Meredith Stieler

As the U.S. natural gas and power trading markets moved through deregulation in the 1990s, Meredith Stieler was in the thick of it. She was part of a business unit at the forefront of creating Enron’s natural gas and power trading operations. She then was recruited to support an elite group of Enron traders in London. There, she was tasked with hiring, training and helping build from the ground up a trading platform for Enron’s U.K. operations.

The company’s spectacular collapse in late 2001 was tough, Stieler said, but her experience there had allowed her to work with some of the brightest minds in the industry, gaining insights and skills that proved invaluable. And as significant as the company’s fall may have seemed at the time, it paled in comparison to what was about to come. 

“At the age of 40, I lost my husband, and the father of our 4- and 5-year-old children, to stomach cancer,” Stieler said. “My entire world was flipped upside down. Suddenly, I had to figure out how to keep everything going as sole parent and provider.”

She was in pure survival mode, realizing that her family needed her more than ever and her career had to be put on hold.

“Over time, that experience taught me just how strong and resilient I could be,” Stieler said. “I learned to focus on what truly matters, manage my energy with intention and handle challenges with determination.”

That chapter of her life changed her not just as a person, but as a professional.

“It gave me a level of empathy that influences how I lead and solve problems today,” she said. “I now have a sense of perspective that helps me stay calm in high-pressure situations because, honestly, once you’ve been through something like that, very little feels impossible. I learned that no matter how many plans you make for your career, you must be adaptable.”

When Billy Lemmons, a great mentor and colleague from her time at Enron, was assembling a team for his new midstream venture capital firm, EnCap Flatrock Midstream, Stieler was a natural choice. For her, it was a full-circle moment.

“It marked a significant shift (or rebirth) in my career, but also a natural progression as I embraced this entrepreneurial venture,” she said. Her role as vice president of accounting makes her responsible for all compliance, human resource and accounting functions, including treasury management, employee benefits, tax matters, and company policies and procedures. The advice Stieler imparts to young professionals in the industry is the same she gives to her two adult children who are starting their own careers. It is the importance of integrity and humility, two qualities she believes are critical in all facets of life, but especially when leading others.

“Integrity is about doing the right thing, even when no one is watching,” she said. “Being honest, fair and always acting responsibly is the key to gaining trust from your co-workers, customers and partners.

“Humility is an important value to have personally and professionally. Open communication and valuing everyone’s input fosters stronger relationships and successful decision-making.”

Those are two values that are at the core of the culture at EnCap Flatrock Midstream, she said. “I like to describe our company as a team of humble intellectuals who strive to be good stewards of the capital and assets with which we have been entrusted.”

Embodying these values, she added, not only shapes how people work with others, but defines the kind of leaders they become.

“I believe that by lifting others up, you can create a culture of success where everyone benefits,” she said, “and I have certainly found that at EnCap Flatrock Midstream.

Check out the rest of Hart Energy's 2025 Women in Energy here.