AIChE presents the most recent post in this series featuring LGBTQ+ engineers and their allies as part of an ongoing effort to share stories of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Other related efforts include a variety of LGBTQ+ programs and events at the 2022 Annual Meeting and ASC, as well as the 2023 AIChE Spring Meeting & GCPS. These programs and events were all supported by the AIChE Foundation’s Doing a World of Good Campaign.
In this installment of our series, we interviewed Rebecca (Becky) M.W. Starkweather, P.E., FAIChE, who shared her story as Global Commercial Leader for Engineered to Order Systems for Air Products’ Membrane Solutions.
Where did you complete your chemical engineering education?
I received my B.S. Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1983. In 2000, I obtained my M.S. in Management of Technology form Georgia Tech.
How many years have you been a member of AIChE?
I've been an AIChE member since I was a student at Texas A & M, so 40+ years.
Tell us a bit about your job and your job responsibilities. What is a typical day at work?
I am Global Commercial Leader for Engineered to Order Systems for Air Products’ Membrane Solutions. I work remote from Florida and lead a team of very experienced sales managers located in Norway and China, so my hours start very early in the morning. I currently report to my first female leader in my 40-year career, who I currently rate as “top 3” of my bosses!
Tell us a bit about your experience as an out LGBTQ+ professional working in engineering.
Air Products, recently named one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity for 2023 by Forbes Magazine, has been very welcoming. This was key in my decision to join them and develop my career. Air Product truly “walks the talk,” and their desire to create an inclusive environment is evident at all levels of leadership, up to the CEO.
In 1984, no one was “out” who was working in a chemical plant on the ship channel of Houston. In 2018, I interviewed with a senior director and joined a division based in Minden, Nevada, for a major global energy technology company. This senior leader made me realize that the climate of acceptance had changed in corporate America — not only within HR but in the C-suite.
There is no “one size fits all” to create a diverse culture.
What are the most important issues that LGBTQ+ engineers deal with in the workplace today?
It is very troubling that companies that embrace the LGBTQIA+ community are now being targeted negatively for being inclusive. This is a cause for concern.
Do you know others in the profession who struggle with being out in today’s workplace?
Within Air Products, we work to create an environment where all employees can show up as their authentic selves. We understand it’s a journey, but we all try to make it better for each other.
Some peers at prior companies have chosen to keep their personal lives totally separate from their work life, even to the point of avoiding all social and volunteer activities outside of work. Depending on where you work, people still fear repercussions for coming out.
How can people (peers who are allies, and members of management and leadership who are allies) help foster a more inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ chemical engineers?
There is no “one size fits all” to create a diverse culture. Leaders can recognize the strengths of diverse teams and individuals, recognize and call out unconscious and conscious bias, and embrace empathy as the great equalizer. I had competing job offers, but selected Air Products because I felt the hiring manager and leadership understood what it meant to truly be inclusive.
Does your organization do anything to foster inclusivity for LGBTQ+ people?
Air Products has many employee resource groups (ERGs) with chapters globally. Our Spectrum ERG, of which I am a member, focuses on creating a community for employees who identify as LGBTQ+. We also have new chapters in Europe and South America.
Air Products has been a corporate sponsor of The Out & Equal Conference and Human Rights Campaign. We celebrate Pride month each year by raising the Pride flag at corporate headquarters, as well as at plant sites around the world. Air Products also hosts an annual Week of Inclusion, which is a global series of events to promote courageous conversations around diversity, inclusion and belonging (DIB).
DIB can be a subject that is understood differently in other cultures which is why, as a leader, I set DIB goals with my teams in China and Norway.
Do you have any suggestions of what out LGBTQ+ chemical engineers can do to help make their professional climate more safe, welcoming, and inclusive for diverse engineers?
Find a senior executive champion who supports and promotes diversity. At a previous employer, one vice president led the executive Support LGBTQ Employees group and the affinity group. This leader even volunteered and walked in the Houston Pride Parade — a visual example of inclusive leadership!
Tell us a bit about your personal life.
I was transparent with my husband of 36+ years since we began dating. I did not marry him until he could accept that I am not just an ally, but a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and he was always my biggest champion. Without his enduring support and true acceptance of my close friends during my career, our story would not exist.
Above, Becky stands alongside her husband, Tom, cleaning up Indian Rocks Beach near their home for Volunteer Day/MLK Day of Service for Air Products.
I am an advocate for animals and play competitive pickleball and not-so-competitive golf when not at the beach or paddleboarding. I am also an avid skier and snowboarder and I miss living in Utah near the slopes.
In 40 years of serving as an engineer and having grown up on Galveston Bay, I have witnessed the worst effects that poor regulation enforcement has on our environment. In the 1960s and 70s, I remember we could not eat local seafood because it was contaminated nor go swimming without having “tar balls” on our feet.
At Air Products, our employees have a shared vision for being stewards for a safe and sustainable future of the earth’s ecosystems and all of its inhabitants. This is my true belief, and these are my own words.
Are there any LGBTQ+ inspirations, role models, or moments in history that are important to you?
Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias is my hero. She was the world’s greatest athlete, and I emulated her as a child when my dad gave me books about her life. We both share a love of being a “trash talker,” a love of sports, and lead similar lifestyles.
I also grew up admiring Dr. Renee Richards for her bravery and fortitude to endure the persistent harassment she received as a trans athlete.
Do you have a coming out story you’d like to share?
I did not really come out publicly until years after serving as managing partner of a small consulting company that my husband and I co-founded. A friend, who is an Episcopalian deacon (one of the first to marry her partner), finally gave me that “aha moment” with a book she gave me.
Do you have a story about an effective or inspirational professional ally you would like to share?
Besides the friend that I mentioned above, three people who have been very supportive are my husband, Thomas Starkweather (former NASA Mission Control Lead Engineer), and my best friend and sister from another mother. E.S. from Air Products and J.E. from the Major Energy Technology Company have also been very supportive throughout my journey.
What is your dream getaway?
My dream getaway would be going on an around-the-world cruise with 20 of my closest friends in business class, allowing us to come and go as we please!
Who is your favorite LGBTQ+ icon?
My favorite LGBTQ+ icons are Johnny Weir and RuPaul.
Join AIChE’s LGBTQ+ & Allies Online Community
This community is open to professional AIChE members who are LGBTQ+ and allies. Topics of discussion will include the ongoing development of LGBTQ+ initiatives at AIChE, plus issues concerning, and opportunities for, LGBTQ+ chemical engineering professionals.
Learn more about the community.
This initiative is supported by the AIChE Foundation's Doing a World of Good Campaign.
AIChE Foundation – All for Good Campaign
Learn more about AIChE’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives.
Interested in helping?
Are you an LGBTQ+ chemical engineer and AIChE member interested in sharing your story to help create awareness around diversity and inclusion? Are you an LGBTQ+ ally interested in helping with diversity and inclusion efforts? Send us a note at chenected@aiche.org with the subject “Diversity and Inclusion.”