Leveraging more than 20 years of excellence as a subject matter expert and leader, Katherine “Kate” A. Gilbert has earned distinction at ExxonMobil since 2009, advancing from an environmental and regulatory adviser to a socioeconomic management lead to a reporting and stewardship supervisor of safety, security, health, and environment. She currently serves as senior principal consultant and manager of socioeconomic and human rights at the company. In this capacity, she’s responsible for global strategy and policy development in the areas of social responsibility, human rights, sustainability, and both social and environmental performance in the oil and energy industry. Furthermore, she steers collaboration with all of Exxon’s peer companies across the globe and evaluates and manages potential impacts on communities and people in relation to its projects and operations. In addition, she has co-authored a paper that was presented at the International Petroleum Technology Conference in Malaysia.

Prior to her hiring at ExxonMobil, Ms. Gilbert launched her career as a pesticide toxicologist at the National Pesticide Information Center within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1999, after which she was a clinical research associate at Oregon Health and Science University for two years. Following these appointments, she lent her expertise to the U.S. Army for seven years, first in the Army Community Services and then as a strategic analyst for Installation Management Command – Europe and then a management analyst at the U.S. Army Installation Management Command headquartered at Fort Sam Houston.

Outside of her primary endeavors, Ms. Gilbert has also been involved as a member of the United Way of Greater Houston, as an Exxon Mobil Corporation Science Ambassador at Klein Independent School District since 2014, and an assistant den leader for the Boy Scouts of America since 2019. In addition, she serves as chair of Ipieca, a global nonprofit dedicated to environmental and social issues, as well as chair of its Human Rights Working Group, and as a member of both the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers.

Attributing her success to her upbringing and parents, who provided her with a unique perspective on things, as well as a constant love of learning, Ms. Gilbert ultimately earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from Oregon State University and later a Master of Public Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Looking toward the future, she plans to retire in 10 years’ time, but before doing so, she hopes to achieve milestones that will drive progress within the company. Her main goal is to hold a position that will continue to influence positive change and expand the corporation’s reach. Of all her accomplishments in life, she considers her most notable to be raising her three children, Ryan, Emily, and Sean, alongside her husband, Christopher, who served in the military for 22 years.