Red Cavaney

Red Cavaney is senior vice president, Government Affairs, for ConocoPhillips. He is responsible for the company’s federal, state and international policy and government affairs efforts, as well as its communications and public affairs activities. Prior to joining ConocoPhillips in 2008, Cavaney was president and chief executive officer of the American Petroleum Institute (API). Before joining API in 1997, Cavaney was president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the American Paper Institute and founding president and CEO of the American Plastics Council and the American Forest & Paper Association. He also served on the senior White House staffs of Presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon, and was president of Ericson Yachts, Inc., a major U.S. yacht manufacturer. He was honorably discharged as a lieutenant from the U.S. Navy, following three tours of combat duty in Vietnam. Cavaney is a member of the board of directors of Buckeye Technologies and the executive committee and board of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, among others. Cavaney was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He has a bachelor's degree in history and economics from the University of Southern California.