2024 East End Forum: Plant Manager Panel Discussion

Tifanie Steele moved throughout the U.S. six times during her childhood as her father’s career progressed. The nomadic lifestyle gave her something that served her career well: a love for chemistry developed among the numerous high schools that she attended and the ability to hit the ground running in new environments. Having held several roles at multiple Chevron sites, she has proven herself as a versatile employee with the skills, technical expertise and business savvy necessary to lead a refinery. After nearly a decade and multiple roles at Chevron’s Richmond, California, refinery, Steele was offered promotions that required her to relocate, first to Chevron’s Salt Lake, Utah, refinery. In 2020, Steele was off to Pasadena, Texas, to manage operations for Chevron’s newly acquired refinery. Alongside other managers, she assessed the refinery’s condition, identified areas of improvement and prioritized how to implement best Chevron practices. Within a year, she was promoted to Chevron’s general manager for the office of the chairman, her first enterprise wide role. Still, she had the lingering feeling that her work at the Pasadena refinery wasn’t finished. When she had the opportunity to return in January 2023 as GM, she took it. Steele is now responsible for the safe and reliable operations of the entire refinery. Steele is helping blaze the trail for other women in the industry. She has a Bachelor of Science and Engineering from Arizona State University.