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Reese Scott Thompson, Major, USMC
Deputy Commander, Force Recon
Marine Base, Quantico

Major Reese Thompson is a native of Philadelphia.  He entered service into the United States Marine Corps as a selectee to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis; where he is a graduate of the Academy’s Marine Engineering program.  After two years as a USMC combat engineer officer, Major Thompson applied for entry into USMC Force Reconnaissance. After meeting the selection board,  was accepted into initial RECON training.   He successfully completed all required training and went on to complete non-required advanced training in several cross-service schools, some include: the Marine Corps Combatant Diver Course; Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School (SERE); Special Operations Training Group (SOTG) Schools; Recon and Surveillance Leaders Course; Scout Sniper Course; the Reconnaissance and Scout/Sniper Team Leader Courses; Joint Terminal Attack Controller; and High Risk Personal Course. Major Thompson decorations include meritorious service for his leadership involving several operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; most notably Operation Phantom Fury.

Major Thompson’s thesis subject, “Reconnaissance and Modern Warfare:  Strategic Advantages of Boots on the Ground using Modern Technology,” has been accepted by Marine War College’s Advance Studies Evaluation Board and he is scheduled to begin study next term.

Victoria Carolina Espinoza-Saenz
Civil Engineer

Professional Woman of the Year 2001
Greater Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Exxon’s Civil Engineer Victoria Saenz is a native of Alvin, Texas near Houston.  Her roots are buried deep in the Texas soil where her family’s Lazy-E ranch is the fourth largest cattle ranching business in the state.  She graduated Salutatorian of her high school class with a full scholarship to Texas A&M.  She  graduated with honors from A&M’s School of Engineering.  During her professional career, she’s been a lead engineer with Exxon in Houston.  The Chamber based their award on her leadership abilities with a multi-million dollar survey in locating natural Texas reserves of oil and natural gas.   During the course of the team’s study, they located vast reserves of oil and natural gas in South Texas, spanning thousands of miles in over twenty Texas counties.  These untapped reserves have the potential to employ thousands of Texans and a financial impact of becoming 30% of the Texas business economy.  Her professional credentials include Professional Engineering Licenses in the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.  She is a member of good standing in the Society of Professional Engineers.

The Chamber wishes Victoria  all the best as she embarks on a new course in her career in accepting a fellowship  grant to George Washington University’s Masters of Engineering program. Her thesis focus will be on the environmental impact of fracking in the oil and gas industry.

The Greater Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce congratulates Victoria as the twenty-ninth recipient of the Professional Woman of the Year.