WISTA USA to hold Annual General Meeting in Houston
April 18, 2012 --- WISTA USA President Jeanne Grasso announced today the 2012 Annual General Meeting of the Woman’s International Shipping and Trading Association USA (WISTA) will be held from May 9-11th in Houston, the Energy Capital of the United States. The meeting will be held in venues around Houston, capitalizing on the many corporations engaged in the industry, with the bulk of the activities centered around BG Group Place at 811 Main St. on May 10th.
“This will be an important gathering of WISTA USA as we project our future”, observed Jeanne Grasso, who is also a maritime partner at Blank Rome. “We urge attendance at both the AGM, which is for members only, and the following Energy Seminar, which is for non-members as well as members.”
The Annual General Meeting will focus on the goals of the organization, including its participation as part of an international association. Emphasis will be placed on raising WISTA’s profile within the shipping and trading communities to attract new members, as well as enhance the benefits of membership to those already engaged.
The meeting will be open to the public beginning with the luncheon, when Joan Eischen from KPMG Houston, the author of “Energy and the City” will be the keynote. This will be followed by afternoon panel discussions on the Energy Outlook, Saving Energy, and Harnessing Energy. Featured speakers include Olga Rodriguez from the Port of Houston, Elisabeth Torstad of Det Norske Veritas, Marty Massey from the Marine Well Containment Company, and Renee Klimczak, BG Group President of Global Shipping.
“We are delighted that such a distinguished panel of speakers will contribute towards an energetic and enriching discussion”, stated Tammy Lobaugh, Conference Co-Chairman and Director and Assistant Superintendent for Operations & Administration, Texas Maritime Academy of Texas A&M University at GalvestonDirector and Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Administration at Texas A&M, Galveston. “It is important that these issues are brought forward and examined in light of how we can all contribute to solutions.”
Registration is required to attend with a fee of $50 for WISTA members and $75 for non-members. For more information, or to register, go to the WISTA USA Conferences page , and follow the prompts to the AGM documents.
WISTA is an international organization for women in management level positions involved in the maritime transportation business and related trades, worldwide. WISTA USA has nearly 300 members.
For more information on WISTA, please go to www.wista.net.