2012 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year

Steven Cossé

 

Mr. Cossé received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1969 in criminal justice. He later attended Loyola University and received a juris doctorate in 1974.

 

He currently serves as President and CEO of Murphy Oil Corporation. Murphy is an international oil and gas company, headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, with 10,000 employees worldwide. Murphy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is included in the S&P 500 Index.

Murphy Oil conducts exploration activities globally and produces oil and natural gas in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Congo.The company also operates a chain of retail gasoline stations under the name Murphy USA and Murphy Express.

 

Steve Cossé has served Murphy Oil and its subsidiaries for over 41 years. During his tenure, he has held the positions of executive vice president, senior vice president, vice president, and principal financial officer.  He also served as general counsel throughout most of his tenure.

Prior to that, Mr. Cossé served as general counsel for Ocean Drilling & Exploration Company (ODECO) in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was a New York Stock Exchange-listed, majority-owned subsidiary of Murphy Oil Corporation. He presently serves on the boards of Murphy Oil Corporation, the Arkansas Research Alliance, Simmons First Bank of El Dorado and Simmons First National Corporation.

 

Mr. Cossé is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, the Arkansas Bar Association and the Union County Bar Association.

He also serves as chairman of the Share Foundation, which is a joint venture with a vision to build a healthier community by improving health and well being. They assist families in crisis by ministering through life touch hospice to individuals and their families with life limiting conditions.     

 

They also promote health and wellness through Healthworks Fitness Center which averages about 15.000 visits per month.  Share administers 8 scholarship programs for health related and public education careers and to date has awarded  172 students in 17 different career tracks.

Mr. Cossé and his wife, Andrèe, have four children and eight grandchildren. They reside in El Dorado, Arkansas and spend time in Hot springs and in his hometown of New Orleans.