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Our People: Anne Bertelsmann Engineers a Distinguished Career

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 30, 2024 / Marathon Petroleum Corporation

If you ask Anne Bertelsmann where she's from and how she ended up at Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC), be prepared for an intriguing story. As a principal process safety engineer at MPC and Distinguished Examination Service Award winner for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), she's been dedicated to the profession of engineering for most of her life.

Bertelsmann was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, where her parents were working temporarily. She grew up in Berlin, Germany, and spent a year as an exchange student in Owasso, Oklahoma. She returned to Germany to finish high school and attended the Technical University of Berlin. That's when she witnessed the fall of the Berlin wall.

"I attended President Ronald Reagan's famous 1987 speech in Berlin," said Bertelsmann. "‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!' It may have been over 35 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday."

After two years at the Technical University of Berlin, she transferred to the University of Karlsruhe, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Process Engineering. In 1993, she moved to the U.S. for graduate school at the University of Rochester in New York.

"I wanted to experience a different academic environment and broaden my horizons," said Bertelsmann. "The University of Rochester offered me both, and I was excited to immerse myself in a new culture and challenge myself in a new setting."

Life is full of surprises

Bertelsmann originally planned to return to Germany after earning her Master of Science degree in 1996 and doctoral degree in Chemical Engineering in 1997, but fate had other ideas. While attending graduate school in New York, she met her future husband, Igor Kostjuhin.

"Life is full of surprises, and any one event can change its course," said Bertelsmann.

Her first job after graduate school was at a Bayer chemical plant in Baytown, Texas. The company then moved her to their pharmaceutical division in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she worked with blood plasma products. In 2007, she moved back to Houston, Texas, to join her husband. She was hired by BP at its Texas City facility. Her first role was as the Technical Resource Manager, responsible for hiring and training engineers and managing the intern program.

In 2013, MPC purchased the facility, now known as the Galveston Bay refinery. Bertelsmann continued in the process safety group, where she helped develop MPC's Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) program and wrote the standard for it. In her current role as the Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) and LOPA Coordinator, she supports sites with conducting safety studies.

"The Refining Process Safety Management (PSM) group provides tools, consultation, audits and general support for our sites company-wide, helping them develop the necessary safeguards for various process hazards while also training engineers in hazard recognition."

Leaving her mark

In 2023, Bertelsmann's expertise was recognized by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), earning her the Distinguished Examination Service Award for her dedicated service to NCEES and the engineering profession.

NCEES praised her ongoing commitment to advancing engineering licensure. She joined the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Chemical Exam Development Committee in 2001 and began serving in leadership roles in 2008. For the past 15 years, she has held various leadership positions with the nonprofit.

"I didn't really choose to become a member," Bertelsmann said. "They found me."

After graduating with her engineering degree, she aimed to become a licensed professional engineer (PE) to demonstrate competency and expand her future options. While taking the PE exam, she encountered a multiple-choice question with what she could only conclude were all incorrect answers.

"I wrote a letter to NCEES afterward asking them to review the answer in question," she recalled.

She never received a direct response to her letter, but a few months later, she received an invitation from the exam committee to attend their next meeting.

"My assumption was accurate," said Bertelsmann. "That questioning along with my high exam score led to me receiving the invite. It also demonstrated to me that NCEES takes examinee feedback seriously, even if it's their policy not to respond to individual examinees."

That began her journey with NCEES, traveling to South Carolina for her first exam committee meeting without knowing what to expect.

"I discovered that the committee meets twice a year to write and pre-test questions for the Chemical PE Exam," she said. "I met engineers who loved taking the PE exam repeatedly. That's when I realized these were my kind of people."

That was over 20 years ago, and she has no plans to stop.

"I've learned a lot about writing effective test questions and the field of psychometrics (measuring the mind), which validates test questions based on candidate performance, and I find it fascinating," said Bertelsmann. "I've also formed close friendships with other engineers on the committee."

Her honor from NCEES also acknowledges her advocacy for diversity among committee members.

"We strive for diversity in industry type, employment (public, private, government and academia), subject matter expertise, geographic location, education, gender and more. This ensures the exam isn't biased, and everyone feels welcome."

She applies this inclusive outlook to her daily life.

"Solving big problems benefits from thinking outside the box, which isn't always easy," she noted. "A diverse team provides the largest box to think in."

Getting Personal

Family life: Bertelsmann and her husband, Igor Kostjuhin, recently celebrated their 25^th wedding anniversary. They have four children: Karina, 23, who works at NASA in Maryland; Mark, 22, a student at the University of New Orleans; Dennis, 20, at the University of Texas-Austin; and Lara, 16, a senior at League City High School.

"It's been so rewarding to watch my children grow and follow their own paths just like I did," said Bertelsmann. "It's also nice to have three of them close by, since the rest of my family is still in Germany."

Hobbies: Rowing, sewing (and other crafts), cooking and baking, traveling

Fun facts: She learned figure skating while in college. "While living and working in Houston, I trained with a coach, participated in recreational competitions and moonlighted as a figure skating instructor. I also have a black belt in Karate. I started Karate with my kids when they were younger and stuck with it after they quit."