John F. McDonnell

John F. McDonnell
Retired Chairman of the Board
McDonnell Douglas Corporation

John McDonnell retired as Chairman of the Board of McDonnell Douglas Corporation in 1997 after more than a 35-year career at the company. He was elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1988, a position he held until September 1994. From then until his retirement at the time of the merger with Boeing, he was Chairman of the Board. McDonnell led the company successfully through the early 1990's when the U.S. defense budget and the aerospace markets were shrinking dramatically. In the face of a rapidly consolidating aerospace industry, he oversaw the merger of McDonnell Douglas with Boeing to create the world's largest, broadest, and strongest aerospace company. He continues as a member of the Boeing Board of Directors.

McDonnell has served on numerous civic boards and as Chairman of the Boards of Washington University in St. Louis, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Saint Louis Science Center.

For the past 10 years, he has been actively involved in establishing an entrepreneurial ecosystem in St. Louis to enable start-up companies to commercialize life science research breakthroughs. He is the founding Chairman of BioSTL and of BioGenerator, nonprofits which provide funding and support to researchers, entrepreneurs, and young companies in the life sciences in St. Louis.

McDonnell earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from Princeton University. He and his wife, Anne, reside in St. Louis and have five children and nine grandchildren.

Click here to read a transcript of John McDonnell's 2009 Citizen of the Year Award speech, given at the Saint Louis Science Center, where he discussed the past and future of St. Louis' economy.