In 1983 he was picked for Ronald Reagan’s Executive Exchange Program in Washington, D.C., where he worked with the Federal Reserve Board.
In 1997, he joined Marathon Oil, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, as senior vice president of finance and accounting.
[8] In January 2012 he relinquished the position to The Bank of New York Mellon executive Karen Peetz, but he has continued to serve on the board.
[11][12] In September 2015, John Surma assumed the chairmanship of the National Safety Council Board of Directors, succeeding Jeff Woodbury.
He voluntarily declined long-term incentive awards and took a 20% salary cut due to economic challenges.
That year, U.S. Steel reported a $1.4 billion net loss amid declining industry demand.