EP71 Reporter turned public affairs pro - stories over a career in oil and gas, with Ruth Rendon

Send us Fan Mail

Alarms don’t announce themselves politely. They scream into your day and force you to decide who speaks, what’s true, and how to steady a room full of worried people. That’s where Ruth Rendon has spent her career—first as a Houston Chronicle reporter, then as a corporate communications leader at bp, Marathon Petroleum, and SABIC—bringing order to messy moments with clear words and tight networks.

We mine stories from Ruth’s career - from daily deadlines to refinery life - where you learn why every day in oil and gas brings a new challenge. From world-shaping events to local protests outside your gate, working in oil and gas is always interesting.

Ruth opens the door on culture differences between companies and incident management models, showing how structure shapes speed. Then we head straight into Deepwater Horizon: Coast Guard halls in New Orleans, a humming IMT in Houma, and the dawn sprint to stand up Mobile’s command post. With no Teams or WhatsApp, Ruth built twice-daily update calls for hundreds of local officials; the questions faded only when the information flow finally worked. Health fears, beach closures, and tourism hits demanded honest answers and visible action. Join us to hear some new and exciting stories from the front lines of crisis communications.

Email the show: [email protected].

We'd love to hear from you.  Email the show at [email protected].