Chief Executive Officer, President & Director, CALIFORNIA RESOURCES CORP
Leadership Insight | Francisco J. Leon
Leadership is about creating opportunities, serving others, and helping shape a stronger future for our communities.
In this Leadership Insight, Francisco J. Leon, President and Chief Executive Officer of California Resources Corporation (CRC), shares reflections drawn from his leadership journey, commitment to community, and dedication to advancing California's future. His perspective encourages leaders to think boldly, embrace responsibility, and recognize the impact they can have within their organizations and communities.
This session is part of HOPE's Leadership Insights series, where d...
About Francisco Leon
Francisco Leon, President and CEO of California Resources Corporation (CRC), participated in a Leadership Insight session hosted by HOPE on July 24, 2026. During the event, Leon discussed his background as an immigrant from Tijuana, Mexico, and his role as the only CEO of a U.S. oil and gas company born and raised in Mexico. He emphasized CRC's mission to "do energy better" by lowering the carbon footprint and cost of energy, and noted that nearly 40% of the company's workforce identifies as Latino. Leon stated that "we're going to need many forms of energy for a very long time" and that while an energy transition will eventually occur, "between now and then, we need to work on what we have and make it better." Leon also addressed representation, describing the current period as "a moment of first and only's" for Latino leadership, citing examples such as the first Latina pro tem in California. He argued that "first and only's are not enough" and that the goal should be ensuring "the next generation doesn't have to be first. They just get to be." Leon serves on several boards and leadership councils, including the National Petroleum Council and the Western States Petroleum Association Board of Directors.
Transcript (9 segments)
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Host0:00
It is my honor to welcome Francisco Leon, president and CEO of California Resources Corporation. Francisco's journey as an immigrant and executive leader speaks to the power of vision, determination, and representation in a space where Latino leadership continues to be deeply needed. Throughout his career, he has led across finance, energy, business development, and corporate strategy while serving on several boards and leadership councils, including the National Petroleum Council and the Western States Petroleum Association Board of Directors. His leadership reminds us that our stories, our life experience, and our communities belong in every room where decisions are made. Please join me in welcoming Francisco Leon.
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Francisco Leon0:52
Hola, hola. So excited to be here. I get to make presentations, talk to investors. I don't remember being as excited to be in front of a group as I am right now. Hope is especially and I think you all know that and we're great partners. I appreciate the opportunity to give a few remarks. And I want to just share with you a few minutes of where I come from and what the lessons of life have taught me and what I believe we have the power to do together in California.
I grew up on the border. On the Tijuana side of the border and I crossed that border thousands of time. I counted the other day. Sometimes it'd be in a car, sometimes I would walk, sometimes I would take the red trolley to go to school in the US. I was one of the fortunate ones that got to go back and forth. For a lot of people, it's just a one-way opportunity. And I reflect on my life back at the border quite a bit and it's a I grew up in an incredible time to be a border kid. The two great cities interconnected, San Diego and Tijuana, act as one, operate as one, except they're very different from each other. And I got to see a lot of inequality, a lot of challenges, and the reminders of that every single day. Things like energy reliability, clean water safety, things that we ultimately don't have to think about a lot here unless you go a day without them. So growing up on the Mexican side really taught me to not take things for granted.
And some of the changes and things I went through I really only understood much later in life. Life and opportunity brought me to California, brought me north of the border, and what I realized when I got here is some of the challenges, some of the inequalities are also very much present here. They just have different forms. And those challenges tend to be much more prevalent for Latino communities. So that's when the energy industry came into my life. It was not just a career choice that I was making. It was also an opportunity to really make a difference. Energy is the best industry to be a part of. Not just a commodity, it's quality of life. It's economic mobility. It's opportunity.
And if we get energy right, we elevate people across the board. So, I'm the president and CEO of California Resources Corporation. CRC is a company built for California, run by Californians. Our people live here. We're not looking from the outside in. We're part of the community. Nearly 40%, 40% of our workforce identifies as Latino. This is not just a talking point. That's who we are. Our mission is to do energy better. Lower the carbon footprint, lower the cost of energy, create solutions that improve lives. We're going to need many forms of energy for a very long time. A lot of people talk about the transition. It will come. Eventually, it will come. But between now and then, we need to work on what we have and make it better. That's what CRC is doing every single day. We can transform the industry. And it's partnerships like the one we have with Hope, where we see energy policy working lockstep with economic empowerment and connecting those two to elevate our communities.
Now, there's an old saying that says, 'There's no I in team.' Perhaps an overused phrase that you hear a lot. But I have to tell you, I have a sweet spot, a soft spot for the letter I. So many powerful words start with the letter I. And in Spanish, I has a name. E Latina. So, inspired by the E Latina, a few things to just keep in mind. Innovation, impact, inspiration. Three words that matter deeply to me.
Innovation at CRC, we're improving how energy works today, but we're also investing in the future. In the few days we will be launching the first carbon capture and storage project in the history of the state. It's going to be in the Central Valley. Thank you. Appreciate it. We're going to be capturing man-made emissions and we're going to store them safely underground. A permit that took a long time to get together, but it's something we're investing in the future of the state.
In terms of impact, that's our North Star. Impact should always be what we keep in mind in terms of what the communities should be able to get from corporations. It's about high-quality jobs. It's about second chances. It's about a pathway to the middle class. That is what CRC is doing today. Our CRC CCS project delivers more than that. 1% of the capital that we invest in the project will go directly to the communities, so that they can decide how to use it. Biggest impact by their own communities to decide.
Finally, inspiration. Leadership is our responsibility. We have an opportunity to lead, not only for ourselves, but for everybody looking. People need to see someone like me. They need to see that with the art of the possible, that hard work pays off. There's a lot of people who are saying that Latinos are having a moment. We have the first Latina pro tem in California. Who knows? We may have the first Latino governor in a few months. I am the only CEO of an oil and gas company in the entire US born and raised in Mexico, only immigrant there. Yes, we're having a moment. Viva Mexico. We're having a moment, but it's a moment of first and only's. First and only's are not enough. It's just the beginning, right? The real work is making sure the next generation doesn't have to be first. They just get to be. Innovation, impact, inspiration, tres palabras con la letra i latina. The future of the state is going to be shaped by Latinas in this room. We may need to make it count. Thank you. Thank you, everybody.