Houston Couple Gives $6 Million to Engineering, Football

He held numerous positions of increasing responsibility in two ARCO divisions and at its corporate headquarters before becoming a vice president of Lyondell Chemical Co. in 1985. Four years later, he was tapped Lyondell’s chief financial officer and executive vice president when the company went public. In 1996 Smith was named president and chief executive officer of Lyondell, one of the world’s largest chemical producers. He was elected chairman of the board in May 2007. Smith retired as president, CEO and chairman of Lyondell on January 31, 2008.