William "Bill" R. Klesse (born 1947, Chatham, NJ) is the former chairman of the board for Valero Energy Corporation.
[1] Before these roles, he served as Executive Vice President-Refining and Commercial Operations, from Valero's acquisition of Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation (UDS) in 2001.
Klesse graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.
He received a master's degree in finance from West Texas A&M University.
[2] [3] As the CEO of Valero Energy Corporation, William R. Klesse earned a total compensation of $6,638,187 in 2008, which included a base salary of $1,500,000, a cash bonus of $705,510, stocks granted of $2,058,846, options granted of $2,235,337, and other compensation of $138,494.