Catherine Reheis-Boyd is finishing a 35-year career with the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), having indicated in February her plan to retire from the Association at the end of 2025. She served as the Association’s President and CEO from 2010 to September 1, 2025, overseeing WSPA’s operations and advocacy across five Western states — California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, and Oregon. For the remainder of the year, she will serve as Special Advisor to the President and CEO of WSPA to facilitate a smooth transition.
With more than 40 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry, Catherine began her career with an environmental consulting firm before joining Getty Oil and Texaco, where she focused on environmental compliance at the Kern River Field in Bakersfield, California. She joined WSPA in 1990 and opened the first oil production office in Bakersfield. Later she moved to Sacramento, CA to open the first WSPA office in the Capital City.
As President and CEO, Catherine led WSPA through a period of significant change and challenge. She guided the Association’s work on transportation fuels policy, air, waste, and water quality, climate change, crude oil and natural gas production. Under her leadership, WSPA strengthened its role as a trusted voice for the industry, developing positive relationships with regulatory agencies, while advancing efforts in emissions reduction, carbon capture, renewable energy, and energy innovation.
In addition to her work at WSPA, Catherine was appointed in 2004 to the California Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force, where she served an eight-year term focused on safeguarding the state’s ocean resources. She also served on the National Marine Protected Areas Center’s Federal Advisory Committee, advising NOAA and the U.S. Department of the Interior on marine conservation strategies.
Catherine has been widely recognized for her leadership and advocacy. In 2016, she was named Distinguished Woman and Petroleum Advocate of the Year by the California Latino Leadership Institute. In 2018, she helped launch the Women of WSPA Initiative (WOWI), a network dedicated to ensuring that women in the oil and gas industry have equal opportunities, representation, and respect and was featured on the front cover of Comstock Magazine in March of 2020 for the 100-year suffrage movement anniversary to salute women in leadership. In 2025, she received the Emma Summers Award from the California Independent Oil Producers Association (CIPA) and was inducted into the Capitol Weekly Top 100 Hall of Fame of powerful movers and shakers in CA politics. The Top 100 Hall of Fame, spotlights those who have a track record of influence so impressive that they are acknowledged in a way that stands the test of time.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and pursued postgraduate studies in environmental engineering at the University of Southern California.
Throughout her career, Catherine has been proud to represent an industry that provides affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy to millions of people. She is deeply grateful for the colleagues, mentors, and partners who shaped her journey, and she remains optimistic about the future of WSPA and the energy industry as she transitions into her next chapter.