Cynthia Oliver Coleman P.E., a distinguished alumni of the Cullen College of Engineering and a longtime supporter of the university, is one of seven women that received Fellow Grade in 2022 from the Society of Women Engineers at its annual awards program.
Coleman was honored during WE22, the world’s largest conference and career fair for women engineers and technologists, which took place in Houston for 2022. Fellow Grade is conferred on SWE members in recognition of continuous service to the advancement of women in the engineering profession. Her profile is available on the SWE website.
Coleman was also profiled in the Fall 2020 edition of Parameters magazine. She was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Houston's Chemical Engineering program, in 1971.
“When I was at UH, I was a young Black woman pursuing chemical engineering during a time when women were discouraged from pursuing the male-dominated engineering profession, because nobody would hire a woman as an engineer, especially not a Black woman,” she said.
Following her graduation, Coleman started a career at Exxon – then known as Humble Oil – that would span 33 years. In 2019, she was inducted into the Cullen College of Engineering Bridgebuilder Society, the highest honor bestowed upon donors. She is an organizer of the yearly Women in Engineering celebration, and the Cynthia Oliver Coleman Rising Star Award is presented yearly to the College's Outstanding Senior.
The 2023 Women in Engineering Celebration will be held March 8 in the UH Hilton's Shamrock Ballroom. To learn more information or to sign-up for the event, visit its webpage here.