Castlen Kennedy is a native Houstonian pursuing her Dual Masters at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently working towards a Masters in Public Affairs at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs and a Masters of Arts in Energy & Earth Resources at the Jackson School of Geosciences.

In addition to being a full time student, she works part time for Apache Corporation, an independent oil and natural gas producer headquartered in Houston. Before returning to school in the fall of 2008, Castlen spent seven years in various positions in both the public and private sector working on energy issues. Prior to joining Apache Corporation in 2006, she worked in the Office of Fossil Energy at the United States Department of Energy as a Senior Policy Advisor on oil and natural gas issues. She has also held positions at S&B Infrastructure, RWE Trading Americas and Enron Corporation.

Castlen resides in Austin, Texas with her husband, Cory, and their Boston Terrier, Ralphie.

The Co-Pilot: Cheryl Dalton
Castlen has convinced one of friends to take the trip with her! Meet Cheryl Dalton. Cheryl is also a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism. She currently works for E! Entertainment Television in Los Angeles as the Director of Marketing Solutions. Although a Texan at heart, Cheryl currently resides in Venice, CA with her high school sweetheart, Jonathan, and their French bulldog, Pierre. In addition to keeping Castlen company on the 2,300 mile journey, Cheryl will be helping with the social media aspects of the trip.