Lawrence W. Kellner (born January 19, 1959) is a former

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...

, having succeeded Gordon Bethune as CEO in December 2004. Prior to his arrival at Continental, he was the

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

of American Savings Bank. Kellner retired as the airline's CEO at the end of December 2009. During his career at Continental, he previously was a vice president, chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Kellner is president of Emerald Creek Group, LLC - a Texas-based private equity firm primarily focused on real estate and is on the board of directors at

ExxonMobil Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...

. He was chairman of

The Boeing Company The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

from 2019 to 2024.

Early life

Kellner was born in Worthington, Minnesota, and grew up in

Sumter Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumt ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. He graduated from the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

in 1981 with a degree in accounting. He resides in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, Texas. Kellner is the 2008 recipient of the '' Tony Jannus Award'' for distinguished achievement in commercial air transportation. In July 2009, Continental announced Kellner's retirement as its CEO at the end of the year.

Career

Kellner is the prior vice chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership, and that organization's current chairman. Kellner was elected to Boeing's board of directors in 2011. He is a trustee of

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

. Kellner was a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, the organization's governing body.

Awards and honors

Kellner was named Tony Jannus Award's Person of the Year for 2008.'' Tony Jannus Award'' (March 28, 2008).

, press release via ''

PR Newswire PR Newswire is a distributor of press releases headquartered in Chicago. The service was created in 1954 to allow companies to electronically send press releases to news organizations, using teleprinters at first. The founder, Herbert Muschel, ...

''.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kellner, Larry 1959 births Living people Continental Airlines people American chairpersons of corporations American airline chief executives People from Sumter, South Carolina University of South Carolina alumni National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America members American chief operating officers American chief financial officers 20th-century American businesspeople United Airlines people