Entrepreneur and a Geoscience enthusiast, Ronnie K. Irani has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Oklahoma (UO), in recognition of his extraordinary achievements through his 43-year stint in the Energy Industry which led to many commercial developments in oil and gas, as also his generous service to others.

Founder and CEO of RKI Energy Resources, LLC, a privately held energy company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Ronnie Irani was previously President and CEO of RKI Exploration and Production, which he founded in 2005 and built into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, prior to its sale in 2015.

He has been actively engaged in non-profit organizations and contributed significant time and resources for the betterment of the community, including the University of Oklahoma, where he served as past chairman and emeritus member of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy’s Board of Visitors. He works closely with the students at the Ronnie K. Irani Center for Energy Solutions in Mewbourne College and the Ronnie K. Irani Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth in the Price College of Business.

Outside of OU, Irani has served on numerous boards, including the OKC Boathouse Foundation, Oklahoma Energy Explorers, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. He has received numerous higher education, professional and business awards, including the OU Regents’ Alumni Award, the Trailblazer Award from Mewbourne College for Lifetime Achievement in the energy sector, the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Industry Service Award and Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association’s Member of the Year award.

Having completed his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Bombay University, India, in 1977, he also holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Petroleum Engineering (UO); an MBA from Oklahoma City University; and completed the Executive Management Program offered by the Independent Petroleum Association of America, in conjunction with Harvard University.