Two West Virginia natives and West Virginia University alumni, Kevin DiGregorio and Anesa Chaibi, have been selected for induction into the West Virginia University Academy of Chemical Engineers. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 1 in Morgantown.
A native of Richwood, DiGregorio earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from WVU in 1983, 1985 and 1988, respectively. Upon graduation, he joined Union Carbide Corporation, working in its reaction engineering group. He went on to become a change coach and change leader at the Dow Chemical Technical Center in South Charleston, where he also led university relations and recruiting efforts for many years.
In 2004, DiGregorio started IMPACT Professional Services LLC, offering consulting and executive management services. Through IMPACT, he previously served as executive director of TechConnectWV and currently serves as executive director of The Chemical Alliance Zone, a nonprofit group dedicated to advancing the chemical industry across West Virginia. He is a member of the West Virginia Governor’s Marcellus to Manufacturing Task Force and is a director on a number of boards, including MATRIC, the West Virgina Regional Technology Park and TechConnectWV. He also serves on advisory committees for the WVU Department of Chemical Engineering Department, the West Virginia State University Chemistry Department, BridgeValley Chemical Operator Training Program and the West Virginia Manufacturers Association Chemical Industry Committee.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from WVU in 1989, Weirton native Chaibi began her career with General Electric as a member of the chemical and materials leadership program at GE Silicones in Waterford, New York. Upon completion of the program, she held a number of positions with GE, including advanced productivity engineer with GE Plastics, operations manager at GE Silicones and global sourcing manager for GE Plastics.
Following the completion of her master’s degree in business administration from Duke University in 1997, Chaibi served as a strategic management consultant with CSC Index. Two years later, she joined GE Corporate Headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut, as manager of corporate initiatives. She continued to advance at GE, serving as general manager of advanced power systems at GE Digital Energy, general manager of global sourcing for GE Infrastructure and finally general manager of global quality and commercial operations at GE Water and Process Technologies.
In 2005, Chaibi joined The Home Depot as president of The Home Depot Supply in San Diego, California. Once the company was divested she was named president and chief executive officer of HD Supply Facilities Maintenance, which she has grown from $840 million in revenue to $2.5 billion through 2014.
The Academy of Chemical Engineers was founded on April 25, 1986 to recognize graduates who have had distinguished professional careers or who have been of outstanding service to WVU.