COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Nov. 6, 2008 – R.A. Mentzer, a distinguished engineer who served more than 28 years with ExxonMobil in a variety of capacities, including that of safety, health and environment manager for ExxonMobil Development Company (EMDC), has joined the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center and the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Mentzer, who retired from EMDC this month, will conduct research at the center in a number of areas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fire and consequence modeling. In addition, he is scheduled to teach a safety engineering course beginning this spring.
“We have been very fortunate to attract someone of Dr. Ray Mentzer’s caliber to the center,” said M. Sam Mannan, professor and director of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center. “The center’s program will benefit greatly with his addition.”
Throughout his career, Mentzer has been involved in developing and teaching various company training courses and served on numerous domestic and international industry committees, most recently as chair of the technical committee of the Center for LNG.
Mentzer joined Exxon Production Research Company (EPRCo) in 1980 as a Research Engineer in the Production Operations Division in Houston. With EPRCo, he progressed through numerous technical research assignments until 1984 when he transferred to the Eastern Production Division of Exxon Company USA (EUSA) in New Orleans where he served the operating units of EUSA in technical, planning and supervisory assignments within the engineering and environmental/regulatory disciplines.
In 1993 Mentzer transferred to Houston as an adviser in EUSA’s Public Affairs Department, and three years later was named compliance manager for the downtown production organization. In 2000 he was appointed environmental and safety manager in London for Europe & African affiliates of ExxonMobil Production Company.
A decade later, Mentzer would return to Houston as the LNG regulatory manager for EMDC, responsible for the permitting of several LNG terminals. He was appointed manager of EMDC’s Safety, Health and Environment organization in 2006.
Mentzer completed his undergraduate career at the University of Illinois in 1974 and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from Purdue University in 1976 and 1980, respectively.
