Texas, to Calgary, Canada, in 2005 and traveled to Taiwan with the team in 2006.

Moeller-Prom was hired by ExxonMobil immediately after graduation in 2009 (forgoing offers from General Mills and Dow Chemical Company) and has since established a successful career in a profession where women are very much in the minority.

In her current position as Execution Planning Advisor with ExxonMobil’s Pipeline Company in Spring, Texas, Moeller-Prom oversees pipeline regulatory compliance with state and federal agencies, pipeline integrity stewardship, and the creation and management of a $100M+ workload. Often, she’s one of two women—or the only woman—in meetings with 10–20 managers.

Prior to working in Texas, MoellerProm was a Lead Field Engineer for ExxonMobil in Cerritos, California. While managing millions of dollars of civil, mechanical, and electrical construction projects, she oversaw all-male construction crews—learning from their wealth of experience while also proving her capability to them. Ultimately, she says, “It was a good learning experience —and I think I helped open a few minds.”

This is an abridged version of an article that first appeared in the Winter 2018 Purpose.