U. S. Steel CEO to Speak at Smeal
John Surma, chairman and chief executive officer of United States Steel Corporation, is scheduled to speak at Penn State's Smeal College of Business on Nov. 6 as part of the college's executive speaker series, Leadership in Focus: Executive Insights.
U. S. Steel CEO to Speak at Smeal
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (October 30, 2009) – John Surma, chairman and chief executive officer of United States Steel Corporation, is scheduled to speak at Penn State's Smeal College of Business on Nov. 6 as part of the college's executive speaker series, Leadership in Focus: Executive Insights.
Surma, a 1976 Smeal alumnus and member of the college's Board of Visitors, will join Smeal Dean James B. Thomas for an interactive, on-stage conversation at 11:15 a.m., in the Business Building's Struthers Auditorium. The talk is open to the public.
Leadership in Focus: Executive Insights, an initiative started in the 2006-2007 academic year, is designed to complement the Smeal educational experience by bringing high-profile business leaders to the college to connect with students, faculty, and administrators to share some of their business expertise and experiences in leadership.
Past guests include James Clifton, chairman and CEO of The Gallup Organization; Dennis Nally, chairman and senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Karen Peetz, senior executive vice president of The Bank of New York Mellon. Barry Salzberg, CEO of Deloitte LLP, was the college's guest most recently, on Oct. 2.
A complete list of past speakers and further information on the Executive Insights series are available online at www.smeal.psu.edu/execinsights.
Archived audio and video of most Executive Insights sessions are available on iTunesU.
John P. Surma, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, United States Steel Corporation
A native of Pittsburgh, Surma became vice chairman and chief financial officer of U. S. Steel on January 1, 2002. He was named president in March 2003, and president and chief operating officer in June 2003. In 2004, he was elected president and CEO, and, in 2006, he was named chairman and CEO.
Prior to being named CFO of U. S. Steel, Surma served as president of Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC. He also served Marathon Oil as senior vice president, finance and accounting, and president of Speedway SuperAmerica LLC.
Upon earning his bachelor's degree in Accounting from Smeal, Surma joined Price Waterhouse LLP, where he quickly rose through the ranks of the firm, becoming Pittsburgh office leader for Audit and Business Advisory Services, and national co-leader of the Products Advisory Group.
In addition to his role on Smeal's Board of Visitors, Surma is a member of the boards of The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and the American Iron and Steel Institute, of which he previously served as chairman and vice chairman. He serves as vice chairman of the World Steel Association and held the title of chairman from 2006 through 2007. Surma is also a current member of both the National Petroleum Council and The Business Council.
Additionally, he is a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and serves as the organization's current chairman, and is chairman of the Allegheny County Parks Foundation.
REPORTERS & EDITORS: For more information, please contact Wyatt DuBois in the Smeal College of Business Media Relations Office at 814-863-3798 or wed112@psu.edu.
Penn State's Smeal College of Business offers highly ranked undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, Ph.D., and executive education opportunities to more than 5,500 students at all levels. Featuring academic departments of accounting, finance, marketing, insurance and real estate, management, and supply chain and information systems, the college is also home to major research centers such as the Center for Supply Chain Research, the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, the Center for Digital Transformation, the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Center for Global Business Studies, and the Center for the Management of Technological and Organizational Change.
