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Sparrell is a Retired ExxonMobil Executive and Higher Education Advocate
Russell Sage College will honor former trustee chair Patricia Sparrell ’78 at its 109th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16. Sparrell will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of her career, volunteer service, and philanthropy, which have opened doors for learners at every stage of their academic and professional lives.
Sparrell is a chemical engineer who retired from ExxonMobil after 35 years in technical and managerial positions across the Research & Engineering, Marketing & Refining, Supply & Logistics, and Biomedical Sciences divisions, ultimately serving as Global Manager of Process Engineering and Optimization Technologies, where she led a $100 million budget and more than 400 employees worldwide. She also served as president of ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc., providing product safety, health, and environmental science support across all ExxonMobil businesses. She helped lead complex organizational change, contributed to innovations reflected in her patents and publications, and championed opportunities for women in technical fields as founder and co‑chair of the company’s Downstream Women’s Leadership Team.
“Russell Sage College gave me the skills I needed to begin my career and to grow it in ways I never could have foreseen, and it’s so meaningful to me to receive this honorary degree,” she said. “Looking back, I can see how the college’s motto — Be. Know. Do. — tracks with my experience of building confidence, maintaining curiosity, and bringing people together to accomplish important things.”
As a member of the Russell Sage College Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2025, including six years as chair, Sparrell guided the college through a pivotal era that included both institutional transformation and the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic. During this period, the Albany and Troy campuses were united as a single coeducational college, helping lay the foundation for sustained enrollment growth in recent years, and the college achieved a major financial turnaround.
“None of this happens alone, and I am grateful for the people who have been part of it,” continued Sparrell, who credited colleagues on the Board of Trustees and Sage’s leadership, faculty, and staff for their collective work to build a secure future for the college. She also acknowledged her husband; three daughters; her Russell Sage College roommate and best friend for 52 years; and her trustee mentor, Fred Miller.
Sparrell’s philanthropy has advanced initiatives that position Russell Sage as a service learning leader and helped launch Sage Engage, an annual conference for high school students with ideas for improving their communities. The inaugural Sage Engage event in 2024 earned international recognition and a Grand Gold award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Sparrell’s support also expanded access to graduate education for working adults by offering employees at workforce partners the opportunity to take an MBA course at no cost before deciding to matriculate, allowing them to see advanced study as something truly within reach.
Sparrell has served on chemical engineering advisory boards at Northwestern University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and has been an invited speaker at Northwestern’s School of Engineering and Rutgers University’s Women in Science symposium. She is active with the ARCS Foundation — which funds awards for outstanding college students performing research in STEM fields — at the national and chapter level, and is on the board of directors of the Metro Washington chapter.
She holds a dual degree in Chemistry and Mathematics from Russell Sage, as well as a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University. In 2023, the Russell Sage College Alumnae Association bestowed its Alumna of Influence award on her for living out the ideals of Be. Know. Do. She has also received a Tribute to Women and Industry award and was inducted into the National Association of Professional Women VIP Woman of the Year Circle.
“Through her distinguished career, Patricia Sparrell exemplifies the impact our graduates have in their professions and communities,” said Russell Sage College President Matt Shaftel, Ph.D. “As a trustee, she played a critical role in strengthening the college and laying the groundwork for our current success. The results of her efforts have created countless opportunities for our students. We are proud to honor her many contributions to higher education on and beyond our campuses.”
Russell Sage’s 2026 commencement ceremony is on Saturday, May 16, at 1 p.m., at the MVP Arena in Albany. Approximately 1,249 students completing bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees or certificate programs are eligible to participate in the ceremony, with about 650 expected to attend.
The ceremony will be streamed live, and a recording will be available on Sage’s YouTube channel after the ceremony. Links to these will be posted at Sage.edu/commencement closer to the ceremony.