Owner of LEAD Consulting LLC

Edward M. Delate is a seasoned engineering and business executive with more than four decades of global leadership experience in the chemical and food manufacturing industries. Over the course of his career, he has led large, multidisciplinary teams, directed major capital programs, and guided organizations through complex operational, sustainability, and growth initiatives.

Mr. Delate most recently served as Business Director for Paratherm, a division of Lubrizol Corporation (a multi-billion-dollar Specialty Chemicals company), where he held full profit-and-loss responsibility and led a global team spanning operations, engineering, sales, marketing, and sustainability. Under his leadership, the business achieved record sales revenue and earnings. He currently serves as Principal of LEAD Consulting LLC, providing engineering project management and building construction consulting services.

Previously, Mr. Delate was Vice President of Global Engineering and Corporate Sustainability at Keystone Foods, a multibillion-dollar global food company. Reporting directly to the CEO and serving on the executive leadership team, he led award-winning engineering and sustainability initiatives across North America, Europe, and Asia. His accomplishments include overseeing an average of $120 million annually in capital investments over more than a decade, directing the design and construction of the $120 million Greenfield Production Facility recognized as Food Engineering Plant of the Year, and launching global sustainability programs that delivered significant energy, water, and waste savings.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Delate held senior leadership roles with Pinnacle Foods, W. L. Gore & Associates, Nabisco Foods, and Campbell Soup Company. At Campbell, he led major modernization efforts, global operations strategy initiatives, and commercialization projects, including aseptic technologies and large-scale plant construction. Throughout his career, he has built and mentored engineering teams, implemented cost-reduction and operational-excellence programs, and driven innovation in manufacturing systems and infrastructure.

Mr. Delate holds a Master of Business Administration from Widener University and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware.

He is a devoted husband and father. He and his wife of 27 years, Phyllis, a Catholic school teacher, share a strong commitment to faith-based education. They are proud parents of Rachel and Kathleen, and their family’s connection to The Catholic University of America is especially meaningful, as Kathleen is a recent graduate of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2025.

Mr. Delate brings to the Board of Visitors deep expertise in engineering leadership, capital strategy, sustainability, global operations, and the integration of technical excellence with business performance.