We’re proud to recognize James Owens (Atmos Energy) from the Safety and Employee Development Section as our April Chair of the Month!
James has demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to advancing safety across the natural gas industry. His strategic contributions have delivered measurable impact to both SGA and the broader community.
What Did He Do?
- Led the planning and organization of sessions for both the Safety Conference and the Management Conference, ensuring the content was timely, relevant, and impactful.
- Chaired the Safety & Employee Development Section Committee, participating actively in all subcommittee meetings and driving alignment across safety initiatives.
- Revamped the Incident Survey Report, significantly improving its structure, usability, and ability to capture actionable data.
- Stepped in last minute to lead a well-received safety roundtable for 20+ attendees when an instructor was unable to attend.
- Contributed to the Mutual Aid Roundtable, bringing a workforce safety lens to emergency preparedness planning.
- Extended the reach of safety education by leveraging his social media presence and increasing SGA’s visibility through internal engagement efforts—including inviting SGA to present at his regional safety meeting of 40 colleagues.
What Changed Because of It?
- Conferences featured stronger, more business-relevant content that addressed real-world safety challenges for both field and management teams.
- Improved collaboration and cohesion within the committee through his inclusive and strategic leadership.
- The updated Incident Survey Report resulted in more accurate, accessible, and actionable safety data, helping inform smarter decisions and risk mitigation efforts.
- His active mentorship has inspired other section leaders to engage more deeply, strengthening the committee’s leadership pipeline and culture of accountability.
Why it Matters:
James exemplifies what it means to lead with both competence and care. His efforts not only bolster SGA’s reputation as a trusted convener of safety expertise but also reinforce the industry’s collective ability to protect its most valuable asset, its people.
