Kate Shafer
About Kate Shafer
Kate Shafer is a Reliability Engineer at ExxonMobil with extensive experience in various engineering roles within the company.
Title and Current Role
Kate Shafer is a Reliability Engineer currently working at ExxonMobil in Joliet, IL. She has held this role since 2016, leading initiatives to ensure equipment reliability across the site.
Previous Positions at ExxonMobil
Before her current role, Shafer held various positions at ExxonMobil, including Process Engineer (2015-2016), Working Parents Group Leader – Women’s Interest Network (2013-2015), Capital Budget Coordinator (2013-2015), Senior Process Design Engineer (2012-2013), and Process Design Engineer at the Research & Engineering, Americas Area Engineering Office (2007-2012). During these positions, she honed her technical expertise and leadership skills.
Education and Expertise
Shafer earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University, graduating in 2005. She furthered her education with a Master of Science (M.S.) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, completing her studies in 2007. Her academic background laid a solid foundation for her career in engineering.
Key Responsibilities and Contributions
In her role as Reliability Engineer, Shafer leads the refresh of operating envelopes and limits to ensure equipment reliability, develops and maintains tools for site stewardship, and identifies metrics to enhance plant operations. She plays a key role in incident investigations, providing recommendations to prevent reoccurrence, and uses life cycle cost analysis and risk assessment methodology to support her findings. Shafer also contributes to optimizing turnaround intervals and equipment downtimes for safe and cost-effective operations.