Bridgewater Resident to Receive 2019 NJIT Alumni Award

On June 1, 2019, Philip L. Rinaldi ’68,’77 M.S. will receive a 2019 NJIT Alumni Achievement Award. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place during Alumni Weekend.

A resident of Bridgewater, New Jersey, Philip Rinaldi is the founding partner, Chairman and CEO of Philadelphia Energy Solutions LLC (PES). In 2012, he partnered with the Carlyle Group to create PES to acquire the Point Breeze and Girard Point oil refineries from Sunoco. These refineries, located in South Philadelphia, are the largest on the Eastern Seaboard.

Rinaldi has been an investor or principal executive in a wide range of industries including: oil refining, oil exploration, phosphate mining and chemical production, coke gasification, nitrogen chemical production, zinc refining, and the production of molybdenum, rhenium, and vanadium derivatives. His background includes prominent companies such as Exxon, Phibro, Tosco, Coffeyville Resources, Conserv, Seminole, and Mulberry.

Rinaldi is actively involved in the community. He serves as chairman emeritus of the Board of Overseers at New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Drexel University Engineering Advisory Council; a Board Director and Executive Committee member of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce; a Board Member of its CEO Council for Growth; and a Board Director of the Pennsylvania State Chamber of Business & Industry.

His professional career started with Exxon gaining scientific, commercial, and managerial experiences, including overseas postings. Rinaldi earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in chemical engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1968 and 1976, respectively.

Each year, the NJIT Alumni Association honors alumni who have achieved success professionally while also giving generously of their time and talents to the community and to their alma mater. Rinaldi is one of five NJIT alumni to be honored this year. The others are:

• Kenneth M. Colao ’77, Founding Principal and President, CNY
• Michael Donnelly MMBA ’02, Senior Vice President, Digital Experiences at Mastercard
• Aine O’Dwyer ’08, ’08, Chief Executive Officer and majority owner of Enovate Engineering, LLC
• Samir Saini ’97, Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications and Citywide Chief Information Officer

In addition, Junmin (Jim) Shi, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Martin Tuchman School of Management, was selected by NJIT alumni to receive the 2019 Robert W. Van Houten Award for Teaching Excellence. The Van Houten Award reflects the highest level of success in leading students to knowledge and understanding.

Alumni Weekend is an annual event celebrating all things NJIT. As many as 300 alumni will visit the University Heights campus for reunions, campus tours, receptions, a dinner dance, and a special address by President Joel S. Bloom. For more information, visit njitalumniweekend.com or contact Mike Smullen, Director of Alumni Relations, at msmullen@njit.edu.

About New Jersey Institute of Technology:

One of only 32 polytechnic universities in the United States, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) prepares students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT’s multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and leadership skills. NJIT is rated an “R1” research university by the Carnegie Classification®, which indicates the highest level of research activity. NJIT conducts approximately $162 million in research activity each year and has a $2.8 billion annual economic impact on the State of New Jersey. NJIT is ranked #1 nationally by Forbes for the upward economic mobility of its lowest-income students and is among the top 2 percent of public colleges and universities in return on educational investment, according to PayScale.com. NJIT also is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top 50 public national universities.