Missouri University of Science and Technology presented the Award of Professional Distinction to S&T alumnus Patrick J. Wagner of Cypress, Texas, during a commencement ceremony held Saturday, May 16, at the Gale Bullman Building on the S&T campus. The award recognizes outstanding S&T graduates for professional achievement.

Wagner, a retired Marathon Oil executive, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in petroleum engineering from Missouri S&T in 1986 and 1988, respectively. He began his career as a project engineer at Exxon. From 1990 to 2014, he held roles of increasing leadership responsibility and oil and gas consultancy The Scotia Group, Ocean Energy, Devon Energy, Scotiabank’s energy advisory arm, Scotia Waterous and QR Energy LP and the affiliated Quantum Resources Management.

In 2014, Wagner joined Marathon Oil as vice president of corporate development and strategy. He advanced to executive vice president and led corporate strategy, business development, resource exploration, marketing, hedging, land and planning. He helped lead the company’s strategic pivot from a global diversified portfolio to a focus on North America. Wagner’s decade of executive leadership at Marathon, including two quarters as interim chief financial officer, culminated in the $22.5 billion merger with ConocoPhillips in 2024, after which he retired.

Wagner was inducted into the Missouri S&T Academy of Mines and Metallurgy in 2017. His brothers, John Wagner and Robert Wagner, are also Missouri S&T alumni. Wagner and his wife, Janie, are members of the Order of the Golden Shillelagh.