Meet the Trustee

Melody Boone Meyer
By Sharon Jones Schweitzer

What led you to be interested in the oil industry? 

I was born in an oil camp and grew up hearing about the oil business from my father who is a petroleum engineer.  Through high school, I had my aspirations set on being a doctor, but could never quite reconcile the many years needed to be a doctor with my personal desire to get out of college in only four years and go to work.  A professor at Trinity suggested to me during orientation that engineering science was an excellent field for women, and after four years I could be off to a great career.  I was inspired and signed up, and upon graduation, it only seemed natural to go into oil and gas.  It was a very non-traditional career selection for women at that time, and what a great opportunity.

When you went to work at Chevron 29 years ago, you joined an elite group of women in the oil business. Has that changed over the course of your career? 

There were very few women in the industry, particularly in engineering and geology when I started. Now there are many more. I've had an opportunity to work all over the world with Chevron, and I have always been treated with the same respect as my colleagues, although I have lots of stories about being the only or the first woman to work in a certain areas.  However, most of the change I have experienced in the industry over the past 29 years has been the result of technology and efficiency, valuing diversity, and enhancing teamwork and collaboration. 

You moved into your position as vice president of Chevron's Gulf of Mexico business unit and to New Orleans just in time to preside over one of the biggest upheavals in the company's history, Hurricane Katrina. Are there lingering effects from the hurricane for your company and the region? 

I started my job as Chevron's vice president in the Gulf of Mexico, the same week that hurricane Ivan came into the Gulf in 2004. We thought hurricane Ivan was a significant impact, only to experience the hurricane season of 2005 with seven offshore evacuations that season, two of which were Katrina and Rita.  The commitment and resilience of my team and our business partners throughout the Gulf Coast was truly impressive.   The industry worked hard to restore production as fast as safely possible.  The entire region is moving quickly to restore and rebuild; however, it will take time in some areas.    New Orleans, particularly the French Quarter, is a great place to visit right now.

What role do you think your Trinity education played in preparing you for a leadership position with Chevron? 

Trinity played a tremendous role. I didn't breeze through college, particularly the engineering program, so I learned to push myself very hard to succeed and also find time to enjoy college life.  I was in a sorority at Trinity, Chi Beta Epsilon, and was an officer in the later years. The engineering program provided some leadership opportunities through the design class that required upper-class students to be project leads and present regularly to the engineering students and professors. I had great exposure to diverse faculty and friends that prepared me for my career. I learned to work very hard during my college years, at Trinity, in summer jobs, and on holidays.

Is it true that you were a homecoming queen? 

Much to my surprise, and embarrassment, I was homecoming queen in my junior year.  When I learned that I was nominated by one of the organizations on campus and I quickly declined, only to be nominated by another that I didn't realize until too late.  When I won, the Dean of Engineering called me into his office the next Monday and chastised me quite a bit (claiming that maybe that was why I had a C in Thermodynamics!)  Another engineering professor took the opportunity to put a banner over the Moody Engineering office door saying "Home of the Homecoming Queen"...claiming (incorrectly) that this would be the only time this might happen and might as well publicize.  Looking back, it was an honor.  Ironically, during my daughter's senior year at Trinity, she called me late on a Friday afternoon to tell me that she'd just learned she was selected as Trinity's homecoming queen that year.  She was equally embarrassed, and I was very proud.

From your perspective as a Trustee, what do you see are the University's challenges and opportunities in the future? 

As a Trustee, and even as a parent of two recent graduates from Trinity, I am very gratified to see how Trinity has retained its unique personal attention to every student's success.  Trinity has a very nurturing culture that allows students to flourish in their own way, and prepare them for success.  Trinity will have to continue to work hard to maintain its core values and strengths and strong reputation, while constantly evolving with innovative programs.  An example of this is the engineering design program that was unique many years ago, and recently was judged to be innovative, and is now being expanded to a Center of Entrepreneurship.  Trinity will need to continue to recruit high quality students and provide innovative learning forums, like the leadership initiatives and study abroad internships.  We need to be looking way ahead from today to prepare students with the education they will need to prepare them for success in a globalized world over the next 50 years...not an easy task.