AIChE Foundation Celebrates Engineering a Decade of Impact at the 2025 Gala

The AIChE Foundation celebrated a Decade of Impact and the transformative power of philanthropy at the 2025 AIChE Gala, held December 3 at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. Marking the 10-year anniversary of the Foundation's Doing a World of Good campaign, the evening brought together donors, corporate partners, volunteers, students, and emerging leaders to highlight how chemical engineers are opening doors, advancing safety, and accelerating innovation that benefits society.

With nearly 200 attendees, the Gala reflected the Foundation's commitment to expanding who participates in - and benefits from - the chemical engineering community. Roughly 10% of attendees were students, including Student Chapter Leaders from Stevens Institute of Technology and New Jersey Institute of Technology, as well as members of the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI) community. Another 5% of attendees were early-career AIChE volunteer leaders from Operating Councils and Local Sections, bringing additional energy and perspective to the event.

"Last night felt like a real community moment for AIChE," said Natalie R. Krauser, CFRE, Executive Director of the AIChE Foundation. "Through the Foundation's work, we're investing in talent and expanding opportunity - and we're making a clear statement that chemical engineering is for all."

A key theme of the evening was changing perceptions - not only of what chemical engineers do, but also of who gets to be in the room. Through the generosity of corporate partners and individual donors, attendance was intentionally underwritten to welcome more first-time guests and emerging leaders, creating an environment that encouraged participation and giving. As Samantha Winterburn, 2024 Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year, shared, "I never thought I'd be brought to tears at an engineering event - the stories tonight made me glad I'm a ChE, and I had to donate."

The 2025 Gala raised approximately $220,000 to support the AIChE Foundation's mission, including close to $10,000 donated on-site during the program.

In remarks during the evening, Erin Kane, President and Chief Executive Officer of AdvanSix and Vice Chair of the FOSSI Advisory Board, reflected on the "time, talent, and treasure" that fuel the Foundation's work and the importance of shifting how the profession is seen and shared. "Perception is key to ensuring that we collectively contribute to a robust and diverse pipeline of skilled professionals who can one day take a seat at the tables we are all at today," Kane said. "The foundation's initiatives positively affect individuals, and we know that by taking action, we're helping create a stronger chemical engineering profession."

The program also featured Michelle Caveness, Senior Vice President and Chief Manufacturing Officer at Eastman and AIChE Foundation Board of Trustees member, who marked a decade of progress with a charge for the future. She positioned AIChE's pillars as levers for turning ideas into solutions and emphasized impact requires responsibility, with safety and ethics forming the foundation of public trust. "Safety must be a culture, not a checklist-a learning organization where near-misses are discussed openly, human factors are built into systems, and inherently safer outcomes are the default," said Caveness. She called engineers to lead boldly, saying "A decade from now, let the story show we chose courage over convenience-that we stepped forward and engineered the next decade of impact."

Also speaking during the program, Joseph Smith, 2025 President of AIChE, highlighted the campaign's decade-long momentum and the role of the Foundation in helping AIChE respond to the needs of the profession and society. The evening also included a special video message from Robert S. Langer, Institute Professor at MIT, and concluded with a call to continue building on a decade of progress by investing in future engineers and the programs that prepare them.

Proceeds from the 2025 Gala will help advance the AIChE Foundation's Doing a World of Good priorities, including efforts that attract and retain talent, expand education and career development, support research and innovation, promote safety and ethical practice, and change perceptions of chemical engineers and their impact.

For more information about the 2025 AIChE Foundation Gala, visit aiche.org/gala.