Marisa Christensen ChatterHigh Profile

Background

I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and realized I wanted to be an Engineer in Grade 9. I was inspired by a close family friend who won the Canada Scholarship when she graduated high school and pursued an engineering degree. I started my university career at the University of Manitoba, where I was a co-founder of the Lady Bison Hockey Team. I was enrolled in Mechanical Engineering, but it became apparent to me that I couldn't visualize things in 3D and had a passion for Thermodynamics. 

I decided to change directions. After two years at the University of Manitoba, I transferred to the University of Calgary and enrolled in Chemical Engineering. Through the engineering program there, I worked several summers in various engineering roles and then opted to enroll in the internship program...mainly because I was running out of scholarship and bursary money. However, it turned out to be a fantastic decision.  

The internship program helped me decide that the area of the oil and gas industry I wanted to pursue was refining. Upon my graduation from Chemical Engineering (with a minor in Petroleum Engineering), I had a job lined up with Chevron Canada in Burnaby, BC, as a Process Engineer. During my time at Chevron, I gained experience in the refinery technical space, operations, reliability and long-term project planning. After 15 years with Chevron, my family and I moved to New Brunswick where I became the Area Technical Manager of North Process with Irving Oil. After 5.5 years in that role, I moved into my current role as the Group Lead for Front End Engineering. 

Career

Throughout my career, I have held many positions and ensured that I was working on broadening my knowledge base. My process role helped support me in my operations role and I was the first woman to pursue a role in that space, which paved the way for others to follow and succeed. My roles in process and operations helped me bring insight into my role as Refinery Reliability Engineer, a role typically held by Mechanical Engineers with no prior operations or refinery technical experience. My experience helped the team prioritize significantly impactful operational risks in our pursuit of achieving high-reliability targets.  

My current role is one I previously had at Chevron and is a role I truly enjoy. Not because I didn't LOVE all the other roles I have held, but this role gives me balance. It allows me to apply all the things I have learned over the years with the time needed to make the best decisions for the organization. It allows me to lead a team of excellent engineers and help them achieve their individual goals and our goals as a team. Teamwork is something I have learned from a very young age and a team is something I cherish being a part of each day.