Boeing

The Boeing Company's Board of Directors has elected Rudy F. de Leon, 48, to the position of senior vice president, Washington, D.C. Operations, effective today. He will also serve on the company's Executive Council.

In his new duties, de Leon will lead all federal, state and local government operations for Boeing and will report directly to the office of the chairman.

"Rudy brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and energy to the Boeing team," said Phil Condit, chairman and CEO. "We have very high expectations for the value he can help create in Washington and elsewhere as we continue Boeing's transformation. We anticipate that he will enjoy the challenges and pace of the private sector and the demands of business leadership."

de Leon joins Boeing following 25 years in senior positions in the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. federal government.

"I look forward to working with the talented men and women of The Boeing Company," said de Leon. "Their hard work and enterprise are the keys to exciting 21st century technologies in commercial aviation, military aircraft and missiles, and space and communications."

From March 2000 until March 2001, he was Deputy Secretary of Defense. As the chief operating officer, he was responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the Department of Defense (DoD).

In August 1997, he was named Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. de Leon was the principal architect, advisor and spokesman of the 1999 compensation reform package, which at $42 billion was the largest pay increase for military members in a generation and restored retirement equity for military personnel.

De Leon was confirmed as Under Secretary of the Air Force in May 1994. During his tenure, he headed up special initiatives, including the Secretary of Defense's force protection program, Air Force privatization initiative, and the C-17 cost recovery program.

From November 1985 through the end of 1992, de Leon served the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, first as a member of the professional staff, and from November 1989 forward, as the staff director. As director, he led an 80-member staff in the preparation and passage of Defense authorization bills. He also oversaw the preparation of options for a comprehensive review of U.S. military requirements, strategy and budget. de Leon assisted in the passage of the resolution to authorize military operations during Desert Storm and the Committee's report, "Defense for a New Era, Lessons of the Persian Gulf War."

de Leon received a bachelor's degree from Loyola Marymount University and attended the executive program for National and International Security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

He has been honored by the following awards: Defense Civilian Distinguished Service (1994, 1995, 2001), National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal (2001), Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Award (1997), Air Force Association Special Award (1996), National League of POW-MIA Families (1999) and National Military Families Association (2000).

de Leon was born in 1952 in Pasadena, California.

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