Class of 1997
Michelle Green started out as a business major at Fresno State with no idea about an ultimate career. A good student, diligent and hardworking, she was accustomed to doing well. Like the backstory of many attorneys, Michelle’s family and fiancée suggested the local law school, due to her terrific skills in debate. Just 20 when she enrolled, Michelle found herself overwhelmed by the level of difficulty of law school. She had no real clarity of what legal practice was about. Discussions with her professors helped her to gain an understanding of legal processes. One, an expert in employment law, sparked her interest with an internship with the city of Fresno. Throughout law school Michelle worked days as a substitute teacher and attended classes at night. An internship with a federal magistrate caused her to eliminate what she considered boring research and social security cases as a potential career. A prestigious 3rd year clerkship in the US Attorney’s Office unearthed her dislike of the courtroom, as well. By her 4th and final year, Michelle entertained thoughts of quitting law school altogether.
As a testament to her capacity for due diligence, Michelle went again to her professors, in search of a purpose. It was a Human Resource professor at Fresno State, who also had a JD degree, who provided the missing link. He suggested she consider HR.
To pursue HR, a master’s degree was required by most big corporations, so Michelle took the GRE exam while still in law school and began applying to graduate programs. She was accepted to each of the five top programs. She decided on Cornell University, took the bar exam, and two days later, packed up and drove to New York. She and her husband rented what she describes as a crappy apartment and made it just in time for orientation.
For 20 years Michelle has held numerous administrative and HR management positions within the Chevron Corporation. In her first three years alone, she held the titles of Executive Resources and Leadership Development Consultant, HR Business Partner, and Expatriate Administration and Development Specialist. Beyond that, she developed and implemented the design and administration of the Chevron Contribution Plan, served as HR Advisor in Luanda, Angola, and General Manager of Human Resources in the Asia South Business Unit in Bangkok, Thailand. Michelle now serves as the Vice President of Human Resources, Downstream and Chemicals, of Chevron, in addition to her title as Director of the Chevron Federal Credit Union. We send our congratulations to Michelle on her illustrious career and we watch with pride as her star continues to rise.