By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 23 -- Valero Energy Corp. Chairman Bill Greehey has stepped down and has resigned from the company's board of directors. Greehey will continue to serve as chairman of Valero LP and Valero GP Holdings LLC. He will devote his full attention to these companies now that they are independent of Valero Energy.
Valero Energy has elected Chief Executive Bill Klesse as its new chairman. Klesse has been serving as chief executive, and also as vice-chairman and a member of the company's board since yearend 2005 when Greehey stepped down as chief executive.
Klesse has almost 38 years of industry experience and has held leadership positions in many different company areas, including commercial operations and refining, corporate development and new ventures, planning and public affairs, logistics and strategy, marketing, and oil and gas unit planning.
Klesse began his career with Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp. in 1969 as a junior process engineer at the company's McKee refinery. He joined Valero as executive vice-president of refining and commercial operations when the company acquired Diamond Shamrock in 2001. He was promoted to executive vice-president and chief operating officer in 2003.
