Jeanne Perdue received a BS degree in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Albany. She started her career as a chemist at the Texaco Research Laboratories. Perdue then became an oil and gas journalist for Hart's E&P magazine and launched the award-winning Upstream Technology magazine. She is now a technical writer at Occidental Petroleum, preparing field development plans, maintenance and operations procedures, best practices, and concession proposals for the Middle East Support Team.

A Distinguished Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Perdue has served as Scholarship Chair, Community Services Chair, Membership Chair, Secretary, and Chair of the Gulf Coast Section. Today she serves on the Distinguished Lecturer Committee and the Business Management and Leadership Committee. She also serves on the board of the Houston Community College (HCC) Foundation and the University of Houston Petroleum Engineering Advisory Board.