AOGA Industry Awards

Industry Award Nominations 

Do you know an individual, company, or project that deserves recognition for their achievements in the oil and gas industry? We invite you to submit your nomination(s) for this year’s AOGA Industry Awards.

Nominations will be reviewed by a three to five-person committee comprised of industry experts in the fields of government and public affairs, business, regulatory affairs, environmental law, and land management.

Nominations are now closed. Thank you for your submissions!

Lisa Pekich

Lisa Pekich, a 33-year ConocoPhillips Alaska employee, is the 2024 winner of the Marilyn Crockett Lifetime Achievement Award. She earned her engineering degree from California Polytechnic State University and launched her early career with ARCO Alaska. Pekich’s technical expertise and interpersonal skills led her to senior roles in environmental coordination, strategy, and commercial analysis. Since 2011, she has directed ConocoPhillips Alaska’s community relations and village outreach team, transforming it into a model of effective community engagement. Lisa’s leadership in the Willow project and her commitment to community responsiveness highlight her impact. She also serves on the Iḷisaġvik College Foundation board, advocating for tribal education and workforce development.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Marilyn Crockett Lifetime Achievement Award is named in honor of the former AOGA Executive Director who dedicated her entire 41-year career to, as she stated, “growing Alaska’s economy through a vibrant oil and gas sector in the state.” This award seeks to recognize the service contributions of a direct oil & gas industry employee who, like Marilyn, has devoted his/her professional life to fostering the viability of the oil and gas industry in Alaska for the benefit of all Alaskans. This award honors the tenacity Marilyn exemplified during her career: an exceptional dedication of time, effort, thought, and action consistently shown in one’s work for the betterment of the oil and gas industry in Alaska.

Selection criteria:

  • Employee with at least 15 years of service in the oil and gas industry
  • Employee who has made significant and lasting contributions to the oil and gas industry in Alaska
  • Employee who has provided direct service to fostering the long-term viability of oil and gas for the benefit of all Alaskans beyond their own organization
  • Employee who has served the industry through outstanding contributions to the state and his/her local community

Julianne Lamb

Julianne is the 2024 winner of the Rising Star award. Originally from Texas, her work to impact Alaska’s oil and gas industry began globally. With a profound love for all things science, she transitioned from studying engineering to geology, graduating with a B.S. in Geological Sciences from the University of Texas in 2011. Her early career in Houston and subsequent M.S. from the University of Houston in 2014 set the stage for her eventual move to Alaska. Moving to Sydney in 2016, Julianne honed her skills in basin modeling. After making the journey to Alaska in 2020, Julianne led the charge to bring “GeoIsotopes” to Santos Alaska in 2023. This technology provides unique insights into reservoir characteristics and seal integrity through a deep understanding of source rocks and migration pathways. Now a key figure in Alaska’s Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) industry, Julianne’s work ensures safe, long-term CO2 storage, securing Alaska’s energy future.

Rising Star Award

sponsored by Flowline Alaska, Inc.

The Rising Star Award endeavors honors a young professional oil and gas industry employee, under the age of 35, who has made an immediate and definitive impact on the oil and gas industry in Alaska. This award honors those young professionals that embody a passion and commitment to fostering the long-term viability of oil and gas in Alaska for the benefit of all Alaskans.

Selection criteria:

  • Employee with at least three years of service in the Alaska oil and gas industry
  • Employee who has demonstrated the highest level of professionalism, competence, and leadership in their work
  • Employee who has provided direct service to fostering the long-term viability of oil and gas for the benefit of all Alaskans beyond their own organization
  • Employee who is committed to improving him/herself through continuing education and professional training
  • Employee who has integrated him/herself into the local community through service and organization membership

Cruz Construction, Inc.

Cruz Construction, Inc. is the 2024 winner of the Contractor of the Year Award. An Alaska-based heavy civil and oil field support company, excelled in safety and performance while completing the 2024 winter components of the Phase 1 STP Civil-Mining project at Oliktok Point for Santos’ Pikka project. Cruz worked 72,225 hours with a peak manpower of 78 personnel, reporting only one minor injury. The project involved mine development at E-Pit, ice road construction, gravel hauling, and sheet pile installation. Cruz and Santos developed a detailed work plan, ensuring project success through close cooperation. Despite challenges like a storm surge, Cruz maintained the schedule with only two minor vehicle incidents. The team’s exceptional planning, communication, and dedication to safety enabled the completion of pile driving in just 57 days, well ahead of schedule.

Contractor of the Year 

sponsored by the Alaska Support Industry Alliance

The Contractor of the Year for Safety Performance Award recognizes an oil and gas support company that has demonstrated exemplary commitment to safety. To be considered for this award, a company must demonstrate: the highest safety standards, communication of safety policies, excellent employee training, and a record of incident-free days. AOGA welcomes nominations from all AOGA member companies.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, Legacy Facility Removal Project

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (Alyeska) is evolving its operations to meet the changing needs of Alaska’s oil industry with a long-term “TAPS 100” philosophy. Currently transporting approximately 175 million barrels of oil per year, Alyeska anticipates an increase in throughput in the coming years. This shift has necessitated operational changes, including the reduced use of pump stations. Alyeska has implemented an Asset Retirement Obligations (ARO) program to clean and remove facilities, completing decommissioning at Pump Stations 10 and 12, with work in progress at Pump Stations 2 and 8. Alyeska is committed to reducing TAPS’s footprint by isolating and removing five inactive pump stations by 2034, and has provided conceptual plans for legacy equipment removal at Pump Stations 1, 3, 4, and 9. Major demolition was completed at PS10 in 2020 and at PS12 in 2023.

Project of the Year

sponsored by Stoel Rives LLP

The Project of the Year for Environmental Stewardship and Innovation Award honors an Alaska oil and gas industry project that demonstrates superior environmental stewardship in its area of design and construction or operation, and/or an innovative approach that sets a new standard for industry design, construction, or operation in Alaska. Given the unique climate and ecosystems in Alaska, local industry has a proud tradition of environmentally prudent and technologically innovative projects and operations. This award endeavors to highlight those projects or strategies that are both successful and represent innovation in their operation or approach.

About AOGA

The Alaska Oil and Gas Association (AOGA) is a nonprofit, professional trade association whose mission is to foster the long-term viability of the oil and gas industry for the benefits of all Alaskans. We represent the majority of companies that are exploring, developing, producing, refining, or marketing oil and gas on the North Slope, in the Cook Inlet, and in the offshore areas of Alaska.