William "Bill" R. Klesse is CEO and President of Valero Energy Corporation and Chairman of the Valero Board of Directors. He previously held positions with Valero as Vice Chairman of the Board, Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to these roles, he served as Executive Vice President-Refining and Commercial Operations, from Valero's acquisition of Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation (UDS) in 2001. Klesse has been employed with Valero and its predecessor companies for 40 years.

Klesse graduated from the University of Dayton

University of Dayton

The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...

 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and received a Master's degree in Finance from West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...

.

Compensation

As CEO of Valero Energy Corporation, William R. Klesse earned total compensation of $6,638,187 in 2008, which included a base salary of $1,500,000, a cash bonus of $705,510, stocks granted of $2,058,846, options granted of $2,235,337, and other compensation of $138,494. In 2009, Klesse earned total compensation of $10,906,821, which included a base salary of $1,500,000, no cash bonus, stocks granted of $4,905,200, options granted of $4,306,896, and other compensation of $194,725.