Maria is a Vice President with Pathfinder, LLC and is responsible for overseeing the Management & Consulting Division. She has over 40 years of experience in the Oil & Gas Industry. Maria has been at the helm of many joint ventures established in the Venezuelan Oil and Petrochemical Industry. Her extensive international experience in many grassroots and expansion projects includes the overall responsibility for project management,  project control, procurement, construction of oil refining, , petrochemical,  industrial facilities, , and environmental projects. Her wide experience in the areas of production, transport, refining, petrochemicals, fertilizers, chemicals and infrastructure in all project phases from feasibility studies, preparation of FEED packages, EP and EPC project until start up. She has knowledge of plant operations, maintenance, environmental/health and safety. She has actively participated in a number of Independent Project Reviews (IPR), development of Project Execution Plan (PEP) as well as other Pathfinder consulting assignments, including Value Improving Practices (VIP), strategic planning, project management process application, contracts negotiation, organizational evaluation and development. Also, she has analyzed delay, cost overrun, and lost production claims for refinery, onshore, and petrochemical plants and has been expert witness in international arbitration processes.

Maria also oversees all of Pathfinder's activities in Latin America. Maria's strong Latin American ties are truly a value added bonus for our clients. These managerial activities are in addition to supporting consulting and training assignments as needed.

CORE QUALIFICATIONS

• Claims
• Contract Strategy Planning & Development
• Contract Administration
• Financial Analysis
• Independent Project Reviews/PDRIs
• Master Planning
• Organizational Reviews
• Project Delivery Process
• Project Execution Planning
• Project Management
• Risk Assessments
• Value Improving Practices

EDUCATION

• Simon Bolivar University (USB - Venezuela) - Chemical Engineering
• Simon Bolivar University (USB - Venezuela) - Masters in Business Engineering, Finance

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Engineers Association of Venezuela
• Chemical Engineers Association of Venezuela - Secretary and Treasurer for 3 years

AWARDS

• Key Women in Energy Awards, 2001 and 2002 - Two-time recipient, conferred to women whose leadership and business performance was superb in the Americas.
• Best Conoco Subsidiary Award, 1999 - Received as President of Petrozuata, S.A for the best overall performance in the world among Conoco's businesses.
• DuPont Award for Safety, 1999 - Received as President of Petrozuata, S.A. for the best safety record in the world for a company in which DuPont had participation.
• Award General Manuel Ezequiel Bruzual, 1997 - Presented for valuable work and commitment towards the infrastructure development of the Municipality of Bruzual, located in the State of Anzoátegui, Venezuela.
• 1st Class Medal "Jose Antonio Anzoategui", 1995 - Presented this high award for social services for contributions to the State economical development.

LANGUAGES

• English
• Spanish