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Robert O. Agbede president and CEO of Chester Engineers Paying It Forward

The Robert O. Agbede Scholarship Pledges One Million Dollars to S.T.E.M Education

Robert O. Agbede (ENGR ’79, ’81G at Pitt), president and CEO of Chester Engineers Inc., in Moon Township, pledged $50,000 to support a need-based scholarship for students from underrepresented groups—including African Americans and African émigrés—aspiring to the STEM fields. Agbede developed the fund to mark the 100th anniversary of Chester Engineers, which he acquired in 2003 and transformed into the largest Black-owned environmental engineering firm in the United States. The scholarship continues his dedication to paying forward the financial support he received as a young Nigerian immigrant pursuing a career in engineering. His company also supports the ACS-Chester Engineers Scholarship, an endowed gift established in 1944 that is currently worth $1.3 million. A May 18 pledging ceremony at Pitt’s University Club included Agbede (left, seated); Pitt Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Albert J. Novak Jr.; Akin Iroko (right, standing), CEO of TVL Consulting Limited, a Nigerian strategic management firm; and Emmanuel Chike Nwanze (left, standing), current president of the Institute of Directors Nigeria business organization and CEO of Icon Stockbrokers Limited in Nigeria. Nwanze and Iroko were part of a Nigerian delegation participating in a week-long program on leadership at the University of Pittsburgh, ethics, and corporate governance hosted by GSPIA’s Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership.

Robert O. Agbede, Chester's president and CEO announces a major investment that will positively impact the lives of thousands of African American students throughout the United States, Africa and the Caribbean. Mr. Agbede is pledging $1million dollars to S.T.E.M. Education through "The Robert O. Agbede Scholarship" that is designed to help minority undergraduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics. "I believe a solid education is the greatest equalizer and it helps to break down barriers.  The goal is simple, to improve educational opportunities for African American students in the United States, especially those students attending Historically Black Colleges and to reach students in Africa and the Caribbean."  said Agbede. 

On May 18, 2011 Agbede  gifted a $50,000 grant to the University of Pittsburgh to be used for minority undergraduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics. "To whom much is given, much is required. I have been divinely blessed with the opportunity to achieve some of my life's goals and I feel it's important to give back and pass the torch to the next generation by helping them pursue their dreams," said Agbede.