Isam Al Zadjali Credit: Isam Al Zadjali . All Rights Reserved.
His Excellency Isam Al Zadjali, 1992 engineering, is currently the head of Muscat Municipality based on royal decree in October of 2019. Previously in his career he served as the chairman of the Board of Directors of Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production LLC, Duqm Refinery & Petrochemical Industries Company LLC, Takatuf Oman LLC.
Isam holds a bachelor of science degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State.
Isam Al Zadjali loves Penn State.
Al Zadjali’s Penn State journey began in 1986, when he was sent to the United States as part of the second-ever cohort of Omani students sent to Penn State. There were only five universities approved for government scholarships at the time, and Penn State was among them.
“I originally got a scholarship to a local Omani university, but I turned it down,” he said. “I wanted to study internationally – my father was a diplomat, and he always stressed the importance of being international.”
He got into petroleum engineering, and the Omani government matched him to Penn State to continue his education. When the opportunity came, he jumped at the chance to broaden his global perspective.
Al Zadjali arrived in State College in a very interesting time, in the fall of 1986, right before Penn State won the national championship in football over Miami. Being Omani, he knew nothing of American football, but was immediately swept up in the excitement on campus.
“I had to get a crash course,” he remembered. “I’ve been rooting for the team ever since – I watch almost every game to this day.”
After such a high-energy introduction, one might think there would be nowhere to go but down, but that was not Al Zadjali’s experience. He began his classes and was immediately impressed with the diversity on campus (he calls it a “mini-United Nations”), the quality of the faculty, and all of the facilities available to students on campus. He particularly loved the library.
“I remember going into the Pattee library and pulling up old magazines and newspapers from previous eras,” he said. “It was one of the things that gave me a different perspective on America.”
Penn State taught Al Zadjali a lot, both in the classroom and in the community. He credits Penn State for preparing him to interact with people of different and diverse backgrounds, a skill which he found essential in his former position as CEO of Oman Oil and again as the current Head of Muscat Municipality. Not only that, but Penn State had a personal touch which stuck with him to this day.
“My father passed away while I was at Penn State, and everyone was so supportive and kind,” he said. “Faculty worked with me to make sure I could make up tests and other work, for example.” Al Zadjali traveled back to Oman after his father passed, and told his mother that he would quit school so he could move back and help her to care for his eight younger siblings.
“She’s said it before – and I am sure she was not joking – she said, ‘Isam, I will slap you if you do that,’” he recalled. “She told me later that she knew how happy I was, how happy it made my father that I was pursuing my education, and she wanted to honor that even after his death.”
Al Zadjali ended up graduating with a degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering in 1992. He moved back to Oman and began working in the industry.
“Penn State not only gave me the educational tools in terms of my degree, but it gave me a broader perspective,” he said. “I learned that essentially, everyone just wants to be happy. I learned a lot of cultural tools at Penn State to help me connect with others.”
Penn State’s highly rated engineering programs gave him the pedigree to rise through the ranks of the industry in Oman.
“I worked hard and made sure I was doing the best that I could in any position I held,” he said. “It was never about obtaining the next highest position but making sure I enjoyed what I was doing and did it to the best of my ability.” Eventually, that passion and hard work led him to become the President & General Manager of Occidental Oman and CEO of Oman Oil.
Oman Oil is not the only leadership position Al Zadjali has held, however. In 2019, he was appointed the chairman of Muscat Municipality, with a rank of Minister. Al Zadjali describes it as a “huge responsibility.”
“We want to transform the municipality,” he said. “We want to focus on digital transition, making public needs a priority, and focusing on the environment.”
He never cared about the prestige of the appointment but is glad that he is able to serve.
“It’s the highest position you can reach to serve your country and your people,” he said. “And I felt good, like I had honored my mother and all of the sacrifices she made for me. The appointment was validation of a job well done by her.”
Al Zadjali also gives back to Penn State by serving on the university’s Global Advisory Council – a group of outside experts put together by the provost to advise Penn State on its global activities around the world. He was originally approached by former Vice Provost for Global Michael Adewumi to serve on the council – Adewumi had been a faculty member in the Petroleum and Natural Gas department when Al Zadjali studied at Penn State.
“I want to do my part to help the university become truly global,” he said. “I love Penn State and want to help spread the word about it across the world, and to help put it in areas where it can be useful.”
Al Zadjali’s memories of Penn State are fond, and he highly recommends it to everyone he meets. He believes he’s convinced many people to attend Penn State – including his niece, who will start at the University in the fall.
“One thing I always say is, America is not what you see on TV or on the news,” he said. “You see true American values when you meet American students. That shows the true heart of America. You see that at Penn State.”
Though Al Zadjali recognizes that no institution is perfect and that Penn State could be doing more to connect globally – a task which he is assisting with through the Global Advisory Council – he nevertheless loves the institution.
“I love Penn State,” he said. “I will be wearing the Penn State logo until my last breath on this earth.”