[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4431-4432]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          WOMEN IN THE TEXAS PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY: PAT AVERY

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 14, 2008

  Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, today I am proud to pay tribute to a personal 
friend, Ms. Pat Avery, Administrative Manager of Total Petrochemicals. 
Patricia Avery came into this world a double minority--black and 
female, but that didn't stop her from pursuing her dream of making it 
in an industry dominated by white males.
  Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she was surrounded by people who 
looked like her. When she graduated from high school, and stepped off 
of the plane in Iowa, to attend college at Drake University, that all 
changed. She was among the first women to live on the fourth floor of 
the university's Goodwin-Kirk Hall, previously an all male dorm. Ms. 
Avery graduated from Drake University, with an undergraduate degree in 
biology and a graduate degree in public administration.
  After graduating from college, Ms. Avery joined Church's Fried 
Chicken, Inc., as a Personnel Assistant and later Regional Personnel 
Manager. She noted, ``You may not start out where you want to be in 
your career, but take advantage of every opportunity and make the best 
of it.'' Five years later, she took the helm of corporate personnel 
management at Bleyle of America, Inc., a German company that 
manufactures international women's better sportswear. Pat then joined 
Mobil as an employee relations representative in Houston and quickly 
began her march up the corporate ladder. She served as employee 
relations advisor at Mobil's plastic packaging division in New York. 
She became the first woman and first minority manager of employee 
relations at Mobil's chemical specialty division in Beaumont, the first 
woman and minority manager of employee relations at Mobil's Mining and 
Minerals Co. in Houston, and manager of Human Resources at Mobil's 
Polyethylene Plant in Beaumont.
  Ms. Avery joined Total's Port Arthur Refinery in March of 1998, again 
as the first woman and minority on their management team. As the 
Administrative Manager, she manages the refinery's human resources 
department, as well as the accounting, security, training, labor 
relations, purchasing, warehouse, contracts, and public affairs 
activities. She admits, ``I have been the first female and the first 
African-American throughout my entire career in my industry and really 
in all of the industries I have worked in. Having been the first and 
the only in many jobs that I have had has been bittersweet. It was 
lonely, awkward, challenging, very scary, and extremely hard at times, 
but it was also invigorating, exciting, rewarding, and historic. I 
don't want to give the impression that it all happened in perfect 
order. That is far from the truth. Many times, I wanted to run back 
into the comfort of my own community where I felt safe, but I didn't. 
It's one of the most significant lessons I've learned: Nothing 
ventured, nothing gained.''
  As busy as she is, Ms. Avery still finds time to serve the community. 
She is involved in numerous projects and serves as a Board Member with 
Communities in Schools; United Way of South County; Art Museum of 
Southeast Texas; the Texas Association of Business; Lamar Institute of 
Technology Foundation Board; Julie Rogers Gift of Life Board; and 
Inspire, Encourage, and Achieve Board. She is the Vice Chair of the 
Golden Triangle Business Roundtable, and also served as their Safety 
Committee Chairperson for 5 years.
  Ms. Avery was appointed by Mayor Evelyn Lord to the Beaumont Board of 
Adjustments, and reappointed by Mayor Becky Ames. She currently co-
chairs Golden Triangle Days in Austin for the Port Arthur Chamber of 
Commerce and will again be co-chair in 2009. She chaired the Texas 
Museum Blowout in 2007; is a member of the Port Arthur Rotary Club; and 
will be President of the 2009/2010 Season of the Symphony of Southeast 
Texas. In addition, Ms. Avery serves on my Service Academy Board. From 
1999-2002, she served on the Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce Board. She 
was recognized as Business Advocate of the Year in 2002 by Lamar State 
College's Small Business Development Center, and is a graduate of the 
2000 class of Leadership of Southeast Texas.
  Madam Speaker, Pat Avery, a former high school track star and 
cheerleader, found her niche by helping people through employee 
relations and management. She is a pioneer in the male dominated 
petrochemical industry, and I am proud to celebrate her 
accomplishments.

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