Don Paul, executive director of the Energy Institute at the University of Southern California, and Chevron's John McDonald look at the full spectrum of the energy industry from fossil fuels to renewables.
Bio
John McDonald
John W. McDonald is vice president and chief technology officer of Chevron Corporation, a position he assumed in January 2008. He is the corporate officer responsible for Chevron’s technology strategies and three technology companies representing about 7,000 employees: Energy Technology Company, which conducts research and development and provides technology services to Chevron’s operating units; Information Technology Company, which manages Chevron’s digital assets worldwide; and Chevron Technology Ventures, which invests in innovative venture capital startups, technology transfer, and new business models in conventional energy, renewable energy and energy efficiency.
McDonald graduated with an honors bachelor of science degree in geophysics in 1975 and began his career with Texaco that same year as a geophysicist in the company’s Calgary Canada office. He went on to hold positions of increasing responsibility at various locations around the world, including vice president for Texaco’s Exploration and Production Offshore Gulf of Mexico Division in New Orleans; vice president, Exploration and Production, for Texaco International in London with responsibility for Europe; and following the merger of Chevron and Texaco in 2001, president and managing director of ChevronTexaco Upstream Europe, based in Aberdeen, Scotland. Before his current appointment, McDonald served as vice president of Strategic Planning for Chevron Corporation, responsible for advising senior corporate executives in setting strategic direction and for resource allocation, operating unit performance measurement and mergers and acquisitions.
Don Paul
Donald Paul is the Executive Director of the Energy Institute and holds the William M. Keck Chair of Energy Resources at the University of Southern California. Major USC energy initiatives with industry and government include the Center for Smart Oil Field Technologies, the DOE Regional Smart Grid Demonstration Program, the Center for Energy Infomatics, and the recently formed programs on unconventional hydrocarbon resource development and cyber-physical security systems for energy infrastructures.
Dr. Paul had a distinguished 33-year career with the Chevron Corporation, retiring in June 2008 as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. He advanced through positions of increasing responsibility in technology, exploration and production operations, and executive management, including appointment as the president of Chevron’s Canadian subsidiary.
Dr. Paul currently serves as a Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. and in 2010, was appointed by the Secretary of Energy to the National Petroleum Council. He also participates in advisory roles at several universities (including MIT, Harvard, Rice, and the University of Texas), energy companies, and technology firms. The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) recently honored Dr.Paul with the 2011 Management and Information Award in recognition of his leading role in the advancement and integration of information technology in the industry.
He holds B.S., M.S., and PhD degrees from MIT and an honorary doctorate from the Colorado School of Mines.
Donald Paul, executive director of the USC Energy Institute, and John McDonald, vice president of Chevron, discuss the politics of going from an "energy short" to an "energy long" mindset in America.
