Houston Endowment today announced the appointment of Melanie Montague Trent and Pedro Alvarez to serve on its board of directors, effective July 1.
Melanie Montague Trent is a retired senior executive who has worked extensively in the energy industry, both in oilfield services and power. Most recently, Ms. Trent served as executive vice president of Rowan Companies plc, a global offshore drilling contractor. She currently serves on the boards of directors of Diamondback Energy, Inc.; Arcosa, Inc.; and Frank’s International N.V. She has twice been named to the Oil & Gas National Diversity Council’s Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Oil and Gas.
Ms. Trent currently serves on the board of YES Prep Public Schools. She previously served on the board of New Hope Housing, Inc.; on the audit and compensation committees of the Memorial Hermann Hospital System; and on the board and executive committee of Hermann Park Conservancy.
She received a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and a juris doctorate from Georgetown University.
Dr. Pedro J.J. Alvarez is the George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, where he also serves as founding director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center on Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT). His research interests include environmental implications and applications of nanotechnology, bioremediation, fate and transport of toxic chemicals, water footprint of biofuels, water treatment and reuse, and antibiotic resistance control.
Dr. Alvarez received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from McGill University and Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in environmental engineering from the University of Michigan. He is the 2012 Clarke Prize laureate and won the 2014 American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) Grand Prize for Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science.
Dr. Alvarez is an associate editor of Environmental Science and Technology and previously served on the scientific advisory board of the Environmental Protection Agency and of the advisory committee of the NSF Engineering Directorate. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2018.
Houston Endowment is governed by a self-perpetuating board of directors, whose members are elected to three-year terms. Directors, who can serve up to four terms, are typically chosen from among business and civic leaders in greater Houston.