Keynote Speaker

Dennis J. Picard

Chairman Emeritus

Raytheon Company

Biography

Dennis J. Picard is chairman emeritus of Raytheon Company. In January 1989, he was selected to be president of Raytheon Company, effective August 1989, and was elected a member of Raytheon’s board of directors. He served as president until March 1, 1991, at which time he became chairman and chief executive officer of the company. He stepped down as chief executive officer in December 1998 and as chairman at the end of July 1999.

During Mr. Picard’s tenure as CEO, Raytheon doubled in sales. This growth was accomplished despite substantial downturns in global and domestic defense budgets and a rapid consolidation within the defense industry, and was accomplished primarily through the acquisition of E­Systems and Texas Instruments Defense, and merger with Hughes Defense, while simultaneously streamlining the company’s diverse commercial operations.

Mr. Picard was born on August 25, 1932, in Providence, R.I., and graduated in 1950 from LaSalle Academy in Providence. Following service in the U.S. Air Force in the era of the Korean conflict and study at the RCA Institute in New York City, he joined Raytheon in 1955.

While working at a progression of electronics assignments within the company, he also attended Northeastern University, graduating cum laude in 1962 with degrees in electrical engineering and management.

A succession of engineering and management assignments led to his being elected a company vice president in 1976 and deputy general manager of Raytheon’s Equipment Division in 1982. At that time the division was responsible for the design and production of shipboard and large phased array radars for intelligence gathering and attack warning, and for fire control systems, ballistic missile guidance electronics and military communications systems.

In November 1983, Mr. Picard was chosen to be the gen­eral manager of the Missile Systems Division, Raytheon’s largest unit, with more than 17,000 employees worldwide. He was elected a senior vice president of Raytheon in 1985. Under Mr. Picard’s leadership for nearly six years, Missile Systems Division grew to become the world’s largest producer of tactical missile systems. Among its major programs are the Patriot and Hawk air defense sys­tems; the Standard and Aegis Extended Range shipboard­launched missiles; the Sidewinder, Sparrow, AMRAAM and Phoenix air­to­air missiles; the Maverick air­to­ground missile; and the shoulder­launched Stinger missile.

Mr. Picard is a past director of State Street Boston Corporation, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, past President and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, having been cited by IEEE for his “leadership in the development and implementation of large phased array radars.” He is a registered professional engineer and holds honorary doctorates from Northeastern University, Merrimack College and Bentley College. Mr. Picard is a trustee emeritus of Northeastern University and a trustee emeritus of Bentley College; a past director of the Discovery Museums, Acton, Mass.; and a past member of the Advisory Committee of the American Red Cross and the Advisory Committee of the Armed Services YMCA of the United States. He is also a past member of the Business Council. He is a former member of the Defense Policy Advisory Committee on Trade (DPACT), the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), and the President’s Export Council.

In 1991, he was inducted into the U.S. Army’s order of Santa Barbara, and in 1996, he received the National Security Industrial Association’s Environmental Achievement Award.

In March 1997, Mr. Picard was honored by the Navy League of the United States with the Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Award “for outstanding contributions to the United States’ Maritime Strength,” and in May 1997, was honored with the Intrepid Museum Foundation’s “Intrepid Salute Award” for his “support of the men and women of America’s armed forces.” In September 1997, he received the John R. Allison Award from the U.S. Air Force Association, and in October 1997, the Association of the U.S. Army awarded him its John W. Dixon medal.

During 1997, he was also named “New Englander of the Year” by the New England Council, and received the Ralph Lowell Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boston Minuteman Council, Boy Scouts of America.

In April 1998, he received the Industrial Leadership Award from the National Defense Industrial Association, and was the recipient of the Semper Fidelis Award of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. In November 1998, the Navy League ­New York Council ­awarded him its Rear Admiral John J. Bergen Leadership Medal for Industry.

Mr. Picard is married to the former Dolores M. Petit of Providence, R.I.