By Christie Campbell

Mention a job in the natural gas industry and an image of a burly man, possibly from Texas or Oklahoma, toiling outside in less-than-desirable conditions comes to mind.

And while there are industry jobs where physical demands are more suitable to men, the growing work force at MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources in Chartiers Township has attracted two young women from the local area.

Shana Sckena, a chemical engineer, and biologist Shannon Miles, both Washington County natives, work for MarkWest, which began processing Marcellus Shale natural gas in 2008. At the time the company had eight employees in its Liberty division. Today that division has a work force of 160 and will likely reach 200 by next year.

A 2007 graduate of McGuffey High School, Sckena went on to receive her degree in chemical engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Thanks to the local gas drilling industry, she was one of the few in her graduating class to get a job close to home while other graduates had to take jobs in other cities. And she believes her salary is in the top 10 percent of what others with a similar degree could expect to receive. At MarkWest she engineers the construction of compressing stations, which are needed to push the natural gas to the company’s processing facility.

Miles had previously worked for the Washington County Conservation District, where her job brought her into contact with MarkWest representatives. Robert McHale, MarkWest’s manager for environmental regulatory affairs, hired Miles because she was already well-versed in industry regulations.

Miles is a 2003 graduate of Fort Cherry High School and a 2007 graduate of Penn State Behrend with a biology degree.

Today Miles provides training to anyone going out into the field to work, and she oversees a staff of 24. While MarkWest has an exclusive agreement to process natural gas produced by Range Resources in Washington County, it has other contracts with other gas extraction companies in Butler County and in West Virginia, requiring Miles to travel.

As MarkWest expands its facilities, Miles sees her own career advancing.

“It made me feel good coming over to a company that is doing what I want to do,” she said.

The natural gas industry has allowed Sckena to live near her family, something that was important to her. She and her husband are making plans to build a home in North Franklin Township.

“Coming to work every day and enjoying what you do is such an added bonus,” said Sckena, who recently gave birth to the couple’s first child.

MarkWest hires the best person for the job regardless of gender, said McHale. While there are more men in the engineering field, he believes that will change as more opportunities open for women and if the culture places more emphasis on teaching science.

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