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Tonya Wittenmyer started her in-house career as a corporate attorney managing litigation for Speedway SuperAmerica in 2007, where she had the opportunity in her first week to experience the job responsibilities of Speedway’s employees. This opportunity included a day or two working at a convenience store, during which she observed how the employees interacted with customers who truly seemed like family, and another day shadowing a district manager and a regional manager who oversaw a number of convenience stores.
This experience left an indelible mark on her as a leader and continues to influence the way she approaches her work at Marathon Petroleum Corporation, where she currently serves as a senior litigation counsel.
“The opportunity to experience a day in the life of the employees allowed me to understand the business, the company, and employees I represent,” Wittenmyer explains. “As in-house counsel, it is key to understand how employees conduct their work and the structure of their day. It allows you the ability to know the time frame during a business day of when to speak with employees, to understand the mechanics of the business, and so many other things.”
In 2011, Wittenmyer transferred within the company structure to Marathon Petroleum Company LP and has sought out similar educational and networking opportunities, such as visiting the company’s boats and barges in the Marine division and touring its refineries and terminals in many different states across the US. Not only have those visits deepened her understanding of the work conducted by her internal clients, but also they have allowed her to create relationships across the company.
Tonya Wittenmyer Finding Friends Across the Organization
“Through the women’s leadership development and networking organization, I had the opportunity to be connected with a colleague at one of Marathon’s terminals. During our first conversation, we realized some of our interests outside the office setting also aligned. Since the initial conversation, we have developed a friendship that goes beyond the work hours. We have even met for lunch when I was passing through her town on a way to vacation. We are planning a trip in 2024 with our families. It is amazing that even being in a different profession and geographical location, we have had an opportunity to support one another both professionally and personally.”
This knowledge and those relationships have been especially important for her role as legal section chair for the company’s emergency response team, where she’s responsible for developing systems and training while partnering with her colleagues in crisis situations.
“As a member of the emergency response team, I’ve witnessed the importance of relationships and knowledge in the business. I’m proud of the company I work for and the opportunities we have to build relationships and knowledge about the business through drill exercises of emergency response activities, along with mentoring, networking, and team building by meeting people from across the company. We are a team, and honestly, with the relationships you make, it really makes you feel like you are family.”
She continues: “In the event there is a need for an emergency response, it’s important to have a family supporting one another and working as a team. The friendships, created by the relationships and opportunities to network and mentor one another, [allow] the company to work together through the emergency.”
Mentorship cuts at the heart of Wittenmyer’s leadership style. As someone who had great mentors along her professional journey, she takes the opportunity to encourage others to be mentors and seek out a mentor. As a leader in the women’s leadership development and networking organization, she emphasizes building relationships through mentoring and networking with others allows people to form connections with people of different backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge.
“Networking and mentorship go hand-in-hand,” she says. “Opportunities to learn more about people, to encourage one another professionally and personally, is important to me. I enjoy hearing other’s stories and experiences, and if I see an opportunity that may fit someone based on their skill set and interests, I’m always happy to pass it along!”
Tonya Wittenmyer on How She Chose a Legal Path
“My undergraduate degree is in biology and my original plan was to go to medical school. However, during my junior year of undergraduate studies, I learned medicine was not the right career for me after shadowing doctors in various professions. I learned through this experience of shadowing others, that my passion really was in law. The challenges the attorneys I shadowed faced every day with considering complex situations intrigued me and, with the encouragement of others, pointed me to a wonderful career as an attorney with Marathon Petroleum Company LP.”
Jordan, Lynch & Cancienne PLLC:
“We have had the pleasure of working with Tonya on a number of cases over the years and she always astutely guides the strategic goals of Marathon without interfering with our drive to win.”
–Walter Lynch, Partner
