Thomas Usher
Encyclopedia
Thomas J. Usher is an American business executive that has served as the President, Chief Operations Officer and Chief Executive Officer
of U.S. Steel
. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Marathon Oil
, the International Iron and Steel Institute, and the US-Korea Business Council, as well as at U.S. Steel.
and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh
with a bachelor of science
degree in industrial engineering
in 1965, a master of science
degree in operations research in 1966, and a doctorate in systems engineering
in 1971. He joined United States Steel Corporation in 1965 and held various positions in industrial engineering spending much of his early career in the field. From 1975 through 1979 he held a number of management positions, including assistant to the general superintendent, at U. S. Steel's South Works in Chicago
and Gary Works in Gary, Indiana
.
Usher moved back to Pittsburgh in 1979 as director of corporate strategic planning. Two years later, he became assistant to the president and managing director of facility planning, engineering, and research. Usher became president of USS mining in 1983, Senior Vice President of Steel Operations in 1984, Executive Vice President of Heavy Products in 1986.
Early in his career, Usher spent ten years teaching courses part time at the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business as well as undergraduate and graduate classes in industrial engineering at the university's Swanson School of Engineering
.
In 1990, Usher was elected President of U.S. Steel Group and Director of USX, which had changed its name from U.S. Steel in 1986, and President and Chief Operating Officer of USX in 1994. He became Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer effective in 1995, which provided him oversight of USX's oil and energy businesses.
Usher has been credited with turning around and leading U.S. Steel through a difficult period in the steel industry. His success in leading U.S. Steel during this period has in part been credited to his initiation of significant changes, including the separation of Marathon Oil and U.S. Steel at the end of 2001, a move designed to allow both companies to focus on their core businesses. His success has also been credited to his expansion of U.S. Steel by leading it to purchase operations in Slovakia
and Serbia
, which took the previously domestic U.S. Steel international, as well as consolidating the industry through acquisitions and integrations, such as that of National Steel Corporation
. By the end of his tenure as CEO, U.S. Steel had more than doubled in size. Usher's tenure at U.S. Steel was also noted for his positive relations with the labor unions. He also led the charge to impose the 2002 United States steel tariff in order to protect domestic U.S. steel production, including testifying before the U.S. government's U.S.-China Economics and Security Review Commission.
Usher retired from U.S. Steel, which had changed its name back from USX, as Chief Executive Officer in September 2004 and as non-executive Chairman of the Board on February 1, 2006.
Usher served or serves on the Boards of Directors of Transtar, Inc.
, H. J. Heinz Company
, PNC Financial Services
, and PPG Industries
, as well as U.S. Steel and Marathon Oil where he served as Chair. He has served as Chairman of the Board of the American Iron and Steel Institute
, the International Iron and Steel Institute, and the US-Korea Business Council. He has also been a board member of the American Petroleum Institute
, is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh, and has sat or sits on the Board of Directors of the US-Japan Business Council, the Extra Mile Education Foundation
and the Boy Scouts of America
.
. He was named a University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Alumni Fellow in 1999 and a Legacy Laureate in 2000. In 2002, he received the Steelmaker of the Year Award from the Iron & Steel Society, and in 2003, he accepted the United States Secretary of State
’s Award for Excellence for U.S. Steel from Colin Powell
. In 2004, he won the Vectors Pittsburgh Man of the Year. Usher was the commencement speaker and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Saint Vincent College
. He was also the honoree at the 2007 Southpointe CEO Association World Class Executive Series.
. He is married to his wife, Sandra, a fellow Pitt alumnus, and has three children.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil Corporation is a United States-based oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Principal exploration activities are in the United States, Norway, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Canada. Principal development activities are in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway,...
, the International Iron and Steel Institute, and the US-Korea Business Council, as well as at U.S. Steel.
Career
Usher was born in Reading, PennsylvaniaReading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
with a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in industrial engineering
Industrial engineering
Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering dealing with the optimization of complex processes or systems. It is concerned with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials, analysis...
in 1965, a master of science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in operations research in 1966, and a doctorate in systems engineering
Systems engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed over the life cycle of the project. Issues such as logistics, the coordination of different teams, and automatic control of machinery become more...
in 1971. He joined United States Steel Corporation in 1965 and held various positions in industrial engineering spending much of his early career in the field. From 1975 through 1979 he held a number of management positions, including assistant to the general superintendent, at U. S. Steel's South Works in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Gary Works in Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
.
Usher moved back to Pittsburgh in 1979 as director of corporate strategic planning. Two years later, he became assistant to the president and managing director of facility planning, engineering, and research. Usher became president of USS mining in 1983, Senior Vice President of Steel Operations in 1984, Executive Vice President of Heavy Products in 1986.
Early in his career, Usher spent ten years teaching courses part time at the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business as well as undergraduate and graduate classes in industrial engineering at the university's Swanson School of Engineering
Swanson School of Engineering
The Swanson School of Engineering is the engineering school of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846, The Swanson School of Engineering is the second or third oldest in the United States.- History :...
.
In 1990, Usher was elected President of U.S. Steel Group and Director of USX, which had changed its name from U.S. Steel in 1986, and President and Chief Operating Officer of USX in 1994. He became Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer effective in 1995, which provided him oversight of USX's oil and energy businesses.
Usher has been credited with turning around and leading U.S. Steel through a difficult period in the steel industry. His success in leading U.S. Steel during this period has in part been credited to his initiation of significant changes, including the separation of Marathon Oil and U.S. Steel at the end of 2001, a move designed to allow both companies to focus on their core businesses. His success has also been credited to his expansion of U.S. Steel by leading it to purchase operations in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, which took the previously domestic U.S. Steel international, as well as consolidating the industry through acquisitions and integrations, such as that of National Steel Corporation
National Steel Corporation
The National Steel Corporation was a major American steel producer. It was founded in 1929 through a merger arranged by Weirton Steel with some properties of the Great Lakes Steel Corporation and M.A. Hanna Company. Despite a difficult market in Depression-setting 1930, the company reported USD...
. By the end of his tenure as CEO, U.S. Steel had more than doubled in size. Usher's tenure at U.S. Steel was also noted for his positive relations with the labor unions. He also led the charge to impose the 2002 United States steel tariff in order to protect domestic U.S. steel production, including testifying before the U.S. government's U.S.-China Economics and Security Review Commission.
Usher retired from U.S. Steel, which had changed its name back from USX, as Chief Executive Officer in September 2004 and as non-executive Chairman of the Board on February 1, 2006.
Usher served or serves on the Boards of Directors of Transtar, Inc.
Transtar, Inc.
Transtar, Inc. is a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation. It was organized in 1988 to own U.S. Steel's railroad and other transportation subsidiaries.Transtar owns or has owned the following companies:...
, H. J. Heinz Company
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J...
, PNC Financial Services
PNC Financial Services
PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is a U.S.-based financial services corporation, with assets of approximately $264.3 billion...
, and PPG Industries
PPG Industries
PPG Industries is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 60 countries around the globe. Sales in 2010 were $13.4 billion...
, as well as U.S. Steel and Marathon Oil where he served as Chair. He has served as Chairman of the Board of the American Iron and Steel Institute
American Iron and Steel Institute
The American Iron and Steel Institute is an association of North American steel producers. Its predecessor organizations date back to 1855 making it one of the oldest trade associations in the United States. AISI assumed its present form in 1908, with Elbert H...
, the International Iron and Steel Institute, and the US-Korea Business Council. He has also been a board member of the American Petroleum Institute
American Petroleum Institute
The American Petroleum Institute, commonly referred to as API, is the largest U.S trade association for the oil and natural gas industry...
, is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh, and has sat or sits on the Board of Directors of the US-Japan Business Council, the Extra Mile Education Foundation
Extra Mile Education Foundation
The Extra Mile Education Foundation is a privately funded, non-profit charity 501 based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded in 1989., , The money raised by the charity is used to subsidize the tuition of low income students who attend several K-8 Catholic schools in the Pittsburgh area. Most of...
and the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
.
Awards
Usher was awarded the University of Pittsburgh's School of Engineering’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1986 and was named one of the 100 "Pittsburghers of the Century" in 1999 by Pittsburgh MagazinePittsburgh Magazine
Pittsburgh Magazine is a prominent lifestyle magazine covering the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It has a monthly readership of 341,274. It produces the annual "40 Under 40" list of prominent young Pittsburghers in addition to the annual list of Pittsburgh's 25 Best Restaurants, Best of the...
. He was named a University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Alumni Fellow in 1999 and a Legacy Laureate in 2000. In 2002, he received the Steelmaker of the Year Award from the Iron & Steel Society, and in 2003, he accepted the United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
’s Award for Excellence for U.S. Steel from Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
. In 2004, he won the Vectors Pittsburgh Man of the Year. Usher was the commencement speaker and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a four-year, coeducational, Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, Germany. It was the first Benedictine monastery in the...
. He was also the honoree at the 2007 Southpointe CEO Association World Class Executive Series.
Personal life
Usher has philanthropically supported the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering's Industrial Engineering Learning Center and, among other programs, has created the endowed position of U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering at the university, and have established the Sandra and Thomas Usher Endowed Chair in Melanoma at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer InstituteUniversity of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is a National Cancer Institute -designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located in the Hillman Cancer Center in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
. He is married to his wife, Sandra, a fellow Pitt alumnus, and has three children.