John F. Babbitt, Jr. (BSChE '48)

For his outstanding industry leadership, dedicated service to our country, and exemplary community involvement, the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering recognizes John F. Babbitt, Jr. as a 2020 Outstanding Chemical Engineer.

Jack Babbitt is a highly honored veteran, engineer, and community leader. Babbitt entered the military after graduating from high school, where he became a pilot, and achieved the rank of Captain in the United States Air Force. He had 30 missions in his B-17, with the final mission being a relief flight carrying food to the Dutch near the end of World War II.

After World War II, Babbitt enrolled at Purdue and graduated with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering in 1948. After graduating from Purdue, he began work on the Girdler and the Hydrogen Bomb project. Babbit then joined the newly formed First Mississippi Corporation, becoming President of the company within two years. He later joined Agrico Chemical Company, a subsidiary of The Williams Companies, as President, but left to form Devco International, Devco Overseas Company and several other personally owned companies which designed, built and operated facilities to process and market sulfur in the United States, Saudi Arabia and Australia.

In 2013, Babbitt received an Honorary Doctorate in Business from Hillsdale College. He has served on numerous boards, such as Hillcrest Medical Center, including a term as Chairman; a member of the board of The Master’s College & Seminary in Santa Clarita, California; Chairman of the Fertilizer Institute, a national association of fertilizer and agrichemical producers; was active in the Boy Scouts; served as President of the Indian Nations Council and served as a member of the Boy Scouts National Council. Additionally, he has served as a member of the board of The Little Lighthouse, an organization dedicated to bringing children with special needs up to their greatest potential.

During his retirement, Babbitt found new ways to impact the community through philanthropy. He has supported many Christian missions and has been a driving force to establish churches internationally, demonstrating his continued commitment to improve the lives of others.

"Based on my experience working with him off and on over 30 years, Jack Babbitt, Jr. is the consummate professional who was eager to allow young engineers to perform and achieve results uncommon in the Engineering & Construction Industry."

~Steve Savage (BSChE ‘66), Manager of SAS Consultants, LLC

Robert M. Davidson (BSChE '64)

Bob Davidson was born and raised on a farm in upstate New York. After high school he attended Purdue University graduating with a BSChE degree in 1964.  He then joined the US Patent Office as a patent examiner and enrolled in The George Washington Law School, receiving his JD degree in 1967.

In 1970 he moved to Southern California and joined TRW as a patent attorney.  In 1971 he enrolled in the business school of UCLA while working and received a MBA from UCLA in 1972.  Bob became a Vice President of TRW in 1977, overseeing a group of companies.

In 1978 he joined The Parsons Corporation as Vice President and General Counsel.  He acquired numerous companies for Parsons, was named Executive of the Year by Engineering News Record and was promoted to Executive Vice President overseeing many Parsons companies. In 1989 Bob left Parsons to become Chairman and CEO of Davidson & Associates, an educational software company founded by he and Jan (a 1966 Purdue graduate). The company grew rapidly, went public in 1993 and was sold to a NYSE company in 1998. Soon thereafter they retired to Incline Village Nevada to pursue charitable activities. Their primary interest was in the underserved cohort of profoundly gifted students 20% of whom were dropping out of school. Today the Davidson Institute for Talent Development is the leading organization supporting our nation’s profoundly gifted children. Currently, it supports over 4000 students. Its activities include a scholarship program recognized as one of the most prestigious in the world, The Davidson Academy, recognized as the number one public secondary school in the US, and many other programs.

Bob has served on numerous corporate boards. In addition, he has served on the boards of KCET, Pepperdine University, The George Washington University, the University of Iowa Belin Blanc Center, the Nevada Board of Regents, the Nevada Policy Research Institute, the Nevada K-16 Educational Commission and the California/Nevada South Lake Tahoe Fire Commission.  He received an honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Nevada.

Bob is proud to serve as the civilian Commander of the Nevada Air National Guard.

“I met Bob Davidson almost two decades ago, and his friendship continues to inspire my outlook on life and my faith in people. Bob selflessly impacts those fortunate enough to be embraced by his vision and generosity. He is always in motion, accomplishing only extraordinary outcomes in both professional and philanthropic goals. I’m honored to serve as a Board Member of the Davidson Academy, a school where Bob addresses the unique and often underserved needs of profoundly gifted young people. Bob’s passion is to ensure these remarkable young minds receive vigorous educational stimulation to achieve their fullest potential. He has always recognized a responsibility to provide these students with guidance and mentoring through their critical teen years. I have witnessed first-hand the life-changing impact Bob has provided to hundreds of special yet demanding minds. Through his vision, Bob has enriched the lives of these gifted students, and his legacy will include the incredible contributions these young people will deliver in the future.

~Brian Krolicki (Founding Board Member of the Davidson Academy, Former Lieutenant Governor and State Treasurer, State of Nevada)

Robert F. Walsh III (BSChE '79)

Robert F. Walsh III earned his bachelor of science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 1979. He spent the subsequent 40 years in the global petroleum, chemical and industrial biotechnology industries, including 26 years at Royal Dutch Shell.

Most recently, he was the Senior Vice President of Energy and President of the Industrial Products Division at Intrexon Corporation for six years. He was part of the team that took the company public in 2013. He also led private fund raising that brought in over $75 million for project development at the company.

Previously, he led several private renewable energy startups working on cellulosic fuels and chemicals, raising over $100 million. In 2006, he joined LS9 as President and Executive Board Member. Under his leadership, the World Economic Forum honored LS9 as a 2007 Technology Pioneer. Next, he was CEO and Executive Board member of Aurora Biofuels, Inc., a private industrial biotechnology company developing algae based alternative fuels and animal protein.

At Shell, he held senior manufacturing, supply, distribution, and strategic planning positions in North America and Europe, including General Manager Supply-Europe for Shell Europe Oil Products through 2005. In this role, he was responsible for a $30 billion P&L across 18 refineries and 86 joint venture assets.  He also integrated the $1 billion RWE/DEA German acquisition into the organization, producing $100 million of added value.

Bob and his wife of 39 years, Lisa, are residents of the San Francisco Bay Area.  He is currently providing strategic advice to several companies at the Board and CEO level.

“I am not an engineer by trade; I invest for a living. I met Bob Walsh when we were involved in a company together. Bob has the ability to explain complex engineering in a way that a layperson can understand. He has the ability to meld engineering and business. I believe that to be a unique skill set.”

~Bob Postma, Water Mill Asset Management

Dennert O. Ware (BSChE '64)

Dennert Ware entered Purdue University in 1960. His experiences over the next four years formed a platform that guided the rest of his life. Earning a degree in Chemical Engineering at Purdue took him through a complex process of structuring problems that guided his professional development.

Upon obtaining his degree in 1964, he joined fellow Purdue graduate John Buehler (BSME 1933) as an Electron Beam Welding Engineer at the Buehler Corporation, a major subcontractor producing aerospace components for the defense industry. As the Viet Nam War wound down in the early 70’s, so did the demand for large numbers of military helicopters. His experience in manufacturing critical components within a highly regulated industry where quality was paramount provided a pathway for him to change industries and enter the field of orthopedic devices at DePuy, a division of Bio-Dynamics. Opportunities abounded in the rapidly expanding medical devices industry.  Over the next 30 years he held positions of increasing responsibility culminating with the position of CEO, Roche Diagnostic Corporation, the North American arm of the diagnostic chemistry business after it acquired Boehringer in 1998.

In 2000, he was asked to use his experience leading a small device company in Texas, Kinetic Concepts, Inc, into an exciting high potential market opportunity in wound healing. His experience in applying his engineering principles coupled with his MBA, acquired along the way, provided planning and execution to commercialize a novel device and take it from about $50 million in revenue to over $1 billion. Far more importantly, over seven million patients who suffered from severe acute and chronic wounds have been treated to date. More than 90% have had their lives or limbs saved or their quality of life dramatically Improved.

Today, Mr. Ware owns Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island, MI, and sits on the Boards of Christel House International and Haven for Hope. In 1993, he was named Distinguished Graduate of Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was awarded Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for the Houston and Gulf Coast Region and Frost and Sullivan’s CEO of the Year for Medical Devices in 2006 and he was elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2016.

“The Board of Directors and staff of Christel House International congratulate Denny Ware for being honored with the Outstanding Chemical Engineer Alumni Award from the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering. We are pleased Purdue University is recognizing him, not only for his breakthrough achievements in business, but for his philanthropy. As a board member and now Acting Chairman of the Board for Christel House International, Denny has been instrumental in helping children from deeply distressed communities around the world realize their full potential. His business acumen, generosity and leadership have helped to transform thousands of lives. We are very proud to have Denny on our team! Boiler up!”

~Bart Peterson, President and CEO of the Christel House International

Xiaoping Yang (MSChE '88, PhD '90)

Xiaoping Yang most recently served as Chairman and President of BP China for almost four years. After graduating from Purdue University, she held a variety of international executive roles at BP in the U.S. and Asia locations responsible for strategic business development, operations, sales and marketing, and technology innovation.

Xiaoping chaired BP China ‘s executive committee, leading the development of BP’s strategic proposition in China, expanding core energy business footprints of $7 billion in assets, and progressed new strategic ambitions in renewable energy and other new energy frontiers in the Country.

She worked in the U.S. for 14 years, followed by 16 years of various senior executive positions in Asia, including General Manager and Board director of the Retail Joint Venture, President of BP Asia Aromatics, Chairman of BP Zhuhai Chemical Company, Commissioner of BP Indonesia Chemical Company, and Board Director of BP Hong Kong Trading Limited. She also had a senior executive role where she was responsible for business of billion dollars of turnover business and managed a major divestment project.

With a commitment to global business leadership, Xiaoping served as Vice Chairman of China British Business Council and as an advisory board member for universities and associations.

For her contributions in business, she received several distinguished honors, including Outstanding Business Female by Forbes China 2019; Woman of Year 2020 by Entrepreneur Magazine’s Business; and 2020 Top Global Female Influencers in Energy by Oil and Gas Councils.

Xiaoping received an MBA from the University of Chicago.

“Xiaoping Yang, in her own understated and gracious manner, has said she is “making a difference where I can.” Indeed, she is. I first met Xiaoping in the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering when she was carrying out her PhD studies in biochemical engineering under Professor George Tsao on An Adsorption-Coupled Acetone-Butanol Fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum. Dr. Yang joined BP in 1990, obtained an MBA from The University of Chicago, and contributed to many facets of the petrochemical world.  Throughout it all, her commitment to sustainability and renewable resources has not changed. I admire Xiaoping for what she has achieved, for being herself, and staying connected to her friends and colleagues.  She is truly an outstanding chemical engineer and role model and – best of all – a Boilermaker.  She is making a difference, true to her words. Thank you, Xiaoping, and congratulations!”

~Dr. Michael Ladisch, Director of the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering