Gene P. Chamberlain

Gene Chamberlain, a native of Houghton, Michigan, received his Chemical Engineering degree in 1974 and his Engineering Administration degree in 1975, both from Michigan Tech. He joined the Archer Daniels Midland Co. in Mankato, Minnesota in 1975. While working in Mankato, Gene attended night school and graduated from Minnesota State University with an MBA in 1981. He was transferred to Kansas City, MO, for a year to help construct and start up a new soybean processing facility, then returned to Mankato as Plant Superintendent.

In 1982, Gene was transferred to the ADM Cottonseed Division in Lubbock, Texas as Plant Manager. Then, in 1986, he was transferred to Decatur, IL, as Soy Specialties Manager handling engineering and production management along with several major expansion projects. In 1998, Gene was promoted to Vice President of Engineering and Production.

Throughout his career, Gene has been involved in projects across the US, the Netherlands, Canada, and Brazil. His experiences include the processing of soy proteins, cottonseed, corn germ, peanuts, sunflowers, canola proteins, pea proteins, various nutraceuticals, and pasta production.

After a 42 year career at ADM Co, Gene retired in 2017. He and his wife, Jackie, have two children. Their daughter, Taylor, is a Notre Dame graduate; their son, Aidan, graduated from Purdue.

Excerpted from the 2025 Chemical Engineering Academy induction ceremony.