international womens day

feature

international women's day logo

celebrating the women powering the human energy company

Women are making a difference across every part of Chevron. It’s because of their many contributions that we’re the company we are today. This International Women’s day, we celebrate the women playing an integral role in our business and those who paved the way before them.

sirajum evaluates undiscovered resources to help power Bangladesh

watch video

monica shares her passion for STEM with the next generation of girls

watch video

eliana delivers safety, performance and value for our Angola business

watch video

maria commits to being her best both as a runner and as a lead data engineer

watch video

women push energy's frontiers at the richmond technology center

watch video

a rich past. a bright future.

This international women’s day meet the women who’ve contributed to our long history and bright future

From one of the first women employees in 1885 to the many women in today’s leadership roles, Chevron has a long history of women making important contributions to our company.

From CFOs to refinery managers to engineers to truck drivers and nearly everything in between, there are incredible women in every part of Chevron. This International Women’s Day we’re celebrating and honoring the women of Chevron’s past and present who broke barriers to become the first woman in their fields.

These are a few of the "first" women who broke the door open for others and paved the way for women to continue to play a vital role in Chevron’s future.

2019 alice potter: first female country chair - Thailand

Alice joined Chevron in 1994 as an environmental engineer. Over her career, she has held leadership roles across the downstream value chain including Retail, Americas Products and Oronite. Then in 2019, Alice became the first female country chair and general manager in Thailand.

2019 renu sharma: first female country chair in the middle east

Renu started her career journey with Chevron in 1996. She progressed through a series of roles from Marine Fuels, Trading and the Downstream and Chemicals business. She is a strong proponent of diversity and inclusion and started the Men Advocating for Real Change (MARC) networks in Singapore and Dubai. Then in 2019, Renu became the first female country chair and general manager of the Middle East.

2018 jennifer guo: first female general manager, chevron upstream supply chain

China-born Jennifer (Jingfei) Guo joined Chevron in the corporate procurement MBA development program in 2002. She held several supply chain leadership roles in the United States and Angola. In 2018, she became the first female general manager of Upstream Supply Chain, responsible for all goods and services in the global upstream organization.

2018 liz schwarze: first female vp, chevron global exploration

Liz Schwarze joined Chevron in 1990 as a development geologist in the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout her career, she’s held positions in Exploration, Reservoir Management, Finance and Business Planning. Then, in 2018, Schwarze became Chevron’s first woman vice president of Global Exploration.

2018 kim mchugh: first female vp, chevron drilling & completions

Kim McHugh began her career in 1988 as an intern at BP, working in drilling and completions with experience in the Gulf of Mexico, Thailand and onshore North America. She joined Chevron in 2011, then in 2018, she became Chevron’s first woman vice president of Drilling & Completions.

2017 mitra kashanchi: first foreign-born female in charge of a chevron refinery

Iranian-born Mitra Kashanchi started with Chevron as a chemist at the El Segundo, California refinery. She worked in engineering and planning roles, then transitioned to operations. In 2017, she became the first foreign-born woman to head a Chevron refinery, when she was named general manager for the Salt Lake City, Utah Refinery.

2016 rhonda morris: first woman of color named a chevron corporate officer

After joining Chevron’s Human Resources Development Program in 1991, Rhonda Morris held a number of roles of increasing responsibility in HR, global marketing and international products. In 2016, she became vice president and chief human resources officer, making her the first African-American woman to hold a Corporate Officer position.

2009 pat yarrington: first female chevron cfo

Starting as a financial analyst in 1980, Pat Yarrington became the company’s first female CFO in 2009, managing through the global financial crisis and volatile commodity markets. Pat also served as Chairman of the SF Federal Reserve Bank. For her leadership in the business community, she was honored with the 2018 Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.

2003 dr. susan longacre: first female chevron fellow

Dr. Susan Longacre started her geological career in the reservoir engineering group of Getty Oil Co. in 1969. Over the years, her work in geological reservoir characterization contributed to her distinction of becoming one of the first Texaco Honorary Fellows in 1991, recognizing her technical contributions. As the first female Chevron Fellow, Susan actively mentored high-achieving young technical professionals in the Mentoring Excellence in Technology program

2002 marty gilles: one of the first female leaders of a chevron refinery

Marty Gilles started at the El Segundo Refinery in 1979 as a design engineer. Throughout the years, she held a number of different management positions. Then, in 2002, she became the general manager of the Hawaii Refinery, making her one of the first females to lead a Chevron refinery.

1996 deborah jenks-reichhold: first female captain of chevron shipping

Deborah Jenks-Reichhold joined Chevron shortly after her 1984 graduation from the California Maritime Academy. In 1995, she was promoted to pilot & mooring master, then, in 1996, she became Chevron Shipping’s first-ever female captain.

1977 carla anderson hills: first female chevron board member

In 1975, Carla Anderson Hills was appointed secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, becoming only the third woman to hold a cabinet position. Then, in 1977, Hills became Standard Oil of California’s first female board member. In her role, she was a published advocate for the energy industry.

1943 vivian a. clark: first woman chevron service station manager

Vivian A. Clark became Standard Stations’ first woman service station manager in 1943. Clark was one of many women who supported the company’s retail network during the war years.

1941 viola atwell: one of chevron's first female truck drivers

In 1941, Viola Atwell became the first woman truck driver at the company’s Richmond refinery. She was just one example of Standard Oil of California’s changing face as more women entered the workforce to support their families and country during wartime.

1885 nell palmer: one of the first women at chevron

Nell Palmer, one of Chevron’s first women employees, joined Pacific Coast Oil Company as a stenographer in 1885, and in 1911, became secretary to the president of Standard Oil Company of California. Palmer was also an advocate for women’s suffrage and active in the Business and Professional Women’s Club of San Francisco, even after retirement

you may also be interested in

i am ... a drill site manager

Kelsey Prestidge, a drill site manager, oversees personnel on location, logistics and safety for Chevron’s midcontinent business unit.

laura | the humans behind the human energy company

Laura is a geologist at Chevron, and she also trains rescue dogs to help veterans experiencing PTSD.

i am ... a turnaround subject matter expert

Dolly Boden helps problem-solve and improve turnaround performance at Chevron’s largest, most complex upstream and downstream facilities.

Published: March 2020