LOS ANGELES, Sept. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) Vice President of Gas
Operations Gina Orozco-Mejia on Thursday was honored as a "Latina Corporate Pillar" by the
California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (CHCC) for her years championing supplier diversity and for being one of the
highest-ranking Latinas at a Fortune 500 company. She was honored at the organization's 37th annual statewide convention at the
Riverside Convention Center.
Orozco-Mejia was recently named a vice president at SoCalGas and has the distinction of being the first Latina at an executive
level at the company.
"I commend the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce on its dedication to pursuing economic growth and to supporting
Hispanic entrepreneurs. SoCalGas is committed to helping diverse businesses grow, which is why we are pleased to be a corporate
member and supporter of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and we will continue to support its outstanding work in the
community," Orozco-Mejia said.
While CHCC noted that nearly 45 percent of SoCalGas' contract spending supported female, minority, and service-disabled
veteran-owned business enterprises, the Latina Corporate Pillar award was meant to honor Orozco-Mejia herself.
Established in 1978, the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce represents the interests of more than 800,000 Hispanic-owned
businesses throughout the state of California. Orozco-Mejia was recognized at the Latina
Empresaria Awards luncheon, which celebrated several Latina businesswomen who have helped other businesses succeed.
"We honor distinguished women like Gina Orozco-Mejia – a woman who came to this country from
Mexico as a teenager and who triumphed over challenges to become SoCalGas' first Latina vice
president," said Juan P. Garcia, CHCC's deputy director. "When she came to this country as a
youth, she worked hard to grow fluent in English and she applied herself to math and the sciences and went on to graduate with an
engineering degree from Cal State Los Angeles. We applaud Gina's determination and work ethic, for
her leadership and commitment to help other business owners grow and thrive through SoCalGas' supplier diversity program."
As vice president of gas operations for SoCalGas and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), Orozco-Mejia oversees all
aspects of gas distribution operations. She has a master's degree in business administration from Claremont
Graduate University and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from California State
University, Los Angeles.
In 1990, Orozco-Mejia joined SoCalGas as an engineering intern. Over the years, she has held a variety of increasingly
responsible roles in engineering, field services, gas system operations, environmental, international development and operations
staff. She previously served as director of labor relations, responsible for working with the unions that represent approximately
5,000 SoCalGas employees; director of region operations, responsible for gas distribution, resource management, and engineering
and planning and customer services; and director of system operations, responsible for gas control, gas scheduling and
transmission system planning.
About Southern California Gas Co.
Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has been
delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 145 years. It is the nation's largest natural gas
distribution utility, providing service to 21.6 million consumers connected through 5.9 million meters in more than 500
communities. The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles throughout central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. SoCalGas is a
regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Co.