In December 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed then-U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas to serve on the New Orleans-based Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Douglas made history with this confirmation becoming the first Black female judge to ever serve on the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Before serving on the Fifth Circuit, Judge Douglas served a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana since 2019. Prior to joining the federal bench, Judge Douglas was a shareholder at Liskow and Lewis, practicing matters related to energy, product liability, and intellectual property in both state and federal courts in Louisiana. In 2017, Judge Douglas served as just the third Black President of the New Orleans Bar Association (NOBA), leading the organization in its goal to promote justice, educate members, and enhance the legal profession.

But here at WENSLA, we know Judge Douglas as our Founding President. Along with our 37 founding members, Judge Douglas founded the Women’s Energy Network South Louisiana Chapter in 2009. Her vision and encouragement helped provide a continuing space for professional women in southeast Louisiana working within the energy industry to join together in an ever-growing networking forum and environment of enrichment. Since 2009, WENSLA has grown from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to now encompass Lafayette, the Northshore, and even Lake Charles!

Without the contributions and efforts of Judge Douglas, WENSLA would not be the chapter we are today!

Mary Landrieu grew up in Louisiana in a politically active family. Inspired by the women in her life and political pioneers like Representative Lindy Boggs of Louisiana, Landrieu began her political career by winning a race for the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1979. When she took her oath of office in January 1980, Landrieu was one of only three women then serving in the state legislature. She was elected state treasurer in 1988 and after two terms ran for governor in 1995 against a crowded field. Though she fell short in the race for governor, the following year she prevailed in a campaign for the U.S. Senate, becoming the first woman in Louisiana to be elected to a full term in the Senate. When Landrieu entered the Senate in 1997, she was one of only nine women serving at that time. She was the first Democratic woman to serve on the Armed Services Committee and went on to chair the Small Business Committee, Energy Committee, and Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security. In her 18-year Senate career, Landrieu was a leader on a diverse range of issues, including energy policy, education reform, and child adoption.

Tonya holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from The Florida State University. She joined Shell Upstream in 1991 where she had a variety of operations and project assignments supporting and managing the production platforms offshore. In 2008, Tonya moved to Brunei Darussalam for 5 years, where she major maintenance, turnaround and offshore activities. Tonya repatriated in 2013 and held a variety of roles of increasing depth and accountability in Deepwater, Shales, and globally.
In 2021, Tonya was appointed the General Manager for Shell’s Gulf of Mexico Developing Assets. She previously held positions on the Board of Management for Aera Energy LLC, and the Board of Directors for Collegiate Academies, a charter school network in New Orleans. Tonya and her husband are a dual Shell career couple with two sons, aged 25 and 20. Tonya is passionate about nurturing careers, developing people, and building inclusive teams, and she enjoys sporting events and travel.

Mandie Bosch is a professional environmental engineer with 23 years of work experience in Upstream and Downstream. She has worked for Chevron for approximately 17 years, all of which have been in the Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. Mandie has held job assignments with increasing scope and sphere of influence, branching from purely technical for the first 6 years of her career to environmental supervision over the past 11 years. She started her career with ExxonMobil Downstream with roles ranging from Environmental Coordinator to SHEQ Supervisor. Mandie has experience in environmental permitting, regulatory, and compliance in Gulf of Mexico across a range of environmental medias including air, water, waste, and biodiversity.