• The owners and associates at Donalson Toyota in Silsbee celebrated the 25th work anniversary of salesman Walter Stephens on Feb. 27.
• Cataloging Supervisor/Librarian II Janell Farris retired from the Port Arthur Public Library after 42 years. She had been with the library since January 1982.
• Rainey Knox is the new executive assistant at the Southeast Texas Nonprofit Development Center. Knox is a Beaumont native who is active in the Beaumont Art League and the Beaumont Heritage Society. Most recently, she served as guest manager at the Anayat House, where she worked closely with executive leadership, coordinated major events, and served as newsletter editor.
• Jewell Capps accepted a full-time, post-graduation position with Mason Construction LLC as a junior project manager/estimator. She is a civil engineering major at Lamar University.
• Leroy Nix was named vice president of public affairs at Entergy, where he will lead the Entergy Community Development Corp. (CDC). The CDC is a focused platform to align financing, partnerships, and policy engagement to accelerate economic development across the Gulf South. The goal is to expand economic mobility, strengthen affordability, and drive long-term growth in communities.
• Paul Fritsch announced his retirement from ExxonMobil after 32 years. For the past four years, he has been president and site manager of Gulf Coast Growth Ventures.
• SOST announced Mauricio Oliveros has been selected as the new concertmaster of the Symphony of Southeast Texas following a highly competitive audition process.
• Feb. 26, interventional cardiologist Dr. Leonard Thome completed his first successful dual-chamber leadless pacemaker procedure. According to Thome, the device benefits from a wire-free design that uses Bluetooth to communicate between the upper and lower chambers of the heart, keeping them in sync. He noted this method offers quicker recovery, no scarring or discomfort, and a significantly smaller battery that can last up to 15 years.
• Christina Monkhouse is the new senior manager of strategic accounts and environmental solutions at RCS Industrial & Environmental for the Beaumont and Port Arthur area. Previously, she was a procurement specialist for OCI Global and an account manager for Dunn Heat Exchangers Inc.
• Garrett Ernst is the new director of preconstruction services at H.B. Neild Construction. Previously, he was a construction estimator and project engineer with the company.
• Michael Richmond, of Nederland, is the new lead process control engineer at Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.
• Katie Eastwood is the new Environmental Health and Safety Senior I at Sempra Infrastructure’s Port Arthur LNG. Before joining Sempra, Eastwood was an account manager for Mat Tech Industrial Services and worked six years for Miller Integrated Solutions.
• Lamar University professor and filmmaker O’Brien Stanley was recognized for his decades-long contributions to filmmaking and film education in Southeast Texas. The award was presented during the festival, held Feb. 19–22 in Beaumont.
• Jennifer Sonnier announced she has joined Maverick International Ltd. in business development. Previously, she worked for Kinder Morgan Inc. for six years and spent five years as a senior buyer with Wood Group Mustang.
• Sophie Fast started her new position as an IOPS tactical planning engineer — Permian Basin — at ExxonMobil.
• David Bossley is the new business development specialist at Partners Specialties Inc. in Beaumont. Previously, he worked with Airswift and was a construction manager for Triple S Industrial Corp.
• After 36 years working in the safety and environmental fields, Darren Swisher, MS, CSP, officially retired from ExxonMobil after spending more than four years as corporate safety manager. Before joining ExxonMobil in 2000, he was with ARCO Chemical for more than nine years.
• Ana Clara Perdoncini is a procurement business transformation intern at ExxonMobil.
• Brandon Miguez is the new contract specialist at Golden Pass LNG.
• Amy Jerry, a 1996 graduate of Lamar University, was promoted to project controls senior manager at Bo-Mac Contractors Ltd. She was a project controls specialist for two years before the promotion.
• Anthony Helms is the program manager for Polaris Sales and Marketing at ExxonMobil.
• Magdiel Torres is the new project manager at H.B. Neild Construction. Previously, he was a project engineer.
• Willard Simmons, a utility supervisor with the city of Orange, completed the Orange Leadership Program, which is designed to develop the next generation of leaders within the city by exposing employees to various leadership philosophies, styles, and principles.
• Tania Ortiz Mena, president of Sempra Infraestructura, is, for the sixth consecutive time, included in ExpansionMx’s “The 100 Most Powerful Women in Business 2026.”
• Whitney Jones Ponthieu, of Orange, was promoted from senior account manager to director of sales at Gopher Industrial. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University.
• At Bechtel Corp., Russell Ince started his new position as HSE supervisor. Previously, he was a health consultant and safety manager.
• Justin Amedee is the new area maintenance supervisor at TotalEnergies’ Port Arthur platform.
• Jackson Beltz started work as the new crude supply coordinator at ExxonMobil. Previously, he was a clean products scheduler since 2022.
• Waukesha-Pearce Industries announced Nike Dupuis is the new vice president of power generation. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from Louisiana State University and an Executive MBA from Texas A&M University. Dupuis began his career with Solar Turbines and has since held roles in application engineering, project management, and sales. Most recently, he served as a project manager with Venture Global, supporting its pipeline group.
• Darren Rougeau started a new position as operations integrity support at ExxonMobil.
• Tabitha Galvan is the new procurement manager and site team lead at Indorama Ventures-Indovinya. She will manage indirect procurement operations at the company’s Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Clear Lake sites.
• Family Services of Southeast Texas announced its newly appointed board officers. They are Shelley Blevins, president; Shawn Javed, vice president; Lisa O’Blanc, secretary; Leonard Juncker, treasurer; and Connie Browning, planning chair.
• City of Beaumont Director of Planning and Community Development Demi Engman was selected as one of America’s 250 Public Service Champions by the National Academy of Public Administration and Local Gov 250.
• City of Orange Communication and Marketing Coordinator Alison Clary completed the city’s Leadership Program, which is designed to develop the next generation of leaders within the city by exposing employees to various leadership philosophies, styles, and principles.
• Bennie Moore is the new superintendent for turnaround events at TotalEnergies. Previously, he was a project management consultant for three years with the company, and he also worked 10 years for Phillips 66.
• Tyson Blythe is the ethylene instrument/electrical/analyzer supervisor for Golden Triangle Polymers Co. in Orange.
• Victoria Sturdivant O’Connell is the new head of executive and financial communications with ExxonMobil. Before joining ExxonMobil, she worked 16 years with the U.S. Department of State.
• The Zachry Group announced Ingmar Sterzing as president of nuclear construction. Sterzing brings 30 years of leadership experience across nuclear energy, power generation, and energy infrastructure.
• Education First Federal Credit Union announced new roles for several employees. Cherie Cousins is the new assistant vice president of accounts, Emily Rhine is the new assistant vice president of marketing, and Brittany Jones is the new assistant vice president of mortgage lending.
• Justin Pelts is the new senior business adviser at the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) for East and Southeast Texas.
• Daulton Spence is the new director of operations at Buck Industrial LLC. Previously, he was the operations manager for the Brock Group and director of operations at Process Service Specialists.
Email us news about new employees, promotions and retirements to dannieoliveaux@theexaminer.com.
