The C.J. "Pete" Silas Program in Ethics and Leadership is part of the weekly seminar series that ChBE hosts throughout the year with invited lecturers who are prominent in their fields. Unless otherwise noted, all seminars are held on Wednesdays in the Molecular Science and Engineering Building ("M" Building) in G011 (Cherry Logan Emerson Lecture Theater) at 4 p.m. Refreshments are served at 3:30 p.m. in the Emerson-Lewis Reception Salon.

____________________

Tribute to  C.J. “Pete” Silas

Speakers:

Dr. G. Wayne Clough
President Emeritus. Georgia Tech
Secretary Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution

Glenn Cox
Retired President, Phillips Petroleum Co.

Dr. Ronald Rousseau
Professor & Cecil J. “Pete” Silas Chair, ChBE

Introductions by:
Dr. Dennis Hess
Director of the Phillips 66/C.J. “Pete” Silas
Program in Ethics and Leadership, Professor
& Thomas C. DeLoach Jr. Chair, ChBE

Reception Immediately Following Outside Room G011

About C.J. "Pete" Silas:

C.J. “Pete” Silas, a Georgia Tech chemical engineering graduate (ChE 1953) and longtime supporter of the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE), died on Dec. 16, 2014. He was 82.

Silas, a former chairman and CEO of Phillips Petroleum Co., is the namesake of ChBE’s Phillips 66/C.J. “Pete” Silas Program in Ethics and Leadership. This annual lecture recognizes Silas’ outstanding professional achievements and commitment to doing business in an ethical, responsible manner.

Recruited to Georgia Tech with a full basketball scholarship, Silas joined Phillips as a trainee petroleum engineer after graduation in 1953. From 1968 to 1976, Silas led Phillips’ Europe-Africa division and directed much of the development of the Ekofisk operations in the Norwegian North Sea – one of the world’s largest offshore oil and gas complexes. In the process, Silas gained the respect of industry and political leaders in Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

In 1976, Silas returned to corporate headquarters in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, as vice president, gas and gas liquids. Two years later, he was elevated to senior vice president of natural resources. By 1980, he was an executive vice president, and in 1982, he became president and chief operating officer. In May of 1985, Silas was elected chairman and chief executive officer. He retired in 1994 at the age of 62 after a 41-year-career at Phillips.

Throughout his career and retirement, Silas was an active and generous participant of many boards and philanthropies. His many contributions to Georgia Tech include endowing the Cecil J. “Pete” Silas Chair in ChBE.