Charlos Ward’s Rice University degrees—BS chemical engineering ’98 and MBA ’06—have taken her around the world and back, but her roots in the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing have remained strong. As the school prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, we highlight her career achievements and her impact on the Rice Engineering and Computing community.
Ward retired from bp in January 2025 after a distinguished career that spanned technical modeling, option trading, project management and strategic partnerships development.
Her role supervising construction as a project manager allowed her family to move across the globe—from the Atlantis Deepwater Oil and Gas Platform in the Gulf of Mexico to projects in Angola, the North Sea, Alaska and Trinidad. “My children grew up with a global perspective because they were able to attend schools and live in other countries,” said Ward.
Ultimately, her travels influenced her shift toward sustainability in her career. “Towards the end of my career, I took an interest in sustainability,” Ward said. “When living in the U.K., my kids’ school curriculum had a strong tie to the United Nations’ sustainability goals. [Through them,] I became aware of how much waste, land and air pollution we are contributing to the world...and how our decisions impact our environment.”
Most recently as a strategic partnership manager, Ward worked with bp partners to create end-to-end solutions for customers seeking to lower their carbon footprint. She was responsible for creating demand for lower carbon products and services, such as renewable power, biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).
Now in retirement, Ward works with an agricultural consultant in Portugal, developing strategies to reuse and recycle agricultural waste. “Utilization of farm waste prevents that waste from going into landfills,” Ward said. “Equally important, it creates an additional revenue stream for small-scale farmers.”
Ward’s early days at Rice instilled within her a deep tie to the Rice engineering community, to which she now brings her expertise in sustainability as an advisor.
As a chemical engineering undergraduate student, Ward found strong mentors in professors Derrick Dyson and Joe Hightower and interned in Hightower’s lab the summer of her freshman year. She recalled Hightower’s generous spirit outside of the lab, as he regularly hosted student dinners at his home with his famous sourdough bread. “It really felt like a Rice family; this is why I am so involved now,” said Ward.
Ward was also president of Rice University's Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) as a senior and continued mentoring students after graduating. Later, as part of the recruitment team at bp, she frequently sourced new talent from Rice and helped facilitate externships.
Staying connected to the alumni community is mutually beneficial, according to Ward. “Anytime I’m in Houston, I make a point to come back to Rice,” said Ward, citing the full calendar of presentations, seminars, and networking opportunities year round. “It keeps me sharp on what is going on in research and industry and helps me understand what technology is coming down the pipeline.”
She continues to give back to Rice Engineering and Computing today as the chair of the Engineering Advisory Board and on the external advisory board for REINVENTS (Rice Engineering Initiative for Energy Transition and Sustainability), where she advises on issues related to sustainability and helps build industry connections.
Ward has also been a champion for Rice Engineering and Computing’s 50th Anniversary Celebration March 28-29, from giving recommendations on speakers to advocating for alumni attendance. “Regardless of where you are in your career, there’s something for everyone to get out of the 50th anniversary activities,” said Ward. “It’s a great opportunity to learn and network.”
For Ward, there is one more personal reason to return to Rice this year: her son will graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “I’m grateful my son chose Rice, because it feels like it has come full circle for me,” said Ward.