[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 18, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF LYDIA I. BEEBE

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 18, 2015

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Lydia I. Beebe, a leader in 
the Bay Area and role model for women in corporate America, who is 
retiring after a remarkable career at Chevron Corporation that spanned 
four decades. For the last 20 years, Lydia served as the Corporate 
Secretary and Chief Governance Officer. In addition, she served as the 
secretary of the board, the Executive Committee and the Board 
Nominating and Governance Committee.
  Lydia's history with Chevron dates back to 1977 when she originally 
joined as a contract attorney. She then worked as a legislative 
representative in Washington, D.C. from 1981-1985, and a senior 
management and tax counsel in the tax department from 1985-1995.
  Lydia's competent, calm and clear advice has earned her the trust and 
admiration of the Board of Directors senior management at Chevron. Her 
leadership style has also earned her my trust and admiration. I had the 
great privilege of working with Lydia Beebe on the Board of Directors 
of PBWC, the Professional Business Women of California, an organization 
I founded 26 years ago to give women a platform to connect and help 
each other grow and thrive. Lydia helped guide PBWC from 1998-2003, the 
last two years as chair of the board.
  For Lydia, no problem is ever life-threatening and there is always a 
Plan B. Her contributions to PBWC were and remain invaluable to the 
organization and in 1996 she deservedly was awarded the ``Breakthrough 
Award.''
  As you can surmise from Lydia's achievements in the corporate world, 
she is a trailblazer who simply ignored the glass ceiling and burst 
through it. Her impact reaches far beyond one company. She is a 
frequent speaker and panelist addressing corporate governance topics. 
She has also been very active with the Society of Corporate Secretaries 
and Governance Professionals.
  Lydia Beebe is a native of Kansas and earned her bachelor's degree in 
journalism in 1974 and her Juris Doctor degree in 1977 from the 
University of Kansas. She moved to California and received her master's 
degree in taxation from Golden Gate University in 1980.
  We in California are extraordinarily fortunate that she relocated 
from the Midwest. Her intelligence, resolve and philanthropy have 
benefited many organizations and countless individuals. Lydia serves on 
the National Association of Corporate Directors of Northern California, 
the San Francisco Symphony, and the advisory board of the Arthur and 
Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford. Lydia was 
appointed to the Board of Directors of the Presidio Trust in 2003 by 
President George W. Bush and served until 2008. In 1991, she was 
appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to the California Fair Employment and 
Housing Commission where she served for eight years, from 1995-1999 as 
chair.
  As a Golden Gate University graduate, she served as board secretary 
and member of the executive committee and received the 2004 Alumna of 
the Year award. She was also a member of the San Francisco Municipal 
Fiscal Advisory Committee to the mayor for more than 10 years.
  But Lydia, with her inexhaustible energy, didn't abandon her roots; 
she also serves on the governing boards of the Kansas University 
Endowment Association and the Kansas University Law Alumni. At the 
University of Delaware, the John L. Weinberg Center and Corporate 
Governance is lucky to have her on the advisory board.
  In her retirement, she will undoubtedly enjoy more time with her 
husband Charles Doyle and their three children Bion, Jason and Louise.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to 
honor an amazing woman whom Chevron named its first woman officer, whom 
the San Francisco Business Times named one of the most influential 
businesswomen in the Bay Area for eight consecutive years, and whom I 
feel humbled to count as a dear friend and irreplaceable adviser. Lydia 
Beebe is a role model for women and men everywhere. I am honored to 
congratulate her on her retirement from Chevron on the eve of the 26th 
PBWC conference.

                          ____________________