Marilyn Harris

Marilyn Harris was named Vice President for the newly independent Marathon Oil Company in January 2002. In that capacity, as head of the Washington office, she is responsible for the company interaction with Congress, the Administration, international organizations, trade associations, and the diplomatic corps. Ms. Harris chairs the Downstream Committee of the American Petroleum Institute's General Committee on Federal Relations. She serves on the Advisory Committee of the University of Texas' Archer Center and the Texas Christian University Regional Council. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Business Government Relations Council and the House Chiefs of Staff Alumni Association.Ms. Harris joined USX Corporation's Washington Office as Manager of Government Affairs in 1983. She was promoted to General Manager, Federal Governmental Affairs for Steel and Diversified Businesses in 1989. She was named General Manager, Federal Governmental Affairs for USX in 1991 and assumed responsibility for corporate-wide federal governmental affairs, including Marathon and US Steel. In addition, she was appointed President of the USX Foundation, Inc. in 1997 and served as Vice Chairman and Treasurer of USXPAC. She also was the Vice Chair of the American Iron and Steel Institute's government affairs committee. Before entering the private sector, Ms. Harris had nearly ten years of senior policy experience in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. She served for eight years as Chief Executive Administrator of the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. She was in charge of all management and budget functions of the committee, as well as a wide range of government reorganization and regulatory reform initiatives, which were signed into law. She also served as Chief of Staff to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In that capacity she was responsible for all management functions, legislation, and press relations. Prior to entering government, she was an Instructor and Assistant Professor of Communications at the University of Maryland. She also is a former speech therapist and elementary teacher in the Kansas City area. In 2005, she was named outstanding alumnae of the University of Maryland's College of Education. She has co-chaired the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards Gala and serves on the March of Dimes Gourmet Gala Finance Committee and the Ambassador's Ball Committee which supports research in Multiple Sclerosis. She also serves on the Leadership Committee of Hospice Care of the Greater Washington area, the Annual Benefit Committee of the Mosaic Foundation, and the University of Maryland's College of Education Campaign Cabinet.A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Ms. Harris received her Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Maryland, and her Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Missouri. She has participated in the USX Advanced Management Program and has studied at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She is married and has one child.