Soni O.* & Priscilla Oyekan

The late Dr. Soni O. Oyekan was President and CEO of Prafis Energy Solutions and a world renowned expert in oil and gas, and oil refining. Soni provided technical and process technology management for over 30 refineries in the past 37 years. He was the process technologist for Marathon Petroleum Company, Amoco and Sunoco with responsibilities for naphtha processing and oil refining process and technology support between 1993 and 2013. In addition, he managed Sunoco and Amoco precious metals systems between 1994 and 1999. Prior to 1993, Soni conducted R&D studies at Exxon, Engelhard and DuPont which resulted in two US and 8 foreign patents. He received another US patent in 2014 for naptha reforming. His inventions for catalytic naphtha reforming are used globally in enhancing the production of transportation fuels. Soni was a graduate of Yale University and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Soni has been conferred with several awards including the 2009 Percy Julian Award from NOBCChE for significant contributions to the oil industry. He was a Fellow of AIChE, a member of the AIChE Foundation Board of Trustees. the Leadership Council, and was one of the speakers in AIChE's Speakers Corner. He wasa member of AIChE's Legacy Society and the Cumulative Giving group.