Director

Henry Beathard is an independent public affairs consultant. During 26 years with Exxon Corporation, he provided public affairs counsel and support for a wide variety of company activities including oil and gas exploration, production, refining, marketing and research. Responsibilities included media relations, government relations, speech writing, publications, and litigation support. In addition, Beathard was involved in providing crisis communications support during emergencies.

One of his early assignments was in New York City where Beathard spent two years as Media Relations Representative for Humble Oil & Refining Company, which later became Exxon USA. In a later assignment, Beathard served as Public Relations Manager for Exxon’s Southeastern Production Division in New Orleans. During the early years of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, Beathard worked in Anchorage as Alaska Public Affairs Manager for Exxon. As part of his government relations responsibilities, he helped create issue advertising programs that significantly increased favorable public opinion concerning the petroleum industry in Alaska.

After his Alaska assignment, Beathard was transferred to Houston, headquarters of Exxon Company, U.S.A., as a Public Affairs Coordinator. Following the Exxon Valdez tanker spill in 1989, Beathard served as Media Relations Coordinator for the $2 billion clean-up program. He also provided media relations support at the company's Bayway Refinery in New Jersey following a major pipeline leak in Arthur Kill in 1990.

Since retiring from Exxon in 1992, he has worked as a consultant and writer for several U.S. and international Exxon affiliates. In 1997, Beathard spent three months in Sakhalin Island, Russia, establishing a public affairs program to help support Exxon’s first drilling operations in the former Soviet Union. Later assignments for Exxon and ExxonMobil included work in Azerbaijan, Puerto Rico and Equatorial Guinea.

Beathard is a journalism graduate of Sam Houston State University where he was president of the Student Council, editor of the school newspaper, and salutatorian of his graduating class. Before entering corporate public affairs, Beathard worked as a newspaper reporter and editor.

He lives in Kingwood, Texas, a Houston suburb.