IPAA Education Foundation

Dear Visitor:

The IPAA Education Foundation and its programs officially closed on June 15, 2023. The IPAA board has determined to focus on the association’s budget priorities and to concentrate on its core mission — federal advocacy in the nation’s capital. 

However, there will be other options for those who would like to continue working in the energy education space, which are outlined below.

Our special thanks goes to Sarah Hewitt who served as vice president of the foundation and continued to oversee the closeout while she started a new job.  Congratulations to Sarah on her new endeavor, as well as to former Foundation leaders Anne Ford and Sarah Castro.

Speaking of Sarah Castro, several of the initiatives that the IPAA foundation hosted and developed will be reopening within a Texas-based nonprofit utilizing her expertise.  IPAA will not be involved in the financing or staffing, but we do recommend this new program. This provides a new option for those companies interested in energy education.  Sarah will be working with the Dale Carnegie Success Skills Center INC, a nonprofit organization since February 2023. Previously, Dale Carnegie partnered with the IPAA Educational Foundation since 2015 in providing student leadership training to over 500 externs. Sarah Hewitt also sits on the Dale Carnegie Success Skill Board as the Vice President.

If you are interested in contacting the Dale Carnegie Success Skills center, here is more information:

We are sorry to see the IPAA Foundation shutter, but are very proud of the work it has done for the industry. And, the IPAA leadership is grateful that some of these programs will thrive under the Dale Carnegie Success Skills Center under the leadership Executive Director Sarah Castro and Board Vice President Sarah Hewitt. 

Please let us know if you have any questions. And thank you again for your support of energy education and the Independent Petroleum Association of America.

Sincerely,

Jeff Eshelman, IPAA CEO and President of the Education Foundation

Dan Naatz, IPAA COO and Corporate Secretary/Treasurer of the Education Foundation

Steve Pruett, IPAA Chairman and Chairman of the Education Foundation

About the Dale Carnegie Success Skills Foundation’s primary Initiative

  • We have found that having the communication and soft skill training that Dale Carnegie provides has given our students an edge when they report to the various companies to either job-shadow employees or take on tasks designed to prepare them for a career in the work environment
  • Dale Carnegie Success Skills Center will continue to reach out to our over 10,000 students from across the country to give them the support they need to be successful in the energy industry:
    • The Success Skills Center hosts 10, 1-hour interactive, virtual sessions throughout the school year (August to May) to high school and college students
    • Each session covers the necessary professional skills that employers are looking for throughout the energy industry
    • With support from the energy industry, the Success Skills Center will incorporate a virtual STEM-business competition to encourage high school students to apply professional communication skills when delivering STEM projects
  • Dale Carnegie Success Skills Center will continue to offer the job-shadowing extern program in Houston

In summary, the Dale Carnegie Success Skills Center will provide

  • A national outreach program
  • A well-known, reliable professional skills training
  • A student base for you to select quality candidates for co-op programs and extern programs
  • A resource for students interested in energy

IPAA is the industry’s strongest presence in the nation’s capital and these are important times. The entire oil and gas industry remains under fire from anti-development groups; but with these challenges arise unique opportunities that IPAA is seizing for our members.