Face to Face
Tawna Beer
Corrosion Engineer

What do baton twirling, beaded gowns and corrosion engineering have in common? Until Tawna Beer joined Alyeska in 2003, quite possibly—nothing. Since then, this Integrity Management Corrosion Engineer has changed the way most people might think about a male-dominated profession. When Tawna is not working on corrosion coupon monitoring, the inhibitor injection program (corrosion prevention), VMT coatings or other line-wide responsibilities, it is likely that she is practicing twirling anything from a baton with both ends on fire, rifles or three batons at a time. She coaches a team of 15 Valdez girls who recently brought home six first-place State competition awards. Did she mention her affection for riding ATVs and motorcycles? “People always tell me I am a tomboy,” she says laughing. “They also tell me I’m a very well-rounded person who can do anything I set my mind to.”

What is your connection to Alaska?

I am Tlingit and Tsimshian and was raised in Sitka, where my father owned a construction business and my mom stayed at home. I am a lifelong Alaskan and will spend the rest of my life here.

What is your education background?

After graduating from Sitka High School, I graduated from Portland State University in 2003. While I was in college, I was recruited by Alyeska as a corrosion engineer summer intern. My degree is in architecture. I’d thought I wanted to be an architect since I was in junior high, but there wasn’t enough math involved so I changed my mind. There is no corrosion engineering degree, but there is a certification program through TAPS and it is through these five certifications that I became a corrosion engineer.

What projects have you been involved in?

Currently, I’m working on installing new corrosion coupons and injection points. By analyzing data, I look for any sections of piping that may not be adequately monitored or that we may not have enough data on. I learn under senior engineer mentor programs such as the pipe integrity testing program and cathodic protection program. I am also putting together an engineering package to install new corrosion coupon monitoring points on berths 4 and 5 where the tankers are loaded with oil.

Since the BP spill, I have been doing a lot of analysis on our corrosion programs to determine if we should be enhancing them with new technologies such as installing scopes in pump station piping, corrosion coupons, different kinds of chemicals for inhibitor treatment and ways to analyze data between two separate programs.

What do you like best about working at Alyeska?

The best part for me is making a difference in Alaska and protecting the environment. And the people are great. I came in as a junior engineer and I work with several senior engineers who spend a lot of time with me and are helping to develop my career. Someday I would like to work my way up into management at Alyeska.