The Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy Network

Organization: 
BP America
Job Title: 
Director, External Affairs

Sally Kolenda is the director of external affairs for BP America. In this role, she manages national advocacy efforts as the primary interface with think tanks, trade associations, legislative caucuses and community partners.

Prior to this role, Kolenda served as BP’s director of community affairs, where she managed community investments in Houston. In that capacity, she led the BP MS 150 charity bike ride, the company’s largest sponsorship, and served as spokesperson for community projects and initiatives.

A native of Texas, Kolenda received her B.S. in Industrial Distribution from the Dwight D. Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University and her B.A. in Spanish from their College of Liberal Arts. She also holds a diploma from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Estudios Hispánicos.

Kolenda sits on a number of nonprofit boards, including the Asociación de Líderes Hispanos, where she serves as secretary, and The Rise School of Houston, where she leads the communications and marketing committee. She is also a member of the Women’s Global Leadership Conference advisory board and has spent the last decade serving alongside her family as the customs liaison and team translator on medical mission trips to Guatemala.

Kolenda was selected by the Spanish embassy in DC and the Fundación Carolina as one of the 2015 Líderes Hispanos, a recognition bestowed annually to 10 U.S. leaders of Hispanic descent. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Corporate Member Program, the Junior League of Washington and the St. Augustine Gospel Choir.