How a Northeastern science degree helped shape this energy CEO’s career in oil, gas and renewables

By Cesareo Contreras February 26, 2025
Picture of wind turbines in front of a hazy purple and blue sunset. There are dark hills in the background.

Steve Tedesco has been the president and CEO of Running Foxes Petroleum for close to 30 years. And he credits his Northeastern University education with helping him pursue that career path.

A 1977 graduate, Tedesco arrived at the university as a chemistry major before stumbling into earth science after taking a course on the geology of North America.

“I had always thought geology was about weather,” he says. “But after that, I stuck with geology and did very well.”

That eventually led to a business plan.

When he founded Running Foxes Petroleum in 1998, the idea was to offer an alternative for investors looking to locate oil and gas — different from methods used by big oil companies like Exxon.

Tedesco’s company determines potential drilling locations based on surface geochemistry data and other techniques, then partners with investors to drill at those locations. Its customers are local oil and gas purchasing companies.

Read more from Northeastern Global News. 

Courtesy photo via Steve Tedesco

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