Jay Pryor | VP Business Director
Chevron USA Inc

Jay Pryor is vice president at Chevron Corporation. He is responsible for identifying and developing new, large-scale upstream and downstream business opportunities, including mergers and acquisitions. A native of Mississippi, Pryor earned his bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from Mississippi State University in 1979. That same year, he joined Chevron U.S.A. Production Co. as a petroleum engineer and held a number of production-related positions. He gained valuable downstream management experience in U.S. natural gas sales during the country's transition toward deregulation. Pryor held a succession of management positions with increasing responsibilities in Asia, the United States, Europe and the former Soviet Union. Most recently, he was instrumental in establishing Chevron's presence in Turkmenistan. In 1992, Pryor joined Chevron's international subsidiary Chevron Overseas Petroleum Inc. as the first manager of petroleum engineering in the newly established Tengizchevroil joint venture in Kazakhstan. In 1996, he transferred to San Ramon, Calif., as sponsor in charge of career development for operations personnel. He also served as general manager of Human Resources for Chevron's worldwide operations. In 1999, he became managing director of the Asia South business unit and managing director of Chevron Offshore (Thailand) Ltd. In 2002, Pryor was named managing director of Chevron Nigeria Ltd., one of Nigeria's leading petroleum exploration and production companies. In that position, he was responsible for directing Chevron's oil and gas operations in West Africa, including Nigeria, São Tomé, Chad and in Equatorial Guinea. Pryor assumed his current position in May 2006. Pryor had a leadership role in establishing the Center for Sustainable Energy Efficiency at the Qatar Science and Technology Park, where Qatari engineers, scientists and students will be trained to build energy efficiency expertise and capabilities. In addition, he regularly participates in think tanks that analyze partnership building and long-term energy security in the Middle East. Pryor is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences, including the Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference and the World National Oil Companies Congress. Pryor is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and founded the society's first branch in Kazakhstan. He is a member of the board of trustees of Eisenhower Fellowships, the Ernst & Young Corporate Development Leadership Network, the RAND Corporation Business Leaders Forum, and the U.S.-Russia Business Council.