• Sam Bradley is the new community education coordinator for Harbor Hospice. Previously, she was service development director at Freedom Behavioral for three years.
• Jason Finley is the new turnaround manager at Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.
• Michelle Richey of The Newtron Group of Beaumont recently celebrated her 20th anniversary with the company.
• Howard Cobb, who owned Cobb’s Carpet in Beaumont, celebrated his 100th birthday on April 3.
• Code Enforcement Officer Amanda Dupree completed the city of Orange Leadership Program. The internal program is designed to develop the next generation of leaders within the city by exposing employees to various leadership philosophies, styles and principles.
• Pedro Ojeda is the new quality control inspector at Pat Tank Inc. in Port Arthur. He recently earned his API 653 certification.
• Dr. Jan Angel announced March 10 that she will retire, effective June 1, from Southeast Texas OB/GYN Associates in Beaumont. She has worked in Beaumont for the past 29 years.
• Broussard’s recently recognized Barry Lackey for his 30 years of service as a funeral director.
• The Ferguson Law Firm announced that Jamie Schiesler has been elected paralegal division director for District 10 of the State Bar of Texas. She has been a paralegal at the firm since 2017.
• Mike East, a team supervisor at Motiva Enterprises LLC, retired April 9 after 34 years. The Nederland resident, who also attended Lamar University, began with Motiva in January 1997 as a shift supervisor.
• Chris Sonneborn, Energy Transfer’s vice president of system planning and project controls, was awarded the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the Pipeline Research Council International. The award honors those who have dedicated time to advancing technical initiatives such as pipeline integrity, corrosion control and design technology.
• The city of Sour Lake held a retirement celebration April 15 for Officer Franco Boling, who retired after 22 years with the Sour Lake Police Department.
• On April 13, three leadership positions were approved and filled during the monthly Port Neches-Groves ISD Board of Trustees meeting at the district administration building. Dr. Amber Oleksy was approved as the new Port Neches Middle School principal, Ashley Lofton as the new Port Neches Intermediate principal, and Sarah Walker as the new Groves Primary Early Learning coordinator.
• Rick Slaughter, Motiva commercial marine manager for measurement assurance and loss control, was honored with a Citation for Service by the American Petroleum Institute. He was recognized for his leadership in guiding a work group that advanced industry standards for the Committee on Petroleum Measurement. He received the award at the 2026 spring API committee meeting in Denver in April.
• Josh Farmer, an Eagle Scout from Troop 65 in the Three Rivers Council and a recent Lamar University graduate, is the new Sabine District executive.
• Port of Port Arthur Deputy Director Andy Powell served as a presenter at Tissue World Miami in Miami last month. The global conference for the tissue and pulp industry brings together leaders from across the supply chain to share insights and drive innovation.
• Last month, Shelby Brannan, executive director of the Beaumont Heritage Society, attended the Texas Association of Museums Conference in McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley to present “History in the Shadows: Incorporating Dark Tourism at Historic Sites.”
• Nick Guidry, MBA, MEd, SHRM-SCP, CWDP, represented Apache Industrial at the Construction Career Collaborative & Go2Work Community Hiring Event, delivering a keynote on the power of career development programs.
• Elton Hollis was the keynote speaker for Repsol’s annual Critical Contractor Meeting in Kenedy on April 29. The topic was “Human Performance and Contractor Alignment: Closing the Gap Between How Work Is Planned and How Work Is Done.”
• Kristin Dronet is the new business development manager for Apache Industrial. A native of Lake Charles, she brings industry experience and strong community ties.
• Lashaun Johnson is the new program director for CASA of the Sabine Neches Region. The Houston native holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and is pursuing a master’s in clinical mental health counseling at Lamar University. As a licensed peace officer and former police officer, she brings experience working within systems that impact individuals and families.
• Mustapha Jourdini, executive director of the Global Education Center, represented Lamar University and served on a panel of experts in global education at a Texas Council of Chief Academic Officers meeting in Austin on April 22. The meeting, hosted by Trellis Strategies, focused on internationalization, student enrollment opportunities and challenges, compliance, employment of international talent and global partnerships.
• Waukesha-Pearce Industries announced its newest Komatsu Service Institute graduates, Hakeem Adeyemi and Joshua Williams. The program focuses on leadership and technical training for service managers and technical support personnel.
• Amanda Van Doornik, senior manager of project contract management at Port Arthur LNG Phase I and II programs, recently completed a leadership development program.
