ChEnected is introducing readers to the recipients of AIChE’s 2024 Institute and Board of Directors’ Awards.
The F. J. and Dorothy Van Antwerpen Award is presented to a member of AIChE who has made outstanding contributions to the chemical engineering profession through service to AIChE, in both the professional and technical areas of Institute activities. The prize is named for Franklyn Van Antwerpen, who served as AIChE’s Secretary and Executive Director from 1955–1978. The award is sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company.
This year, the Van Antwerpen Award is being presented to S. Shariq Yosufzai, retired Vice President of Global Diversity at Chevron; retired Chairman of the Board of Aqua Metals; and retired Chairman of Accordant Advisors. Yosufzai is being recognized for his leadership and service to AIChE and the AIChE Foundation, and for creating a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive profession.
Yosufsai and the other Institute and Board of Directors’ Award recipients will receive their prizes at the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting, October 27–31 in San Diego, California.
It has been exciting and fulfilling to be part of this exhilarating journey as AIChE makes the world a better place for all.
A lifetime of contributions to the AIChE community
A chemical engineering alumnus of Texas A&M University, Shariq Yosufzai's association with AIChE spans 50 years.
His volunteerism began in 1985 with his leadership in AIChE’s Public Relations Committee — where he helped to enhance AIChE’s public profile through media training for members and awards presented to AIChE groups that excelled at communication in the pre-internet era.
He went on to lead AIChE’s Management Division, and in the 1990’s he helped to establish AIChE’s Societal Impact Operating Council, which he chaired in 1999.
As Chair of the AIChE Foundation’s Corporate Council (2016–2021) and Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees (2018–2019), Yosufzai played a pivotal role in the success of the Institute’s Doing a World of Good campaign, raising more than $53M — the largest campaign in the Institute’s history. This campaign funds projects identified by chemical engineers as crucial to profession, including programs that enhance diversity and inclusiveness, safety and ethical practices, technical literacy, and STEM education programs.
Yosufzai says that AIChE — through efforts like Doing A World of Good — “is having a transformational impact around the globe, and leading the way in process safety, technology innovation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.” He adds, “It has been exciting and fulfilling to be part of this exhilarating journey as AIChE makes the world a better place for all.”
His commitment to diversity is also evident in his leadership of the Foundation’s All for Good: Engineering for Inclusion programs, with his advocacy underscoring his belief that diversity is not just a moral imperative but also a business necessity.
Shariq’s influence extends beyond AIChE. As leader of Chevron’s Diversity and Inclusion and Ombuds functions, he was able to advocate for women and minority chemical engineers in the oil and fuels industries, and in this area he led Chevron’s strategic partnerships with universities and professional societies — like AIChE.
In this regard, Shariq’s honors from the business community have included: “Top Executives in Corporate Diversity” by Black Enterprise Magazine; “Top 25 Champions of Diversity in STEM” by Diversity Global Magazine; and his recognition as one of the “Top 50 Diversity Professionals in Industry” worldwide on The Economist’s Global Diversity List.
Yosufzai is a Fellow of AIChE, and he has received numerous other prizes from the Institute. These include the Fuels and Petrochemicals Division Award, the inaugural Industry Leadership Award, and the AIChE Foundation’s Doing a World of Good medal. He was also honored by his home AIChE local section — Northern California — with its Chemical Engineering Excellence Award for Professional Achievement.
This fall, ChEnected is presenting profiles of all the 2024 Institute and Board of Directors’ Award recipients. Visit ChEnected regularly to meet the honorees.