FIRST Welcomes Six New Members to Dynamic Board of Directors
Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, Former Governor of the State of New Hampshire, CEO of Qualcomm, CIO of Genworth Financial, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and President of Rockwell Collins Join the FIRST Board of Directors
MANCHESTER, N.H., June 13, 2013 ― FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, announced the appointment of new members to the FIRST Board of Directors.
The new board members include Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Qualcomm Incorporated; Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company; John H. Lynch, Former Governor of the State of New Hampshire; Scott McKay, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President, Genworth Financial; Dennis Muilenburg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Boeing Defense, Space & Security; and Kelly Ortberg, President, Rockwell Collins.
Commenting on the appointments, Dean Kamen, president of DEKA Research and Development and FIRST Founder, said, "We are very pleased to add the talent and industry knowledge of these six respected executives to our Board. We look forward to tapping their diverse expertise in high technology, consumer marketing, and government as FIRST expands its efforts to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people.”
The Board of FIRST is made up of a cross-section of individuals from business, government, industry, and the sciences who have the fiduciary responsibility to provide direction and oversight for all the activities of FIRST.
New Board members and their involvement with FIRST include:
Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Qualcomm Incorporated
Dr. Paul Jacobs, who became CEO in July 2005 and was appointed Chairman in 2009, has spearheaded Qualcomm’s efforts to develop and commercialize mobile technology breakthroughs that have contributed significantly to the growth of both the Company and the industry. Important developments which began under Dr. Jacobs include: the first smartphone based on Palm OS®; inclusion of GPS capabilities in mobile phones; the Brew® system, which enables over-the-air downloading of applications; QChat, a Voice over IP, push-to-talk system; and mirasol®, an advanced reflective display technology.
Dr. Jacobs joined the company fulltime in 1990 as a development engineer leading the mobile phone digital signal processor software team. Five years later, Dr. Jacobs became vice president and general manager of the combined handset and integrated circuit division.
Dr. Jacobs received his bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as his doctorate, from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Jacobs has been granted more than 45 patents and serves as: chairman of the U.S.-Korea Business Council and of the Advisory Board of the University of California, Berkeley, College of Engineering; Global eHealth Foundation Ambassador; a member of the U.S.-India CEO Forum; and, trustee of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
Qualcomm has been a supporter of FIRST since 2005, providing substantial funding for Regional events and the annual FIRST Championship event.
Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company
Muhtar Kent has an extensive history with The Coca-Cola Company beginning in 1978. Over the course of his career, he has held numerous leadership positions within the Coca-Cola system, including General Manager of Coca-Cola Turkey and Central Asia; President of the East Central Europe Division; Managing Director of Coca-Cola Amatil – Europe; and President of Coca-Cola International. He has held his current position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since 2009.
Mr. Kent holds a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Hull in England and a Master of Science in administrative sciences from Cass Business School, City University, London.
He is the Co-Chair of the Consumer Goods Forum, Chairman of the International Business Roundtable, a past Chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council and Chairman Emeritus of the U.S. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Business Council. He serves on the boards of 3M, Special Olympics International, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Catalyst, and Emory University.
The Coca-Cola Company has been a sponsor of FIRST for 10 years, providing significant in-kind product donations, as well as financial support for the annual FIRST Championship event and FIRST events in the Atlanta region.
John H. Lynch, Former Governor of the State of New Hampshire
John Lynch is an American businessman and politician who served as the 80th Governor of the U.S. State of New Hampshire. Lynch was first elected Governor in 2004, and comfortably won a historic fourth term in 2010. While in office, Lynch consistently ranked among the nation's most popular governors.
During his business career, Lynch served as Director of Admissions at Harvard Business School and President of The Lynch Group, a business consulting firm in Manchester, N.H. Lynch served as CEO of Knoll Inc., a national furniture manufacturer, where he transformed the company previously losing $50 million a year, to making profits of nearly $240 million yearly. Before announcing his run for Governor, Lynch was serving as Chairman of the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees.
Lynch earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1974, a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.
Governor Lynch has championed the value of FIRST programs for many years and is a strong advocate for the necessity of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for tomorrow’s scientists and leaders.
Scott McKay, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President, Genworth Financial
Scott J. McKay is Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Genworth Financial. Since 1993, Mr. McKay has been a key player helping build Genworth Financial by participating in technology programs, acquisition integrations, sourcing and globalization initiatives, and Genworth’s recent IPO.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science in computer science from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
McKay led the establishment of VirginiaFIRST as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit and has been Chairman since 2007. He has forged partnerships with member organizations of the Richmond Technology Council and the Science Museum of Virginia and built a very strong VirginiaFIRST Board, greatly expanding the regional presence of FIRST in the area. McKay has developed significant resources for, and interest in, the development of FIRST programs in the National Capital Region. Both McKay and the Genworth Foundation have consistently provided substantial funding for FIRST programs in the region.
Dennis Muilenburg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Dennis Muilenburg is president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security and serves on The Boeing Company’s Executive Council. The $33 billion, 59,000-person business unit is a provider of integrated solutions to meet the enduring needs of defense, government, space, intelligence, and security customers in the United States and around the world.
Prior to his current position, Muilenburg was president of Boeing Defense, Space &Security's $8 billion Global Services & Support business and, before that, vice president and general manager of the Boeing Combat Systems division. Earlier, he was vice president of Programs & Engineering for Boeing Air Traffic Management, director of Weapon Systems for the proposed Boeing Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, and held program management and engineering positions.
Muilenburg, who joined Boeing in June 1985, has a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington.
Muilenburg is a member of the board of directors of Caterpillar Inc., the council of trustees of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), and the steering committee of the Defense Industry Initiative. He serves on the National World War II Museum board of trustees, the Washington University (St. Louis) board of trustees, and the St. Louis Science Center board of commissioners. He also is a member of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) board of governors and serves on the AIA executive committee. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and the Boeing executive for Iowa State University.
Boeing is a FIRST Strategic Partner and has provided $4 million in funding for teams, as well as support for the annual FIRST Championship event.
Kelly Ortberg, President, Rockwell Collins
Robert K. (Kelly) Ortberg is president of Rockwell Collins, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company, including oversight of its commercial and government businesses and supporting operating functions. He was named to this position in September 2012.
He previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Government Systems, where he helped lead major program wins at Rockwell Collins, including capturing avionics business on the KC-46A, KC-10 and the Embraer KC-390. He also has served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Commercial Systems, during which time he oversaw the company’s development programs for the Boeing 787, Airbus A350, and Bombardier C-Series. Additionally, he led the launch of the company’s Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system, which has been selected for more than 15 aircraft platforms since its introduction in 2007. He joined the company in 1987.
Ortberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Iowa. He serves on The University of Iowa Engineering Advisory Board and the board of directors for the Hawkeye Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He previously served as a member of the board of directors of Bucyrus International.
Rockwell Collins is a FIRST Strategic Partner, providing consistently significant annual support for teams across all programs, amounting to over $4 million.
About FIRST®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST®(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $16 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC® ) for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC® ) for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL® ) for Grades 4-8; and Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.