Patricia WoertzPatricia Ann Woertz became CEO of Archer Daniels Midland in 2006, beating out 4 other competitors. Formerly an EVP at Chevron Corporation, Woertz left to pursue CEO opportunities. In an interview with Fortune Magazine, she characterized herself as an outsider at ADM: "I’m outside the company, outside the industry, outside the family, outside the gender expectations."
Born in Pennsylvania in 1953, she studied accounting at Penn State University, graduating in 1974. She first worked for Ernst & Young in Pittsburgh, then moved to Gulf Oil, an Ernst & Young client. There she rose steadily through the ranks, with a stint in Vancouver, British Columbia, to become President of Chevron International and ultimately Executive Vice President of Chevron’s global downstream operations. At ADM, she is expected to focus on ethanol and biofuels.
