HAHNVILLE – St. Charles Operations welcomes Denise DeLaune as new Site Director. DeLaune returns to SCO after serving as a Site Director in Germany. With vast experience across Dow and specifically the U.S. Gulf Coast, DeLaune is sure to bring innovative and inclusive leadership to St. Charles Operations.

“We are excited to have Denise back in the U.S. Gulf Coast, where she has established herself as a strong leader with a gift for managing complex processes while making sure safety and reliability are a constant priority,” said Rich Wells, vice president of operations for the U.S. Gulf Coast. “We know she will make an important and lasting impact at SCO.”

DeLaune began her career with Dow in 1998 at St. Charles Operations, where she worked as an engineer. Since then she has held roles within Dow including both production and operations leader roles.

She says she is thrilled to return to St. Charles Operations in the role of site leader.

“St. Charles has a spirit and culture that stands out and makes this place very special,” DeLaune said. “For me, SCO and Louisiana are both home and where I learned everything I needed to know about operations and teamwork.”

DeLaune returns to SCO following the retirement of Johnny Chavez. Chavez has been at the helm of St. Charles Operations for the last five years, and he will be greatly missed by everyone on site and throughout the company.

“The last five years at St. Charles Operations for me have been the best five years of my career,” said Chavez. “We have truly had a lot of successes.”

Chavez joined Dow in 1988. He assumed his role as site leader in St. Charles Operations in 2014 where he oversaw the safe, reliable and cost effective operations of $6.6 billion in manufacturing assets with over 1,000 employees producing product for six Dow businesses.