1991 Alumni Awardee: Gene Voiland

Principal, Voiland Enterprises, LLC.
Executive Consultant, Shell Oil Company.
Chairman of the Board, Valley Republic Bank (Bakersfield, CA).
President and CEO, Aera Energy LLC (Retired).
BS, Chemical Engineering, 1969.

Gene Voiland received a BS in chemical engineering from WSU in 1969. He worked for Shell Oil Company for nearly 30 years in a variety of positions. There, he met his wife, Linda, a graduate of the University of Houston. He later became President and CEO of CalResources LLC and Aera Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil. He retired in 2007.

The Voilands have been active supporters of WSU for many years. Gene led the Investment Committee for the WSU Foundation and is a member of the Foundation’s Boards of Governors. He also serves on advisory boards for both the College of Engineering and Architecture and the School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering. He received the Chemical Engineering Alumni Achievement Award in 1991, the WSU Alumni Achievement Award in 1999, and the WSU Foundation Outstanding Service Award in 2000.

In October of 2008, the WSU Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering School was named “The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.” The naming of the school honors the Voilands for a generous $17.5 million commitment to the school, as well as their long-time support of the College of Engineering and Architecture and Washington State University. “We greatly value the education I received at WSU and believe it laid the foundation for our success,” said Gene Voiland. “We hope this gift will continue the long history of success in the chemical engineering program and build a strong future for the school.”