Government & Regulatory | People

ExxonMobil's VP of Public & Government Affairs to Retire

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Ken Cohen, vice president, Public and Government Affairs, Exxon Mobil Corporation, has announced his intention to retire effective Jan. 1, 2016, after more than 38 years of service.

It is anticipated that the board of directors will elect Suzanne McCarron as vice president, Public and Government Affairs, Exxon Mobil Corporation. McCarron is currently general manager, Public and Government Affairs, and president, ExxonMobil Foundation, the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. The ExxonMobil Foundation is focused on creating economic opportunities for women, support for math and science education and efforts to combat malaria.

A native of Peoria, Illinois, Cohen joined Exxon USA in June 1977 in the Law Department, where he held a variety of staff assignments. In 1985, he became chief attorney, Refining, Environment and Health and in 1989 was named assistant general counsel at Exxon Company International. He became senior counsel and coordinator, Exxon Corporation Law Department, in 1991 and in 1995 became general counsel, Exxon Chemical Company. He was named to his current position in November 1999.

Cohen, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 65 in January, is a director of National Math And Science Initiative, Inc., a member of numerous professional associations, serves on the board of Directors of the Teagle Foundation and is a national trustee of Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

He was an assistant professor of law at Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis. He earned his LL.M. from Yale Law School, where he was a Sterling Fellow. Cohen did his undergraduate study at Northwestern University and earned his J.D. degree from Baylor Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Baylor Law Review.

Originally from Canada, McCarron joined Mobil Canada as public affairs manager in 1998. She held several management positions with increasing responsibilities in Public and Government Affairs at Exxon Mobil Corporation headquarters, including manager of Communications and manager of Corporate Public Affairs, before moving to her current position in 2008.

McCarron has a master's degree in journalism from University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, and a Bachelor of Public Affairs from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.