Division creates new Service Award | AIChE

Division creates new Service Award

In 2017 the division Awards Committee, chaired by George Newcomb, established the “Management Division Service Award” to recognize outstanding service to the AIChE Management Division. This is an annual award subject to having enough qualified nominations each year. The award is presented at the Division dinner during the Spring Meeting. The first recipient of this award was easy to identify due to his efforts in ensuring that the Management Division didn’t cease to exist. In 2001, as the division was struggling and about to be discontinued, Joe Porcelli led an effort to recruit new members and presented a plan to the CTOC that gave the division one year to demonstrate its viability. Joe served as division chair during this difficult period and was instrumental in developing a succession plan, engaging many new volunteers who became actively involved and have kept the division vibrant and active until today. Joe Porcelli was unanimously selected as the first recipient of the Management Division Service Award, which was presented at the 2017 Spring Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Mark Swientoniewski, 2017 Management Division Chair (right in photo), presents the first Service Award to Joe Porcelli (left in photo).

Joe Porcelli was chair of the Management Division in the early 2000s and also chaired or served on the Technical Committee for several Management Conferences from the mid 1990s through about 2007. In addition, and although not a factor for this award, Joe had an outstanding career of 50+ years as executive in process engineering companies, including more than a dozen years as President & CEO of Scientific Design Company, Inc. and more than 15 years as a private consultant, activity which he continues as of today.