Ally McNamara
Ally McNamara (Payne) is an accomplished chemical engineer and process technology lead at Becht, where she draws on over a decade of experience in the oil and gas refining industry. After earning her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2011, Ally began her career at ExxonMobil, spending nearly nine years in Southern California refineries where she developed expertise in process engineering and project development. Her hands-on experience in complex refining operations provided a strong foundation for technical problem-solving and operational leadership.
Following her tenure at ExxonMobil, Ally broadened her refinery expertise at Chevron’s El Segundo facility, managing technical aspects of operating units and overseeing project development initiatives. She later transitioned to technical sales at W. R. Grace, where she specialized in specialty catalysts for refineries. This role allowed her to develop client-facing skills, including problem-solving, negotiations, and contract management, complementing her deep technical knowledge with commercial acumen.
In August 2024, Ally joined Becht as a process consultant, leveraging her combined experience in refining operations and technical sales. She leads multiple projects simultaneously, provides troubleshooting and technical support, and mentors younger engineers. Known for her practical problem-solving, relationship-building, and commitment to knowledge-sharing, Ally continues to make an impact in the refining industry while fostering growth and development in her team.
• The Ohio State University- Bachelor's
• Published an article in Petroleum Technical Quarterly Magazine
• American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers
• Healthy New Albany Food Pantry
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the mentorship and encouragement I’ve received from professors and colleagues, my natural curiosity and problem-solving drive, and my focus on building strong relationships across the industry. I’ve also pushed myself beyond my comfort zone to develop skills in negotiation, technical sales, and leadership.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was from a professor who encouraged me to pursue chemical engineering, explaining that it would open many doors and provide a flexible, opportunity-rich career path.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would advise young women entering the industry to build and expand their professional networks, learn from both women and broader industry peers, and practice the challenging conversations that develop leadership skills and help advance projects.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think our industry has gone through a lot of attrition and workforce reduction, and there's also not a lot of new people wanting to get into the oil and gas industry. When I started 15 years ago, it was more popular. I think people maybe see alternative energies as a threat and don't think oil and gas will be around long-term, but we still need to safely provide energy for most people who have cars today and make all the jet fuel for airports. Another big challenge is that a lot of refineries have been bought and sold many times over the last 10 years, and with that, there's a gap in heritage knowledge at a lot of refineries. We don't have as many really experienced mentors at these places anymore. That knowledge gap is something my company addresses - we train people, get young people up to speed, and help solve problems that they might have otherwise not needed a consultant for. We need to make sure people coming into the industry are equipped with the tools to learn and grow even without having all that technical experience readily available. There's some opportunity with AI to help bring newer and younger people up to speed quicker, though we obviously don't want to replace people.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are collaboration and mentorship, practical and safety-focused problem-solving, continuous learning, and prioritizing family while maintaining a predictable work-life balance whenever possible.