Dave Samson | Influence 100

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Dave Samson

General Manager of Public Affairs
Chevron

It’s quite a journey from Levi Strauss & Co., where Dave Samson had some early in-house experience after working at Denver-based public relations firm MGA Communications, to Chevron, where he currently serves as general manager of public affairs. Levi, at the time, was known as a leader in corporate responsibility; Chevron, like all oil companies, faces intense scrutiny for its role in a wide range of environmental issues, and for most of Samson’s tenure has been embroiled in controversy over the dumping of toxic waste in the Ecuadorian rain forest.

Samson has been responsible for handling the company’s communication around that issue and many others. His team is responsible for all aspects of corporate communications, including media relations, employee communications, executive communications and issues management, as well as corporate branding and advertising. It also manages the company’s global website, Chevron.com.

Samson joined Chevron from Oracle Corporation where he was vice president of international public relations and executive communications. Prior to joining Oracle, he was a partner at Ketchum, where he oversaw the agency’s San Francisco operations; director of international communications at IBM; vice president of global communications at Levi Strauss & Co.; and senior manager of investor and corporate relations for Manville Corporation.