Speakers

Sarah Kern is the director of strategic engagement at the Tulsa-based arm of Energy Innovation Capital. In this role, she leverages her technical expertise and industry acumen to help portfolio companies share their innovation stories within the oil and gas sector. Her 15-year career began in the drilling contractor world at H&P, where she became the company’s first female engineer in US Land, and went on to lead initiatives in performance engineering, analytics, and thought leadership.

Kern is also deeply involved in industry organizations and advocacy. She currently serves on the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Board of Directors as Drilling Technical Director and recently completed her service as Program Chair for the 2025 SPE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (ATCE). She has coauthored 17 technical papers and has long contributed to the SPE/IADC International Drilling Conference, including as Diversity & Inclusion Program Chair and Advisory Committee member. 

She holds a degree in electrical engineering and marketing from Oklahoma State University.