SLU group to honor Murphy Oil CEO

Murphy Oil Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Cossé will be honored as the 2012 Alumnus of the Year by the Southeastern Louisiana University Alumni Association.

Cossé will be honored Friday at the association’s Alumni Awards Evening held on campus at Twelve Oaks. Tickets for the 7 p.m. event are available from the association at (985) 549-2150.

Alumni Association Director Kathy Pittman said the award recognizes graduates with unique accomplishments on a national or international level who continue to utilize their degree from SLU to the fullest.

A 1969 graduate of SLU who later earned his Juris Doctorate at Loyola University in New Orleans, Cossé has served the international oil and gas company for more than 41 years. Headquartered in El Dorado, Ark., the company has more than 10,000 employees worldwide and conducts oil and gas exploration activities in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Congo.

During his tenure with Murphy Oil, Cossé has held a variety of positions, including executive vice president, senior vice president and principal financial officer, while also serving as general counsel throughout most of his career there. Prior to joining the company, he was general counsel for Ocean Drilling and Exploration Co. in New Orleans, which was a majority-owned subsidiary of Murphy. He also serves on the boards of the Arkansas Research Alliance, Simmons First Bank of El Dorado and Simmons First National Corp.

Cossé is a member of the board of the SHARE Foundation, a not-for-profit public charity focused on building a healthier community by improving health and wellbeing through improved access to primary health and dental care, prescription medication assistance and health education for low income populations. A member of the SHARE board since 1998, he has held the positions of secretary, vice president, chairman and chief executive officer. He has been recognized by the SHARE Foundation for his business acumen and legal expertise as well as a deeply held compassion for the less fortunate, continually challenging the organization to first and foremost “do the right thing.”