Charles Lyons-Burt
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan has been instated to the board of directors of information technology company Leidos.
In his new board role, Shanahan will leverage over 30 years of Boeing leadership experience in addition to his Department of Defense credentials, the Reston, Virginia-based company said Wednesday.
Roger Krone, chairman and CEO of Leidos, considers Shanahan’s past experience in government and industry “an enormous asset.”
“We look forward to working with him as we spearhead advances in the revolutionary technologies that will make our world safer, healthier and more efficient,” the nine-time Wash100 Award winner added.
Among Shanahan’s accomplishments as 33rd deputy secretary of defense was a six-month term as acting DOD secretary in 2019 as well as helming the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the 2018 Department of Defense Cyber Strategy and the 2018 Cyber Posture Review.
Shanahan also played a major part in establishing the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and the launch of the DOD’s AI Strategy. While at the department, he was dedicated to the advancement of cybersecurity and cloud computing, in addition to command, control and communication development.
Prior to joining the government, Shanahan had a three-decade career at Boeing. At the defense and aerospace company, he held a number of roles, including senior vice president of Commercial Airplane Programs and VP and general manager of the 787 Dreamliner. His final role at the company was SVP of supply chain and operations.
Shanahan’s appointment follows Leidos’ recruitment of former U.S. Air Force official Terry Phillips as senior vice president and chief security officer in January.
While Phillips and Shanahan hail from different DOD branches, their shared national security interests are considered prime for Leidos’ public sector-serving business activities.
