Troy University News

Contact:
Tom Davis
Troy Office of University Relations
334/670-3196
tomdavis@troy.edu

Office of University Relations
253 Adams Administration
Troy, AL 36082
(334) 670-3196
(334) 670-3274 (fax)

Lockheed Martin CEO to speak at Troy State University March 15

    Lockheed Martin Corp. chairman of the board and chief executive officer Dr. Vance D. Coffman will speak at Troy State University on Friday, March 15 as part of the Sorrell College of Business Speaker Series.
   The lecture is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the Adams Center Theatre for the Performing Arts on the TSU campus. The event is open to the public and is free of charge.
   The Sorrell College of Business Speaker Series is designed to expose TSU students to a broad range of outstanding business leaders, said Dr. Tom Ratcliffe, Dean. Past speakers include Michel Landel, CEO of Sodexho; Steve McMillan, CEO of Sara Lee; and Patricia Barnes, founder of Sister Schubert's Homemade Rolls.
   As board chairman and CEO, Dr. Coffman heads a corporation that operates facilities in 45 U.S. states and 56 nations, employs 125,000 people worldwide and had sales of $24 billion in 2001. Lockheed Martin specializes in the development of advanced technology systems and products for aeronautics, space, defense and technology services. The U.S. Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other government agencies comprise more than 75 percent of the corporation's customer base.
   Dr. Coffman has served as Lockheed Martin CEO since 1997 and was elected board chairman in 1998. He previously served as president and chief operating officer of the space and strategic missiles sector and as president of the space systems division. He has been a member of the company's staff since 1967 and has been a part of several major space programs, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the MILSTAR satellite communications program and the Space Based Infrared System.
   A native of Iowa, Dr. Coffman received a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University, earned master's and doctoral degrees from Stanford University and has received honorary degrees from Embry-Riddle University and Pepperdine University.
   Dr. Coffman serves on the boards of directors of Bristol-Myers Squibb and the United Negro College Fund. He is a fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Astronautical Society. He is a recipient of the Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Award from the Navy League of the United States and the Distinguished Achievement Award from Iowa State University.