W. A. (Willie) Tempton, Jr. is currently an independent businessman, operating a consulting company which provides leadership and operations management services to clients in the energy industry.  Prior to assuming this role, Willie had a distinguished career in the energy business, including over 35 years of experience in technical, operations, and leadership roles in the refining and petrochemicals sectors.  Prior to retirement, Willie served as the General Manager of Phillips 66’s Sweeny Complex and Vice President of the Complex Cogeneration Joint Venture.  Before assuming the Sweeny role in July 2013, Tempton served as manager of the Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex from 2008 to 2013.

Tempton’s oil industry career began with Exxon Company USA as an electrical engineer in the Baytown Refinery near Houston, Texas. From 1980 to 1989, Tempton held various engineering and supervisory positions in technical support, operations, maintenance, and economics/optimization functions. In 1989, he accepted an assignment in Exxon’s U.S. refining headquarters in Houston, where he held a staff job in refining planning and development, and a commercial position in crude acquisition and coordination. He returned to the Baytown Refinery in 1993, where he held managerial positions in optimization and operations. In 1997, Tempton returned to Houston as an executive in the Business Services Division of Exxon USA. Following the merger of Exxon and Mobil in 2001, Tempton worked at the company’s downstream headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, as the Americas Refining Safety and Health advisor. He then transferred to the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Complex and served as the area mechanical manager from 2003 to March 2008. Tempton joined ConocoPhillips as the manager of the Lake Charles Refinery in April 2008. 

Tempton was born in 1958 in Waxahachie, Texas. He attended Prairie View A&M University and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1980.  He currently resides in Houston, Texas, and is married with two children and two step-children.  His hobbies include boating, fishing, jogging, basketball, and flying.  He is also an avid trekkie…..and his lifelong ambition is to command a Starship.