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November 13, 2025
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Topic Employee Engagement: Lessons Learned over 30 Years
Join us as we hear from Tom Knode on “Employee Engagement: Lessons Learned over 30 Years”. This discussion will center on observations around employee engagement and the impact on safety. Studies have shown that more engaged employees lead to better business performance across multiple facets, including safety and profitability. In order to better engage your employees, you have to understand where you are on the safety culture maturity continuum and overcome barriers using strategies that will lead to success.
Speaker Tom Knode, Principal Consultant for vPSI Group, LLC
Tom Knode is a Principal Consultant with vPSI Group in Houston. He began his career in health, safety and environment more than 30 years ago after brief stints as a laboratory petrophysicist and an environmental regulator. Tom has had leadership roles in HSE at regional and global levels for large (80k employees) and small (250 employees) companies. He has been actively involved in the development and execution of strategies to improve HSE programs and performance with emphasis on developing leaders and employee engagement. Knode was on the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ (SPE) Board of Directors as the HSE representative (2008-2011), has co-chaired five SPE HSE conferences, and has authored or co-authored more than 20 technical papers principally focused on safety leadership and culture. He is a 2025 recipient of the SPE Distinguished Member Award.
Agenda
11:00 am to 11:30 Networking and lunch
11:30 am to 11:45 am Welcome and Section Business
- Welcome
- Sign In
- Introductions
- Old & New Business
11:45 am to 12:30 pm Presentation
Location
960 Memorial City Way, (next door to Memorial City Club)
Houston, TX 77024
All attendees should park in the 920 Memorial City Way parking visitor area (the parking garage). The front of the conference room is “reserved” for the gym and the management office.