David and Rachel Weidman
The BYU Weidman Center for Global Leadership is named for David and Rachel Weidman. Both are alumni of BYU, lifetime members of the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering Dean’s Circle and the University’s President’s Leadership Council. They have been strong supporters of the university because they believe in our students’ potential to make a difference in the world.
David N. Weidman joined Celanese Corporation, a multi-billion dollar Fortune 500 technology and special materials company, in 2000. He was appointed chief operating officer in 2002, chief executive officer in 2004, served as chairman and chief executive officer from 2007 to his retirement in 2012.
During his career, he has worked extensively across the globe and has lived in Japan, Sweden, and Canada, and various U.S. locations. A native of Box Elder County, Utah, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University in 1978 and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan in 1980.
Rachel Weidman grew up in Livermore, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. She attended BYU and graduated in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in University Studies. She was a first-year law student at the J. Reuben Clark Law School when she and Dave became engaged and were married, after which they moved to Michigan, to pursue his MBA. Rachel and Dave are the parents of six children, and their family includes several graduates of the college of engineering.
"I would hope that the Fulton College of Engineering and Technology, in the near future, is globally recognized as the premiere school for developing engineers and technologists whose skills fit both the technical and leadership requirements of an increasingly global world."
- David Weidman