celebrating women today and every day
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.
1941:
viola atwell
one of chevron's first female truck drivers
1977:
carla anderson hills
first female chevron board member
1996:
deborah jenks-reichhold
first female captain of chevron shipping
2002:
marty gilles
one of the first female leaders of a chevron refinery
2003:
dr. susan longacre
first female chevron fellow
2009:
pat yarrington
first female chevron cfo
2016
rhonda morris
first woman of color named a chevron corporate officer
2017:
mitra kashanchi
first foreign-born female in charge of a chevron refinery
2018:
kim mchugh
first female vp, chevron drilling & completions
2018:
liz schwarze
first female vp, chevron global exploration
2018:
jennifer guo
first female general manager, chevron upstream supply chain
1885: nell palmer
one of the first women at chevron
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.
1941: viola atwell
one of chevron's first female truck drivers
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.
1943: vivian a. clark
first woman chevron service station manager
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.
1977: carla anderson hills
first female chevron board member
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.
1996: deborah jenks-reichhold
first female captain of chevron shipping
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.
2002: marty gilles
one of the first female leaders of a chevron refinery
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.
2003: dr. susan longacre
first female chevron fellow
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.
2009: pat yarrington
first female chevron cfo
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.
2016: rhonda morris
first woman of color named a chevron corporate officer
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.
2017: mitra kashanchi
first foreign-born female in charge of a chevron refinery
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.
2018: kim mchugh
first female vp, chevron drilling & completions
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.
2018: liz schwarze
first female vp, chevron global exploration
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: jennifer guo
first female general manager, chevron upstream supply chain
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.
over 130 years of women’s contributions, and we’re just getting started
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Published: March 2019
