Willis B. Wood Named Chairman of LA AAA Board of Directors

    LOS ANGELES--Dec. 10, 2002--Willis B. Wood, vice chairman of the AAA Board of Directors and long-serving member of the Automobile Club of Southern California Board of Directors, has become chairman of the AAA Board. Wood succeeds Robert J. Cardoza of Modesto, Calif. who passed away in October.
    Wood has been vice chairman and director of the AAA Board since May 2001. He is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Pacific Enterprises and has been a member of the Auto Club Board of Directors since March 1993.
    "It is a great honor to undertake this position as it allows me to continue the work begun by Bob Cardoza and the other board members of improving our nation's transportation," Wood said. "There are 79 independent affiliates across the U.S. and Canada, each with regional and individual needs. With the help of so many great professionals in those affiliates, I look forward to working to help motorists and travelers."
    Wood was born in Kansas City, Mo. and spent his formative years in Kansas. He earned his bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Tulsa in 1957. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.
    Wood began his professional career in Odessa, Texas with Pan American Petroleum Corp. He moved to California the next year to continue working in the oil industry in Wilmington. In 1960, Wood joined Pacific Lighting Gas Supply (later Pacific Enterprises) as a staff aid and rose through the ranks to become chairman and chief executive officer. He retired in 1998.
    In addition to his work with AAA and the Auto Club, Wood serves as a director on numerous boards including Washington Mutual Inc., Haynes Foundation, University of Southern California, and Harvey Mudd College.