Dennis Muilenburg

Dennis A. Muilenburg (born 1964) is an American business executive, and the former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Boeing Company, a multinational aerospace and defense company. He was CEO from July 2015 until December 23, 2019, when he was fired after the aftermath of the two crashes of the 737 MAX.

Early life and education
Muilenburg grew up on a farm in Iowa.

He graduated in 1982 from Sioux Center High School in Sioux Center, Iowa.  He received a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University, followed by a master's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Washington.

Career 
Muilenburg started work at Boeing as an intern in 1985.

Muilenburg held numerous management and engineering positions on various Boeing programs, including the X-32 (Boeing's entry in the Joint Strike Fighter competition); Boeing's participation in the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter; the YAL-1 747 Airborne Laser; the High Speed Civil Transport; and the Condor unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. He later served as vice president of the Boeing Combat Systems division. Muilenburg served as president and chief executive officer of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (later renamed Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) from Sept 2009 till 2015.

In December 2013, Muilenburg became the president of Boeing.

In June 2015, Boeing announced that Muilenburg would succeed James McNerney as CEO, who was stepping down after ten years in that role.  He became CEO in July 2015.

In February 2016, it was announced that Muilenburg would also succeed McNerney as Boeing's chairman.

In March 2016, Muilenburg became the chairman of the board of directors of Boeing.

In March 2019, as a result of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash and the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, which occurred five months prior to the Ethiopian crash, most airlines and countries began grounding the Boeing 737 MAX 8 due to safety concerns. On March 12, President Donald Trump spoke to Muilenburg and received assurances that the aircraft was safe.

On October 11, 2019, Boeing announced that the board had voted to separate the roles of chairman and chief executive officer, both of which were held by Muilenburg. David L. Calhoun was elected to take over as non-executive chairman, while Muilenburg continued as CEO, president and a director. The company said this change would enable Muilenburg to focus full-time on running the company while it worked to return the Boeing 737 MAX to service.

In November 2019, Muilenburg confirmed that he would not be taking a bonus for the year, after being criticized for the two plane crashes, which killed a total of 346 people.

On December 23, 2019, Boeing announced that Muilenburg resigned as the CEO and Board director, in the aftermath of the two crashes of 737 MAX aircraft. He will be succeeded as CEO and President by current Chairman of the Board David L. Calhoun, effective January 13, 2020. The current CFO, Greg Smith, will serve as interim CEO during the transition. Boeing's press release stated that, "The Board of Directors decided that a change in leadership was necessary to restore confidence in the Company moving forward as it works to repair relationships with regulators, customers, and all other stakeholders."

Memberships 

Board memberships
Current
 Board member, Aerospace Industries Association
 Trustee, The National WWII Museum
 Trustee, Northwestern University
 Board member, US-China Business Council

Previous

 Board member, Caterpillar Inc.

 Board member, The Boeing Company, until he resigned on December 23, 2019, as President, CEO and board member in the aftermath of the 737 Max crashes
 Chairman of the board, The Boeing Company
 Vice-chairman of the board, The Boeing Company
 Chairman of the board, Aerospace Industries Association
 Trustee, Washington University

Other memberships

 Member, Business Roundtable
 Member, Association of the United States Army
 Member, National Space Council Users Advisory Group
 Member, National Academy of Engineering

Personal
Muilenburg cycles about 120 miles per week around the Chicago area, where Boeing is headquartered.

Muilenburg is a church member and has spoken about managing overall life.

Awards 

 Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society
 Honorary Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 John W. Dixon Award (2017), Association of the United States Army
 CEO of the Year Award (2018), Thurgood Marshall College Fund
 Dean's Award (2018), University of Washington College of Engineering
 Person of the Year (2018), Aviation Week

References

External links 

Category:1964 births
Category:Living people
Category:American chief executives of manufacturing companies
Category:Chairmen of Boeing
Category:Boeing people
Category:Iowa State University alumni
Category:University of Washington College of Engineering alumni
Category:People from Orange City, Iowa