Clarence P. Cazalot Jr.
Clarence P. Cazalot Jr. is the retired chairman, president and chief executive officer of Marathon Oil Corporation. He joined Marathon Oil in March 2000 and retired at the end of 2013.
Prior to joining Marathon Oil, Cazalot served as vice president of Texaco Inc. and president of Texaco’s worldwide production operations, a position he was appointed to in 1999. Cazalot joined Texaco in 1972 as a geophysicist in Bellaire, Texas, and was transferred to the company’s offshore division in New Orleans in 1974. He subsequently held a number of posts of increasing responsibility before being named assistant district geologist in 1976, district geologist in 1977, assistant division geologist in 1979 and regional manager of exploration in 1981.
In 1984, Cazalot was transferred to Texaco’s headquarters in New York to serve as staff geologist for the company’s Exploration and Production executive committee. In 1985, he was named assistant to the vice-chairman of Texaco Inc. In 1987, Cazalot was appointed general manager for Texaco’s newly formed Frontier Exploration department in Bellaire, Texas. In 1992, Cazalot was elected a vice president of Texaco Inc. and president of Texaco’s Latin America/West Africa division in Coral Gables, Fla. In 1994, he was appointed president of Texaco Exploration and Production Inc. in Houston.
In 1997, Cazalot was named president of Texaco International Marketing and Manufacturing based in New York, and in 1998, he was transferred to London to serve as both chairman of Texaco Ltd. and president of international production.
Cazalot is a native of New Orleans and graduated from Louisiana State University in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in geology. In May 2007, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from LSU, and in May 2014, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.
Cazalot served as chairman of the American Petroleum Institute (API) in 2013, and in 2014 was awarded API’s highest honor, the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Achievement. He currently serves on the board of directors of Baker Hughes Inc. He also serves on the boards of the Memorial Hermann Health System, the LSU Foundation, the Board of Advisors for the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and the Board of Visitors of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
My LSU Giving Story
What is your favorite memory involving LSU?
There are too many to count, but I’d say walking around the campus today with my children
and grandchildren and sharing memories and experiences with them brings great joy
and pride.
What makes LSU unique?
Its culture, its traditions, and its beautiful campus.
Why did you choose to attend LSU?
As the first in my family to attend college, I really didn’t consider many schools.
For me, LSU was the only real choice. I knew I’d get a quality education at a cost
that my family could afford.
Why do you support LSU?
I support LSU because I know I owe a great deal to the university for whatever success
I achieved in my career. I was afforded a great education and training that prepared
me to meet the demands and challenges I faced.
If someone asked you why he/she should make a gift to LSU, what would you say?
Your gift will make a real difference in the education and lives of Louisiana’s young
people, who are our future.
What is your vision for LSU, and how do you think philanthropy can drive that vision?
LSU’s primary role is to provide an outstanding, value-added education at affordable
costs to Louisiana students, but in doing so be a leader in solving the state’s critical
challenges. Philanthropy will be required to provide much-needed funding to achieve
these goals.
What motivated you to join the LSU Foundation Board of Directors?
I was motivated primarily by my love and passion for LSU and desire to give back.
But the event that really drove me to action was meeting with then-LSU Foundation
President Lee Griffin and seeing his strategic plan for the Foundation.