Big 12 Road Trip: Meet K-Stater Natacha Buchanan ’02
Four new college towns are joining the Big 12 Conference this season, and to celebrate, we’d like to introduce you to four K-Staters living in or near these towns! Natacha Buchanan ’02 is a K-State grad living in Houston, Texas, where new Big 12 member University of Houston is located.
At K-State: What did you enjoy most about your time at K-State?
- Natacha Buchanan: Being a Classy Cat allowed me to engage with various Wildcat sports in a unique way. Sharing in the wins from the sideline was such a unique experience that few get to have.
- Building life-long friendships. On Sept. 9, 2023, I got to reunite with other Classy Cat alumni for Family Day and perform on the field again!
What have you been up to since graduating?
I have been in the oil and gas industry since I graduated from K-State in 2002. Most
of that time I have spent in various accounting and finance roles. In 2018, I took
an opportunity to lead inclusion and diversity at Phillips 66. In 2022, I became the
first chief diversity officer for ConocoPhillips.
I married my husband, Quentin Buchanan, a 2004 K-State grad and men’s basketball player
(1999-2003) and we have two kids: Quincy, who is a freshman at K-State, and Mariana,
who is a senior in high school.
What do you like most about living in the Houston area?
The food and the diversity of the people. You can get any type of food in Houston and it will be absolutely delicious! People move to Houston from all over the country and world; it makes Houston such a global place.
How do you show your K-State “purple pride” in your everyday life?
Texas has official K-State license plates for your car so that was a must for me. We have a “K-State room” in our house to show our purple pride, and my office is decorated in K-State in every way. And I have a lot of purple in my wardrobe.