# Mark Vergnano

> Mark P. Vergnano is the founding president and CEO of The Chemours Company, which he led from its July 2015 separation from DuPont until July 2021. A chemical engineer who spent 35 years at DuPont, he now chairs Johnson Controls and serves as an independent director of Waters. With his wife, Betsy, he has supported UConn Engineering through two $3 million gifts; he was also the founding chair of the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative.

- **Role:** Independent Chairman of the Board at Johnson Controls International plc
- **Organizations:** Johnson Controls International plc, Waters Corporation, Vergnano Institute for Impact, University of Connecticut, University of Connecticut Foundation, The Chemours Company (former), DuPont (former), Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (founding chair), American Chemistry Council (former chair)
- **From:** Hartford, United States
- **Education:** B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Connecticut, MBA, Virginia Commonwealth University
- **Known for:** Founding president and CEO of Chemours, July 2015-July 2021., 2018 AIChE Government and Industry Leaders (AGILE) Award., 2019 EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Philadelphia, as recorded by UConn.

## Career timeline

- **1980** — Graduated from UConn and joined DuPont as a process engineer in its fibers business in Richmond, Virginia.
- **1985** — Completed an MBA at Virginia Commonwealth University while working at DuPont.
- **1996** — Returned to the United States following a Geneva assignment that included European business responsibilities for Tyvek, Typar and Sontara.
- **2003** — Became vice president and general manager of DuPont Nonwovens.
- **2005** — Became vice president and general manager of DuPont Surfaces and Building Innovations.
- **2006** — Became group vice president of DuPont Safety & Protection.
- **2009** — Appointed executive vice president of DuPont in October.
- **2015** — Became founding president and CEO of Chemours at its July separation from DuPont.
- **2016** — Joined Johnson Controls International’s board following its merger; had served on predecessor Johnson Controls, Inc.’s board since 2011.
- **2020** — FOSSI was established; Vergnano served as its founding chair.
- **2021** — Mark Newman succeeded him as Chemours CEO on July 1; Vergnano became non-executive chairman. Mark and Betsy donated $3 million to launch UConn’s Vergnano Institute for Inclusion.
- **2022** — Retired as Chemours chairman in April; received the SCI Chemical Industry Medal and joined Waters’ board in November.
- **2023** — FOSSI announced Jim Fitterling as incoming chair, with Vergnano moving to past-chair support.
- **2024** — Mark and Betsy made a second $3 million gift to UConn Engineering, supporting an endowed chair, programming and staff development.
- **2025** — Succeeded George Oliver as Johnson Controls board chairman following Oliver’s July 31 retirement.
- **2026** — Participated in the April 24 showcase as the UConn institute adopted the name Vergnano Institute for Impact.

## Achievements

- Founding president and CEO of Chemours, July 2015-July 2021.
- 2018 AIChE Government and Industry Leaders (AGILE) Award.
- 2019 EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Philadelphia, as recorded by UConn.
- 2022 SCI Chemical Industry Medal.
- Co-funded the UConn institute and an endowed chair through two $3 million gifts with Betsy Vergnano.
- Founding chair of FOSSI, supporting STEM students at HBCUs.
- Appointed independent chairman of Johnson Controls in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — UConn reported the change to Vergnano Institute for Impact following its April 24 showcase; Vergnano emphasized student retention and active involvement.
- **2026-01** — Johnson Controls’ 2026 proxy statement identified him as independent chairman and described the board’s separation of chair and CEO roles.
- **2025-07** — Succeeded George Oliver as chairman of Johnson Controls following Oliver’s July 31 retirement.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markvergnano

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mark-vergnano
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23