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Volunteering

Giving Back

The Energy CFO partners give back 10% of their time and/or donate annually in support of people, projects, causes, innovation, and organizations in the business communities where we work. 

Some of the ways we give back our include serving on boards or as board advisors, donating funds, in-kind service contributions, mentoring young entrepreneurs in accelerator type programs and/or partnerships, judging entrepreneurial competitions and investor pitches, supporting new energy innovations and/or energy transition efforts, educating groups about various industry and financial topics, supporting economic empowerment, advancing female founders (science, technology, energy, chemicals, manufacturing) and promoting women working in the energy and finance industry.   

If you are interested in talking to us about opportunities, contact us with the details.

Board Service

Paula Waggoner-Aguilar CEO and Strategic Board Advisor.jpg
Paula Waggoner-Aguilar
Strategic Board Advisor

The Energy CFO founder has been involved in helping found non-profit organizations, launching local chapters of national organizations, hand picking and leading new "working" boards, and helping organization build out their networks.

  

  • Women's Energy Network South Texas, Chapter Co-founder, President of the Board (2013-2014), Board Member (2013-2015), Advisory Board Member (2016-2017), and Nominating Committee Member (2021). ​

  • San Antonio Global Chamber, Advisory Board Member since 2018.

  • Houston, Texas based Pink Petro (now ALLY Energy), Corporate Executive Advisory Board Member from 2016 to 2018.

  • ACG Central Texas, ASA Board of Directors from 2018 to 2019.

  • San Antonio Techboosters, Co-founder and Non-Profit Board Member from 2014 to 2015.

Making An Impact in the South Texas Community

In 2015, The Energy CFO's CEO Paula Waggoner-Aguilar and the Women's Energy Network South Texas chapter she helped co-found was honored with a nomination for the South Texas Energy Economic Roundtable (STEER) Community Impact Award by Eagle Ford Oil and Gas Operators for their efforts and trailblazing leadership in building programs in South Texas that positively impact and support the oil and gas industry and help advance women working in traditionally male-dominated energy sectors. While they did not win the award, to be acknowledged by your peers is a reward in itself.

 

Credit goes to not only to the chapter co-founders and founding board, but also the women, men, other oil and gas organizations, and companies that stepped up and provided financial support, tapped their networks, volunteered, and provided social influence that first year. 

#eagleford #womeninenergy #diversityequityinclusion

The Energy CFO Serves Oil & Gas Operators Oilfield Services Oilfield Equipment Shale UnCon
Women's Energy Network South Texas Chapter

Supporting DEI Through Social Entrepreneurship

"This energy leader wants to help women working in the energy sector close the diversity gap on a global scale."
San Antonio Founder and CEO The Energy CFO Paula Waggoner-Aguilar Joins Houston based Pink
Pink Petro now ALLY Energy

Paula Waggoner-Aguilar Joins Board of Houston Startup Pink Petro

San Antonio Business Journal February 8, 2016, by Sergio Chapa

 

Pink Petro, the online social media platform for women working in the energy sector is getting some firepower on its board.  Paula Waggoner-Aguilar, the founder of The Energy CFO and the Women's Energy Network South Texas Chapter, said she is backing the for-profit social entrepreneur, Katie Mehnert because she sees the value the technology platform brings in support of women who work in the energy industry on a global scale."  Paula says she is "committed to efforts and initiatives to promote an inclusive workforce, encourage women to pursue STEM careers, and support the next generation in their challenge to provide safe, affordable energy for all".  

Photograph Courtesy of Pink Petro (now ALLY Energy) : Advisory Board Member Paula Waggoner-Aguilar (right) at #Herworld16 event in Houston.

#Womeninenergy #Diversityequityinclusion

Education and Contributions

Contributions

  • Donated to YMCA in support of local SA children's after-school programs in 2022.

  • Donated to the San Antonio Boy's and Girls Club organization during 2020.

  • Provided in-kind service contributions to EPIcenter in 2018, 2019, and 2020.  

Educating

  • “Startup Finance for Mentors” guest webinar speaker for VMS San Antonio’s (UTSA , UT Health SA, and the UT System) Office of Technology Commercialization presented to their startup business mentors (mostly non-finance types) as a refresher and sharing some of our firm experience and lessons learned live from San Antonio, TX during March 2021.

  • "Cash Flow Forecasting: 3 Step Roadmap to Optimizing Cash in a Crisis For Early Stage Companies” guest webinar speaker for EPIcenter (Energy, Partnership, and Innovation Center) on the topic of presented to young energy companies participating in various energy accelerator programs across the US during June 2020.  

  • Also in 2016, invited to participate in an educational series for Houston's Gulf Coast Society of Petroleum Engineers International series called Petroleum Engineers in Transition at the Houston Technology Center regarding how startup and build an energy company or professional firm, early stage funding, creative ways to attract leaders, and scaling early-stage companies. 

  • Served as a judge for University of Texas San Antonio's CITE Competition Business Proposals for the Business School during December 2016. 

  • Guest lectured two one hour classes on the topic “Entrepreneurial Finance and Modeling Startups” for UTSA’s Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship Program in San Antonio, Texas at the UTSA campus during the Spring of 2014 and Fall of 2015.

Preparing Our Future Workforce

The Energy CFO served as a strategic business mentor to the first student startup energy team, In-Line Innovations, competing for $100,000 in The University of San Antonio's ("UTSA") Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship ("CITE") fall 2013 competition.  

 

In-Line Innovations was led by female founder / UTSA Senior, Raquel Stark.  The team of business and engineering students developed a precision pig for pigging "unpiggable" crude refined products pipelines typically found in refineries (basically these are small pipes with lots of bends - imagine putting the barbell looking piece equipment in the photo in a small pipe).  

In-Line Innovations placed 2nd in UTSA Cite Competition in 2013 and they received an offer to buy the technology from investors the next day!

2nd Place UTSA CITE Competition Startup Energy Team In-Line Innovations
UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship

Mentoring

  • Invited to participate on a panel hosted by the San Antonio Pipeliner’s Association (SAPA) and Women’s Energy Network South Texas in San Antonio, Texas at Valero campus in April 2019 to educate women about career options and share experience working as a “Professional Women in the Texas Oil and Gas Industry” with a younger audience just starting their careers.

  • Invited by the San Antonio Business Journal to support their Bizwomen Mentoring Monday program to empower women in their careers as one of their mentors in their April 2017, February 2018, and February 25, 2019.

  • Realco Seed Investment Program – Served as Startup Mentor 2017-2018 for strategy, finance, and risk management. At that time, the Realco Seed Fund Program was associated with Geekdom.

  • In 2015, partnered with the technology startup Pink Petro to launch a Petropreneur community to promote economic empowerment and help mentor and accelerate the closing of the gender gap for women in the energy industry. We also served as the Petropreneur Community Leader (2015-2018).

  • Wise Women | Work Wiser Series” guest speaker for Minerva Work Solution’s diversity podcast series designed to help mentor Executive Women by providing real examples of other executive women’s experiences, struggles, and what they have overcome in their careers. We were honored to be asked to help! Filmed in Central Texas in 2017.

  • Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Lunch and Learn guest and mentor for Women of Science and Engineering (WoSE) group in San Antonio, TX at the SwRI campus during July 2017. #womeninscience #womeninspace

  • Invited by the Houston Business Journal to support their Bizwomen Mentoring Monday program to empower women in their careers as one of their mentors in their April 2015 and April 2016. One of the few women from another city asked to participate by HBJ.

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