The Business Report
The ExxonMobil Baton Rouge refinery will have its first-ever female manager at the start of the new year when Gloria Moncada takes on the role, which will add yet another woman to the top ranks of ExxonMobil’s Louisiana facilities.
Moncada—who returns to the Baton Rouge refinery where she began her career in 1992 as an engineer—will replace Mark Northcutt, who ran the facility for five years. The Baton Rouge refinery is the fourth largest in the nation with more than 3,700 employees and contractors.
“Out of our five major ExxonMobil Baton Rouge facilities and the ExxonMobil Pipeline Company’s southeast operations, we now have four women in top leadership roles: new Refinery Manager Gloria Moncada, Polyolefins Plant Manager Angela Zeringue, Plastics Plant Manager Jennifer Dunphy and ExxonMobil Pipeline Company Southeast Area Manager Shonta Greenwood,” says spokesperson Stephanie Cargile.
Having four women leading operations in Louisiana is a remarkable step forward for the state, ExxonMobil and the traditionally male-dominated oil and gas industry. As demonstrated by its current leaders “whose faces and minds reflect a variety of cultures, races, perspectives and experiences,” ExxonMobil is committed to diversity and inclusion, Moncada says in a statement.
“I’m keenly appreciative of all who have worked to move the industry forward,” she says. “There is still more work to do, and I’m committed to doing my part to carry the torch forward to help all employees reach their highest potential.”
Moncada, a Philadelphia native, has worked at several refineries throughout her career at ExxonMobil. Most recently, she served as manager of ExxonMobil Americas Crude Optimization in Spring, Texas. Moncada also held leadership positions at facilities in California and Singapore, where she was the refinery process division manager.
As the daughter of Italian immigrants and wife of a Colombian immigrant, Moncada says she and her family were raised to work hard, and focus on family and building relationships.
“I believe those principles gave me the honor of experiencing several firsts—from being the first college graduate in my family to now being the first female manager of the Baton Rouge refinery,” she says.
Moncada begins her new role on Jan. 1. Meanwhile, Northcutt will transfer to Houston as the new manager of U.S. South Fuels at ExxonMobil Fuels and Lubricants Company. While in Baton Rouge, Northcutt championed the North Baton Rouge Industrial Training Initiative and served on the boards of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association and the Louisiana Chemical Industry Association.
In addition to the four facilities and pipeline company managed by women, ExxonMobil has a chemical plant and Port Allen Lubricants plant, which are managed by men.