Robert J. Stevens (born 1951), is a retired

executive chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

. He was the chairman, president and

chief executive officer 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 ...

(CEO) of Lockheed Martin from 2004 until 2013, when Marillyn Hewson became CEO and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Early life and education

Stevens was born in

McKeesport, Pennsylvania McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. A suburb of Pittsburgh, it is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. The population was 17,727 as of the 2020 census. History Early history ...

, in 1951. He attended and graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

from Slippery Rock University, and was later awarded the university's distinguished alumni award. He earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in engineering and management from the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University and, with a Fairchild Fellowship, an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from

Columbia Business School Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and one of ...

in 1987. He is a graduate of the Department of Defense Systems Management College Program Management course and also served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Career

On August 5, 2004, Stevens was elected chief executive officer of

by its board of directors, succeeding Vance D. Coffman. He was elected chairman on April 28, 2005, retaining his previous responsibilities as president and CEO. Over the course of his tenure at Lockheed, Stevens held a variety of executive positions, including chief operating officer, chief financial officer, and head of strategic planning. On April 26, 2012, it was announced that he would be retiring in December 2012 with then president and COO Chris Kubasik being promoted to CEO effective January 1, 2013. However, in November 2012, an ethics violation forced Chris Kubasik to resign, effectively making Marillyn Hewson (then Executive Vice President, Electronic Systems) the new president and COO immediately, with her taking the helm as CEO in January 2013. Stevens was elected to remain as executive chairman through 2013. In January 2012, he was appointed by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and was chairman of the

Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a Cabinet of the United States#Current Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officials, cabinet-level Federal government of the United States, United States government intelligence and security official. The p ...

Senior Advisory Group. During 2001 and 2002, Stevens served on President Bush’s

Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry The Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry (CFUSAI) was formed jointly by President of the United States, United States President George W. Bush and the United States Congress in 2001. Its first public meeting was held on ...

. From 2002 to 2018, Stevens served as the lead director of the

Monsanto Company The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best-known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed in ...

and from 2015 to 2018 as a member of the board of directors of the

United States Steel Corporation The United States Steel Corporation is an American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It maintains production facilities at several additional locations in the U.S. and Central Europe. The company produces and sells steel products, ...

. He formerly served as a director for other foundations including the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, and the

Atlantic Council The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...

. As of 2019, he serves on the board of directors for T. Rowe Price. He is a Fellow of the

American Astronautical Society Formed in 1954, the American Astronautical Society (AAS) is an independent scientific and technical group in the United States dedicated to the advancement of space science and space exploration. AAS supports NASA The National Aeronau ...

, the

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecra ...

, the

Royal Aeronautical Society The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest Aeronautics, aeronautical society in the world. Memb ...

, and the International Academy of Astronautics, and he is a member of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

Awards

He has been recognized by the National Management Association as Executive of the Year, by Government Computer News as the Industry Executive of the Year, by the

Partnership for Public Service The Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. whose mission is to inspire a new generation of civil servants and to transform the way government works. The Partnership's programs include ...

with the Private Sector Council Leadership Award, and by the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation with the Globe and Anchor Award. In 2009, Stevens was considered one of "The TopGun CEOs" by Brendan Wood International, an advisory agency. In 2010, he received the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s inaugural LeJeune Recognition for Exemplary Leadership, and in 2011 he was recognized by the

National Defense Industrial Association The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) is a trade association for the United States government and defense industrial base. It is an 501(c)(3) educational organization. Its headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia. NDIA was establi ...

with the James Forrestal Industry Leadership Award and inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame. In May 2012, Stevens was recognized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics with its highest honor, Honorary Fellow. In October 2012, he was presented the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Chairman’s Award, and in December 2012, Stevens became the 65th recipient of the National Aeronautic Association Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually for “significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States.” In March 2013, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s highest award, the Circle of Honor Award, and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s Semper Fidelis Award, and in September 2014, he was awarded the Lone Sailor Award by the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation.

References

External links

Profile at Lockheed Martin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Robert J. 1951 births Living people People from McKeesport, Pennsylvania Columbia Business School alumni Slippery Rock University alumni American chief executives of manufacturing companies Lockheed Martin people American chief operating officers Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni American chief financial officers American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies