LOS ANGELES, Sept. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern
California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) Vice President of Gas Operations
Gina Orozco-Mejia on Thursday was
honored as a "Latina Corporate Pillar" by the California Hispanic
Chambers of Commerce (CHCC) for her years championing supplier
diversity and for being one of the highest-ranking Latinas at a
Fortune 500 company. She was honored at the organization's 37th
annual statewide convention at the Riverside Convention Center.
Orozco-Mejia was recently named a vice president at SoCalGas and
has the distinction of being the first Latina at an executive level
at the company.
"I commend the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce on its
dedication to pursuing economic growth and to supporting Hispanic
entrepreneurs. SoCalGas is committed to helping diverse businesses
grow, which is why we are pleased to be a corporate member and
supporter of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and we
will continue to support its outstanding work in the community,"
Orozco-Mejia said.
While CHCC noted that nearly 45 percent of SoCalGas' contract
spending supported female, minority, and service-disabled
veteran-owned business enterprises, the Latina Corporate Pillar
award was meant to honor Orozco-Mejia herself.
Established in 1978, the California Hispanic Chambers of
Commerce represents the interests of more than 800,000
Hispanic-owned businesses throughout the state of California. Orozco-Mejia was recognized at the
Latina Empresaria Awards luncheon, which celebrated several Latina
businesswomen who have helped other businesses succeed.
"We honor distinguished women like Gina
Orozco-Mejia – a woman who came to this country from
Mexico as a teenager and who
triumphed over challenges to become SoCalGas' first Latina vice
president," said Juan P. Garcia,
CHCC's deputy director. "When she came to this country as a youth,
she worked hard to grow fluent in English and she applied herself
to math and the sciences and went on to graduate with an
engineering degree from Cal State Los
Angeles. We applaud Gina's determination and work ethic, for
her leadership and commitment to help other business owners grow
and thrive through SoCalGas' supplier diversity program."
As vice president of gas operations for SoCalGas and San Diego
Gas & Electric (SDG&E), Orozco-Mejia oversees all aspects
of gas distribution operations. She has a master's degree in
business administration from Claremont
Graduate University and a bachelor's degree in electrical
engineering from California State University,
Los Angeles.
In 1990, Orozco-Mejia joined SoCalGas as an engineering intern.
Over the years, she has held a variety of increasingly responsible
roles in engineering, field services, gas system operations,
environmental, international development and operations staff. She
previously served as director of labor relations, responsible for
working with the unions that represent approximately 5,000 SoCalGas
employees; director of region operations, responsible for gas
distribution, resource management, and engineering and planning and
customer services; and director of system operations, responsible
for gas control, gas scheduling and transmission system
planning.
About Southern California Gas Co.
Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has been delivering
clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than
145 years. It is the nation's largest natural gas distribution
utility, providing service to 21.6 million consumers connected
through 5.9 million meters in more than 500 communities. The
company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square
miles throughout central and Southern
California, from Visalia to
the Mexican border. SoCalGas is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra
Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company
based in San Diego.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Co.