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Chairman of the Board, CEO and President
Bill Klesse serves as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Valero Energy Corporation.
Klesse began his 40 year career in refining as a process engineer with Diamond Shamrock, quickly rising to various managerial positions in engineering, petrochemical feedstocks, planning and development and marketing before being named Vice President of Logistics and Strategy in 1982. In 1984, he was named Director of Corporate Development and, subsequently, Executive Vice President. After the 1996 merger of Ultramar Corp. and Diamond Shamrock, forming Ultramar Diamond Shamrock (UDS), Klesse served as Executive Vice President of the company’s refining operations.
After Valero merged with UDS in 2001, Klesse served as Executive Vice President of Refining and Commercial Operations. In 2003, he was named Valero’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In 2006, Klesse became CEO, and in 2007, Chairman of the Board.
Klesse holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Dayton, and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from West Texas A&M University. |
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Mike Ciskowski serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer with responsibility for Treasury, Finance, Accounting, Internal Audit, Trading Controls and Insurance. He also oversees the company's Retail division, Information Services, and Ultramar, Ltd., the company's Canadian subsidiary.
During his 23 years with the company, Ciskowski has held many different positions in the financial planning and the business and corporate development areas of the company, including Investor Relations Director, Financial Planning Director and Manager of Financial Planning.
While leading the Corporate Development Department, Ciskowski has overseen a string of very successful acquisitions over the last few years, including the purchases of the Paulsboro Refinery, the Benicia Refinery, the Corpus Christi East Refinery, Huntway Refining Co., UDS, and the St. Charles Refinery. He has helped Valero earn a reputation for making very successful acquisitions, conducting smooth transitions and closing those transactions in record time.
Prior to joining Valero, he worked for Williams Exploration Co. and Getty Oil Co. in finance and planning. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees in finance from Central State University in Oklahoma. |
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Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer
Gene Edwards is Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, with responsibility over domestic and international corporate development, alternative energy, market analysis, and strategic planning.
Edwards has been with the company for more than 25 years and has held positions of increasing responsibility as a manager in several areas, including Planning and Economics, Refinery Operations, Business Development, and Marketing.
Prior to joining Valero, Edwards consulted on refinery economics for Pace Consultants. He started his career as a Process Engineer for CITGO. Edwards earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Tulane University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. |
Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
Joe Gorder is Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer with responsibility for Crude and Feedstock Supply and Trading, Products Supply and Trading, Optimization Planning and Economics, Wholesale Marketing, International Market Development, Logistics Operations and Development, Commercial Business Development, Transportation, Specialty Products Marketing, Retail, and Strategic Development and Technology.
Prior to that, he held the position of Senior Vice President-Corporate Development. While in this role he oversaw the acquisition of Premcor Inc., Kaneb Services LLC, Kaneb Pipe Line Partners LP, and the Aruba Refinery. He was also responsible for strategic planning.
Before joining Valero, he held the positions of Vice President of Business Development for Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, and Director of Commercial/Industrial Sales, Assistant Treasurer and Director of Information Systems for Diamond Shamrock.
Gorder earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a master’s degree in business administration from Our Lady of the Lake University. |
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Executive Vice President & President Ultramar Ltd.
Jean Bernier serves as Executive Vice President, with responsibility over Corporate Communications, Supply Chain Management, Information Services and Retail. Bernier also serves as the President of Ultramar Ltd., a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corporation operating in the refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products in Eastern Canada.
Bernier joined Ultramar Ltd. in 1996 as Director-Motorist Development. In 1998, he was appointed Vice President-Retail Operations, and then to President of Ultramar in 1999. Previously, Bernier acquired wide experience in the distribution and retail sales sectors during his 12 years at Provigo Inc. He held various senior management positions in operations, including as Vice President and General Manager at Provi-Soir, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at C Corp. Inc. and Vice President at Maxi. He had previously held the position of Director-Human Resources, at C Corp Inc., and then at Provigo from 1986 to 1990.
Bernier is a member of the Board of the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute and the Cercle des présidents du Québec. He is also a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. He has been involved in several fund-raising campaigns, including the Greater Montreal Centraide and the Ultramar Foundation.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations from Université de Montréal and a master’s degree from the University of Waterloo.
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Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Kim Bowers serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Valero Energy Corporation, with responsibility over Valero’s Legal, Ad Valorem Tax, Heath, Safety & Environmental, Energy & Gases, Reliability, and Project Execution departments.
She joined Valero in 1997 as Corporate Counsel. In April 2006, Bowers was promoted to Senior Vice President & General Counsel, and promoted to her current position in October 2008. She has served as lead attorney for all of the company's major acquisitions during her tenure with the company.
Bowers serves on the Board of Directors of WPX Energy, Inc., a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based publicly-traded exploration and production company. Bowers is also very active in the San Antonio community, serving on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. Bowers chairs the United Way’s Coordinating Council, which oversees United Way’s Targeted Community Impact work as well as general agency funding. Bowers is also on the Board of the United Ways of Texas.
Bowers previously worked for the law firm of Kelly, Hart & Hallman in Fort Worth. A native of Ohio, Bowers earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University (Ohio), a Master of Arts degree from Baylor University and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law.
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Senior Vice President-Retail Marketing
Gary Arthur serves as Senior Vice President of Retail Marketing. He has led numerous initiatives to improve the company’s supply, marketing and transportation business activities since joining Valero in 2000 as Vice President of Marketing, Supply & Transportation. In his current position, Arthur is responsible for Valero’s network of 1,000 company-operated convenience stores as well as the company’s Asphalt, Lube Base Stock, Petroleum Coke and Sulfur marketing activities.
Prior to joining Valero, Arthur worked for Colonial Group as Vice President of Supply and Distribution. He has extensive commercial and managerial experience, working nearly 20 years for Ashland Oil, where he served in a variety of increasingly responsible management positions in Marketing, Supply, Trading, Distribution and Business Operations.
Actively involved in community activities, Arthur has served on the Board of Directors of St. Peter’s/St. Joseph’s Children’s Home and currently serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the San Antonio Sports Foundation. He is active in Bexar County United Way Campaign leadership and serves on the United Way Marketing Advisory Committee.
Arthur holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree in business administration from Morehead State University. He and his wife, Sheila, live in San Antonio and have two children. |
Senior Vice President-Corporate Law and Secretary
Jay Browning is Senior Vice President-Corporate Law and Secretary with responsibility for Corporate Governance, Finance, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Information Systems Support.
Since he joined Valero in 1993, Browning has provided legal counsel on the company’s numerous transactions, assured compliance with securities laws and provided legal counsel to the board of directors and principal officers.
His prior experience includes positions as an Associate in the Corporate & Securities division of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, in San Antonio, and as an Attorney in the Corporate/Transactional division of Baker & Botts, LLP, in Austin.
Browning earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance, a Master of Business Administration degree and a Juris Doctorate from Texas Tech University. |
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Senior Vice President-Human Resources
Mike Crownover has served as Valero's Senior Vice President of Human Resources since May 2002. Since joining the company in 1997, he has been an integral part of Valero's leadership team. He has served as Corporate Compensation Manager, Corporate Human Resources Manager, Corporate Human Resources Director, and Executive Director Employee Relations and Retail HR.
Prior to joining Valero, Crownover served as Human Resources Manager for Halliburton Energy Services.
Crownover earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington.
During his tenure with Valero Human Resources, the company has consistently been recognized as one of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and has been recognized as the No.1 "Best Big Company to Work For." |
Senior Vice President-Alternative Energy and Project Development
Jim Gillingham is Senior Vice President Alternative Energy and Project Development, with responsibility over alternative energy and bio-fuels project development, including Valero Renewable Fuels.
Gillingham is an experienced manager of petroleum refinery operations, technology, maintenance and engineering. He has been with the company since 1985 and has served in many key roles. Gillingham began his career at Valero as a Refinery Superintendent at the Three Rivers Refinery and subsequently held various positions including General Manager Process Engineering, Director of Petrochemicals Development, Plant Manager positions at the Denver, McKee and Port Arthur Refineries, and Vice President of Regional Refinery Operations before being promoted to Senior Vice President Alternative Energy & Project Development in 2008. Since then, Gillingham has been instrumental in the acquisition of 10 ethanol plants and the development of alternative energy initiatives.
Gillingham earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from Rice University in Houston. He and his wife, Carol, live in San Antonio and have three children.
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Senior Vice President and Controller
Clay Killinger serves as Senior Vice President and Controller, overseeing the company’s accounting, budgeting, forecasting and profit-planning procedures; financial statements and reporting; and corporate tax functions. Killinger joined Valero in 2001 as Assistant Controller–Budgeting and Forecasting.
Prior to joining Valero, Killinger was a Partner with Arthur Andersen LLP in both San Antonio and Houston, and he held several managerial positions, including leadership of the firm's financial and accounting outsourcing activities in Texas, Louisiana and Colorado. Valero was a primary client of his for nearly 20 years, and throughout the years he conducted extensive audit work for Valero.
Killinger is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner. He earned a business administration degree in accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio (1983), Summa Cum Laude. |
Senior Vice President-Refining Operations
Lane Riggs serves as the Senior Vice President Refining Operations. He has been with the company since 1989 and has served in many leadership positions. He began his career at Valero as a Process Engineer at the McKee Refinery and subsequently held management positions including General Manager Process Engineering, Director Supply & Optimization, Vice President Refinery Planning & Economics, and Senior Vice President Crude, Feedstock Supply & Trading before being promoted to his current position of subsidiary Senior Vice President Refining Operations where he oversees the operations of all Valero refineries.
Riggs earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and his Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Finance and Economics from West Texas A&M University. |
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Vice President–Investor and Corporate Communications
Eric Fisher serves as Vice President-Investor and Corporate Communications. In his role, Fisher oversees the Investor Relations, Corporate Communications, Community Relations, Advertising and Corporate Sponsorship departments.
Previously, he served as Vice President of Investor Relations, where he developed strong communications programs for Valero investors. These programs were particularly beneficial during Valero's aggressive growth period because they helped investors understand the complexities of deals like Valero's $8 billion purchase of Premcor Inc.
Fisher began his career with Valero in 1997, when he joined Valero’s Corporate Law Department. In 1999, he moved to Investor Relations, and in 2004 was named Vice President of Investor Relations.
Prior to joining Valero, Fisher worked for the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski. Earlier in his career, he worked as an operations accountant for Exxon Corp. Fisher earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Texas A&M and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law. |
Vice President-Crude, Feedstock Supply & Trading
Martin Parrish is Vice President Crude, Feedstock Supply & Trading for Valero Energy Corporation.
Parrish joined Valero in 2000 as a Capital Projects Director at Valero’s headquarters in San Antonio and has subsequently served in a number of key positions including Operations Director at the Bill Greehey Refinery, Vice President & General Manager of the Three Rivers Refinery, Vice President & General Manager of the Aruba Refinery, and Vice President Regional Refinery Operations before being promoted to his current position of subsidiary Senior Vice President Crude, Feedstock Supply & Trading. In his current position, Parrish directs the supply, trading, and hedging activities for supply of crude oil at all Valero refineries.
Prior to joining Valero, Martin worked at ARCO and CITGO. Parrish has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. |
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Vice President-Optimization, Planning & Economics
Gary Simmons is Vice President Optimization, Planning & Economics for Valero Energy Corporation.
Simmons joined Valero in 1987 and began his career as a Process Engineer at the Ardmore Refinery and held many leadership positions including Executive Director Regional Development, Vice President & General Manager of the Ardmore Refinery, Vice President & General Manager of the St. Charles Refinery, and Vice President Planning & Economics before being promoted to his current position of subsidiary Senior Vice President Optimization, Planning & Economics. He is responsible for optimizing the operations of our refinery system and is capturing opportunities to improve refining profitability.
Simmons has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and his Master of Business Administration degree from University of Texas San Antonio.
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Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Cheryl Thomas serves as Vice President and Chief Information Officer, with responsibility for the company’s information services network and related technology.
Thomas has served Valero and its predecessor since 1984. She previously served as Senior Vice President Information Services for Valero, managing the company’s Information Systems Development, Support and Infrastructure teams. Prior to that role, Thomas served as Vice President of Retail Operations Support and Vice President of Retail Information Systems. She has played a key role in restructuring Valero’s Information Services Department and integrating recently acquired assets into Valero’s complex systems.
Thomas earned a business administration degree in Quantitative Analysis from California State University-Fresno in 1983, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
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Vice President and Treasurer
Donna Titzman serves as Vice President and Treasurer and has overall responsibility for the company’s banking, cash management, customer credit and investment management areas. Titzman joined Valero in 1986 as an accountant in the Natural Gas Liquids area.
In 1989, she transferred to the Finance Department and held several positions before being appointed Vice President and Treasurer in 1999. Titzman is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. |
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