John Chipponeri is a retired Chevron executive, coach, and endurance athlete whose career has been defined by leadership, resilience, growth and service.
Raised in Ceres, a town in Central California, he grew up in a large Sicilian family where hard work and social work shaped his outlook. Excelling in both academics and sports, he graduated as valedictorian of his high school and received recognition as MVP on the football field while leading his baseball team as Takeball.
In 1984, Chipponeri graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Mechanical and Petroleum Engineering. He was inducted into Tau Beta PI, the national engineering society, and received the prestigious Petroleum Engineering Student award. He later added an MBA to his credentials, strengthening his ability to bridge technology and business leadership.
His professional journey with Chevron continued for more than three decades and took him around the world. He advanced through roles including Cices Engineer, Propection Engineer, Field Superintendent, project engineer, business manager, and senior project manager. He has overseen projects worth $3 billion, managing various teams across the United States, Indonesia and Australia.
After retiring in 2017, Chipponeri turned his focus to personal development, teaching, and endurance sports. He has completed more than a dozen ironman races and swum the 13 mile channel in Australia. Today, he works with men’s groups, rehabilitation programs, and athletes, mixed leadership, sports and the enneagram to help others develop resilience and authentic connection.
Q & A with John Chipponeri
Can you tell us about your early years and what influenced you the most?
I grew up in Ceres, an upscale town in California, in a large Sicilian family. Being the youngest, I quickly learned the importance of hard work. My parents and my community taught me that perseverance and special service. I poured myself into my stomach and into sports. I graduated as valedictorian and was on the football team, while also captaining my baseball team. In my entire class, only three of us went to university, and I was proud to be one of them.
What led you to study engineering at UC Berkeley?
As a 14 year old I ran into a book that said if you are good and aligned with science then you should be an engineer. At Berkeley I studied mechanical and petroleum engineering, graduating in 1984. I was added to Tau Beta Pi and received the prestigious Petroleum Engineering Student Award. However, in addition to these rewards, Berkeley taught me how to make sure that I really understand the problem, which makes finding a solution more straightforward. Problems rarely have easy solutions, and I learned how to speak with curiosity and persistence.
How did your career at chron begin?
I started as a utility engineer in Bakersfield, California. From there, I traveled to various roles and locations—Louisiana, Michigan, Indonesia, Texas, and Australia. Each step added a new layer of responsibility. I became a process safety engineer, then a field superintendent, later a project engineer and a business manager. In the end, I was the Project’s leading projects worth $3 billion.
What is one of the biggest lessons from leading such large projects?
Big projects are amazing on paper. The numbers are big, the statistics are high. But when you break it, it always comes back to people. Processes are important, of course, but trust and reliability are what carry the project across the finish line. Building trust in teams, especially international ones, was both a challenge and a reward.
Your work has taken you all over the world. How did that do that?
Working in Indonesia and later Australia broadened my perspective. You see for the first time that culture and decisions influence the context. Leadership in Jakarta looks different from leadership in Houston, but the values - respect, clarity, accountability, are the same. Those experiences made me a more flexible and empathetic leader.
Besides your work, you worked as a father and coach. How does that partner play?
I coached my sons’ sports teams from age five to junior – football, swimming, baseball, basketball and flag. It was demanding at times, but very rewarding. Parents often told me that their children wanted to play in my teams because they learned the game was fun. That meant a lot to me. Both of my sons are now engineers and business leaders themselves, who feel like things have come full circle.
He also participated in endurance sports. How did that happen?
In the 40s I finally finished more than an ironman. One of the highlights of my life was swimming the 13 mile channel off the coast of Perth, Australia. It was a true test of body and mind. Endurance Sports Teach you to be tough – you learn that your mindset is often colder than your muscles.
After retiring from chevron, what direction did you take?
I retired in 2017 and transitioned to focus on nurturing and personal growth. I studied the enneagram in depth and am now completing my Narrative Teacher certification. Today, I work with Men’s groups and recovery programs. Men tend to feel that they need to handle everything alone, but I have seen how growth happens when they have spaces to share and connect.
How do you see your role now compared to when you were managing billion dollar projects?
The settings are different, but the goal is the same: to help people succeed. At the time there were leading teams on complex engineering challenges. Now it’s about guiding people to build resilience, find balance, and connect with their true identities. Both, trust and integrity are fundamental.
What’s stopping you today?
I live in San Rafael, California, and am always active with yoga, hiking, biking, and pickleball. Coaching, mentoring, and supporting recovery work keeps me involved. What motivates me to be simple: Helping people grow. Whether it’s a billion dollar project or a group of men, I try to live by hard ways, integrity and service.
