Roughneck Camp (RNC) is a 1-day summit organized by the SPE Gulf Coast Section’s Young Professionals (SPE-GCS YP) that empowers young professionals, interns, and students with the knowledge to choose and plan appropriate career paths as they become valuable members of their organizations. Originally held in 2002 as a half-day event intended to host professionals with less than 5 years of industry experience for a few hours of networking and professional development, RNC as it stands today has evolved into a full-day event welcoming over 200 industry members annually to discover the opportunities within the energy industry.
Every summer, the city of Houston welcomes interns into the energy capital of the world, and every year SPE-GCS YP has the honor of hosting hundreds of these interns that are eager to learn, discover the latest advancements, and make an impact.
As with every year, this edition was no exception, it was simply a success!
2025 Edition: “The Energy Frontier: From Bit to Boardroom”
This year’s event was held at Transocean’s office in Houston, with keynote speaker Roddie Mackenzie, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Transocean. In his opening address, he shared an overall perspective as an oil and gas driller on the changing international energy landscape, highlighting the potential impact that differing views on policymaking can have on the future.
His speech set the tone for the day, energizing participants by sparking curiosity and engaging everyone in thoughtful reflection.
The SPE-GCS YP team this year hosted several speakers and four panel sessions discussing multiple topics across the energy sector, including:
- Exploring diverse career paths and the unique journeys that shape them.
- An insightful discussion on current mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and their impact on the evolving energy landscape.
- Harnessing artificial intelligence (AI): shaping the future of the energy industry.
- A concise overview of energy expansion technologies, including carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), lithium, and more.
- Strategies for career growth in today’s complex and dynamic energy sector.
- Real-world insights: perspectives from the field.
RNC guests were introduced to steps recommended for advancing careers in a challenging and complicated energy landscape and provided with an opportunity to ask questions. The event’s Q&A showcased everyone’s curiosity and proved our industry has several fearless future leaders getting involved, paying attention to the advice our industry has to offer, and wondering what they might be involved in tomorrow. The questions focused on the challenging experiences and explored the lessons learned highlighting the true value of long-lasting relationships and the profound impact of identifying opportunities.
During the M&A session a discussion developed on how current M&As can potentially create career-defining opportunities for both young and experienced professionals. The field perspective sparked dialogue emphasizing the importance of practical, hands-on experience, highlighting that developing technical skills through real-world application is essential not only for building a lasting career but also for shaping one with a clear vision.
RNC featured multiple sessions highlighting the latest technological advances across trending topics such as AI, drilling, hydraulic fracturing, energy expansion and transition, CCUS, hydrogen, geothermal, and lithium. These sessions provided a clear timeline for many projects, explaining the challenges they aim to address, their current progress, and the future direction of these initiatives.
Turning Full Circle
More than an event—RNC is a catalyst. It connects rising talent with seasoned leaders, uniting generations of oil and gas professionals in one powerful experience. RNC embodies the values of SPE by inspiring growth, leadership, and innovation at every level.
RNC attracts a distinguished audience from top-tier academic institutions including the University of Oklahoma, Penn State, the University of Houston, the University of Texas, the North Dakota University System, Rice University, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech. The event is renowned for drawing high-caliber speakers—ranging from engineers and technical leads to senior executives such as directors, vice presidents, and CEOs. It also serves as a valuable platform for early-career professionals and scholarship recipients to connect and grow.
In recent years, RNC has hosted groups from major industry programs, including Baker Hughes’ ASPIRE initiative and Patterson-UTI’s summer internship cohort.
For over 22 years, RNC has played a vital role in shaping future industry leaders by providing a platform for knowledge sharing, career development, and professional networking. This year was especially meaningful as we welcomed back a former organizer—Kim Padeletti, now global head of energy data platforms at AWS—as a featured speaker.
Reflecting on her journey, Padeletti shared, “I started as a Roughneck Camper, then organizer, now speaker—but this time, it's about AI.” She described RNC as “a space where the next generation of energy leaders come to life.” This enduring legacy is reflected in the event’s continued success and impact year after year.
The event consistently receives outstanding feedback from participants, volunteers, and speakers, and remains one of the premier recruiting opportunities for the SPE-GCS young professionals. Many members of our local YP group discover new opportunities within SPE and advance their careers after attending for the first time. None of this would be possible without the support of SPE, the contributions of our exceptional speakers, and our sponsors.
While this year’s event may be over, the work of shaping tomorrow is well underway. Stay connected, get involved, and be part of the next RNC as we continue to drive the future of energy forward.
