Gene Batchelder makes 'Spears School Tributes: 100 For 100' list

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Accounting (1969)

Gene Batchelder’s experience at Oklahoma State University didn’t end after his graduation. The Bartlesville, Oklahoma, native earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from OSU’s business school in 1969.

Batchelder was quite active during his days at OSU. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, participated in intramural athletics and worked part-time to help cover expenses. He also received a Phillips Petroleum Company Scholarship.

His time at OSU’s business school greatly impacted him in various aspects.

“My whole experience at OSU was about learning and growth … learning about myself and growth as an individual,” Batchelder said. “Learning what it would take to succeed; how to be a part of something much larger than just me; how to contribute individually and as part of a team; and what it would take to compete and win. Those years helped me establish a foundation that would serve me well both personally and professionally.”

But his OSU experience didn’t end with those four years on campus. It continues through attending athletic events, participating in continuing education, involvement in various university organizations, and his children attending OSU. It has helped him develop some of the strongest personal relationships he has.

After graduating from OSU and serving in the U.S. Army, Batchelder went to work for Ford Motor Company. He joined Phillips Petroleum Company in 1972 and held numerous positions throughout his 42-year career at ConocoPhillips, including President of Phillips Driscopipe, Inc., Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of GPM Gas Corporation, and Chief Information Officer. He retired as Senior Vice President from ConocoPhillips in 2013 and is currently a director of Occidental Petroleum.

His past professional affiliations include membership in the American Institute of Certified Professional Accountants and the Oklahoma Society of Certified Professional Accountants. He served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Plastics Pipe Institute. He has attended executive programs at Duke University and Harvard Business School and published articles on information technology management in various publications, including Harvard Business Review. He also serves or has served on numerous civic, philanthropic and corporate boards.

A past national President of the OSU Alumni Association Board of Directors, Batchelder served as president of the Alumni Association’s Washington County chapter. He also served as a trustee for the OSU Foundation, is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association, a former member of the Spears School of Business Associates and member of the OSU POSSE.

Batchelder was recognized as an OSU School of Accounting Distinguished Alumnus and inducted into the OSU Spears School Hall of Fame in 2002. He was named an OSU Distinguished Alumnus in 2005. He was inducted into the OSU Hall of Fame in 2011.

The Batchelder family contributed to the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, and the fireplace in Traditions Hall is named after his father, Arley.

Batchelder and his wife, Lori, reside in Houston and have a ranch near Anderson, Texas. Between them, they have six children and 14 grandchildren.

Batchelder is appreciative to be recognized for the “Spears School Tributes: 100 for 100.”

“I am certainly honored to be a part of this group and humbled by the achievements and contributions of the others,” Batchelder said. “So many successes on so many fronts over so many years! It’s very special. It is especially meaningful to be a part of this group with my brother, David. I know that our father, Arley, the first of our Batchelder family to secure a college degree from OSU, would be very pleased and proud. Thank you so much.”