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When Dusty graduated with a Master’s in Archival Management in 2005, her career path seemed clear, at least at the time. Joining a non-profit organisation as an archivist, she stayed there for almost four years, before moving on to a similar role as a contractor for the US Department of Energy for another four.

Born in West Virginia, and with her first two jobs in the same state, she says that eventually it just wasn’t enough for her. “Somewhere about a decade ago I was sitting at my desk in the office and reflecting on my situation,” Dusty says. “I loved my job, loved the people I was working with but… I just knew I didn’t want to be sitting in the same cubicle for the next 10 years.”

“I began scrolling through job postings from all over, and I happened to come across one from Shell that needed an Information Management Business Analyst in Pittsburgh, PA. It was just a 40-minute trip by road for me, and it looked exciting though I knew no one that worked at Shell. I just leaned over and called out to my husband in the other room and asked, ‘Hey, would you move to Pittsburgh if I applied for this job?’ And a couple of months later, there I was.”

Dusty recalls how, four years later, when her Pittsburgh team was being relocated, she saw Texas for the first time. But that’s when she began to branch out in earnest, taking over as IM Lead for Oil Sands Assets and then Acquisitions and Divestments, before finally moving on as CC Lead the Commercial I&D team. “We were working to support confidential projects with highly sensitive material, creating roadmaps and strategies, to give a fresh start to the team.”

In 2021, she was appointed the Capability Center Lead for Operational Excellence that supports a large organisation of over a thousand people, helping them run seamlessly. “I got the role because I’d reached out to my boss, saying I wanted to learn stuff outside of just information management. Though I had limited knowledge about the larger organization at the time, everyone was open and welcoming. We’re like the engine of the team. It’s our job to make sure people are properly onboarded, timelines are streamlined, automation grows, and that we’re continuously looking at things through an improvement lens.” Dusty is now going back into IM as Senior Capability Center Lead for Enterprise Information and Data Analytics.

As far as the workplace goes, Dusty is quick to say she’s never been happier than at Shell. “In previous roles, I didn’t have much work-life flexibility,” she says. “One example I can remember is when my daughter was ill and at day care, and my boss got mad at me when I said I had to go pick her up. Here, I feel comfortable that my manager and community would support me if I needed to make changes in my work life to attend to my family. I’m not nervous to approach anyone to say I need help or need to change things around for a couple of weeks.”

Her work at Shell also gives her the time she needs to keep up with her passion for reading. “I’m always either in the middle of a book, starting a new one, or planning for my next five. And when I’m not reading, I’m baking something. It sounds silly but I find it so relaxing, and of course, my co-workers reap the benefits of my baking skills,” she laughs. “Our closest family is 20 hours away, so my Shell colleagues are like my family here. It’s part of why I love my work so much.”

Dusty finds the work that she does challenging and fulfilling. What she most loves about the job is working with people from all over the world, learning about them, and learning what she can do best to help realise their potential. “It brings me more joy than I can explain.”

It’s part of why she is so involved in women’s career programs that focus on getting more women and female representation in IT. “I haven’t done any college outreach for Shell myself, but I was recently in touch with the principal of my hometown’s school, offering my services as a mentor for young women there. My town is pretty small, only about 700-strong, and quite underprivileged. If there’s anything I can do to give back to my community and improve those girls’ lives, I’d bend over backwards to do it.”

Dusty isn’t sure about what the future holds for her but she does know what she wants. “I don’t think I’ll be in information management in 10 years. I have a keen interest in ethics and compliance so maybe I’d enjoy a role in Information Risk Management. In a decade I’ll have almost 20 years of experience at Shell, and my daughter will be in her 20s. I hope by then my job will have helped put her through college.”

Dusty is clear about wanting to stay with Shell until she retires. “What would I get from jumping ship? The people, the work, the pay are all great, I couldn’t ask for a better place to work.”