Ingevity Mourns Passing of Chairman of the Board Rick Kelson
February 15, 2021 at 06:15 am
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Ingevity Corporation announced that Richard B. Kelson, 74, chairman of the board of Ingevity, passed away on February 13 in New York City. Kelson served as the company’s chairman since its spin-off from WestRock in May 2016. Kelson grew up in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves. He spent more than 30 years with Alcoa Inc., serving in senior management roles including positions in the company’s legal department and as executive vice president – Environment, Health and Safety and general counsel, and as a member of Alcoa’s Executive Council. He ultimately rose to become the company’s executive vice president and chief financial officer for nearly a decade. He retired from Alcoa in 2006 holding the position of chairman’s counsel. After his retirement, Kelson remained active in business and was chairman, president and chief executive officer of ServCo LLC since 2009. He also served as an operating advisor with Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P. from 2006 to 2010. In addition to serving as chairman of the board of Ingevity, Kelson was a member of the board of directors of Commercial Metals Corporation, where he served as lead director from 2014 to 2019, and a member of the board of Ecovative Design LLC. He previously served on the boards of directors of PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (2002-2020), MeadWestvaco Corporation, formerly Westvaco (2001-2015), Anadigics Inc. (2015-2016), and Lighting Science Group Corporation (2007-2010). He was a member of the Board of Trustees at Carnegie Mellon University from 2000 to 2006 and served on the board of the University of Pittsburgh Law School Board of Visitors since 2000. Kelson was a member of the Board of Directors for the non-profit KaBOOM Inc. from 2008 until 2014, where he served as Chairperson of the Board for the majority of his term. Ingevity will make a donation in memory of Rick Kelson to the Penn Center for Research on Coronavirus. The company’s board will select a new chairman over the next several days who will preside over the regularly scheduled board meetings later this week. The company will make an announcement subsequent to the board’s decision.
Ingevity Corporation is engaged in developing, marketing, and bringing to market solutions that are renewably sourced. The Company operates through three segments: Performance Materials, Performance Chemicals, and Advanced Polymer Technologies. Performance Materials segment engineers, manufactures, and sells hardwood-based, chemically activated carbon products, which are produced through a technical and specialized process primarily for use in gasoline vapor emission control systems in cars, trucks, motorcycles, and boats. Performance Chemicals segment is comprised of two product lines: road technologies and industrial specialties. Its products are utilized in pavement construction, preservation, reconstruction and recycling, agrochemical dispersants, paper chemicals and other diverse industrial uses. Advanced Polymer Technologies segment produces caprolactone and caprolactone-based specialty polymers for use in coatings, resins, elastomers, adhesives, bioplastics, and medical devices.
INGEVITY CORPORATION 
