HOUSTON -- Bruce Chinn, Chervon Phillips Chemical’s recently retired president and CEO, was recognized today at the World Petrochemical Conference for his leadership in expanding the diversity of the STEM talent pool in the petrochemical industry.
The Chemical Marketing & Economics, Inc. and S&P Global Commodity Insights announced the award of the CME STEM Leadership Award™ for Propelling Diverse Talent at the S&P Global Commodity Insights’ World Petrochemical Conference in Houston on March 19.
“Bruce Chinn’s leadership in promoting diverse STEM talent and enabling them to pursue their professional dreams has contributed to CPChem’s strong company culture and drive toward excellence in all facets of the business,” CME Co-Chair Ksenia Takhistova said.
Chinn has helped reshape STEM student support at professional associations by collaborating with communities to encourage investment in economic development and education opportunities.
Since 2017, CPChem has sponsored CME’s award-winning NASA Symposium and other impactful STEM innovation programs for over 50,000 diverse students. In 2020, CPChem was among the first companies to support the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI) to help students pursue STEM degrees at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and has pledged more than $1.4 million to FOSSI to date. More than $40 million in FOSSI scholarships have been raised across the industry to support over 600 students.
CPChem’s business relies on STEM innovation driven by employees with diverse backgrounds, experience levels, talents, perspectives and decision-making styles, Chinn said.
“We believe that industry plays a central role in supporting programs like those of CME, NASA and FOSSI that enable diverse STEM talent to be ready for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” he said. “Our investment in STEM education boosts sustainable manufacturing, business performance, environmental stewardship and economic growth. We deeply appreciate S&P Global Commodity Insights collaboration with CME at WPC to inspire diverse STEM leadership for sustainable innovation.”
Chinn, who retired from his position as president and CEO of CPChem at the end of February,
began his career at DuPont and joined Chevron in 2006, where he held several executive roles in refining for the company’s operations in Venezuela, Richmond, Calif., and Pascagoula, Miss.
He is a member of the board of directors for Waste Management, Inc. Chinn has also served in top executive positions across several organizations, including as board director and executive committee member of the American Chemistry Council and member of the Executive Leadership Council. Chinn holds a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University.