Charles F. Bleil Celebrated as Swanson School Distinguished Alumnus in Chemical & Petroleum Engineering
Above (L - R): Steven Little, Charles Bleil, and Michele Manuel
On April 10, 2025, the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering held its annual Distinguished Alumni Banquet at the University Club. Charles F. Bleil, BSChE '78, was recognized at the event as the 2025 Distinguished Alumnus in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.
“It is my honor to recognize Chuck Bleil,” said Steven Little, Distinguished Professor and Department Chair of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. “A world traveler who worked in many capacities at Proctor & Gamble, Chuck has always maintained his commitment to Pittsburgh and to the Swanson School of Engineering—be it through volunteering at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, serving on the O’Hara Township Planning Commission, or establishing a scholarship for Chemical Engineering students. With his wife, Mary, herself a Distinguished Alumni, who he met here at Pitt and married soon after graduating, he has helped countless engineers early in their education or careers find the resources they need to thrive.”
About Charles F. Bleil
Chuck Bleil worked at the Proctor & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, OH, for 30 years, retiring as Purchasing Group Manager. He graduated from Pitt in 1978 with a BS in Chemical Engineering. He started at P&G as an engineer in Laundry & Cleaning Products Research & Development (R&D), running spray drying trials of an environmentally improved Tide formula in ten plants across the U.S. and Canada. He received a patent for a granular detergent formulation with improved solubility. Bleil transferred to International R&D in 1986, where he ran processing trials in Japan, the Philippines, and France.
In 1990, he transferred from R&D to Purchasing with assignments in hair care (Pantene and Head & Shoulders packaging), feminine care (Always and Tampax materials), home care (Swiffer non-woven materials), global capital, and upstream baby care (Papers materials). As part of buying capital equipment, Bleil managed a global group of procurement specialists and took two “around the world” trips, visiting equipment suppliers in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Japan. His last assignment involved strategic sourcing of new materials and technologies, including negotiating contracts with Japanese material suppliers.
Upon his retirement, Bleil moved back to Pittsburgh and began volunteering. He has volunteered at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History for over 13 years. He has been a member of the O'Hara Township Planning Commission for the last 12 years and was on the O'Hara Township/Fox Chapel Long Range Planning Team for the last two years. Bleil also volunteers at the Shaler North Hills Library, running an engineering camp every summer with his wife, Mary T. Zeis, who also holds a BS in chemical engineering from Pitt. Bleil is active in STEM Outreach programs of the Society of Women Engineers with his wife, supporting 10 or more events every year for the past several years.
In 2019, Bleil established the Bleil Family Scholarship for chemical engineering students at Pitt. Bleil appreciated the financial assistance he received during college, including work study his junior and senior years in the Department of Chemical Engineering with the equipment manager, Larry Herman, supporting the graduate students' labs and the unit operations labs. Bleil and Zeis also established the Bleil/Zeis Engineering Legacy Fund in 2006 in support of the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering.