Clay Jones honored with James Forrestal Industry Leadership Award

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Clay Jones was awarded the James Forrestal Industry Leadership Award on April 25 by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).

Jones was presented the award for “having exemplified the outstanding qualities of exceptional corporate leadership, a career of providing extraordinary technologies to our men and women in uniform, and tireless efforts to ensure America’s defense industrial base remains unsurpassed,” according to the NDIA.

The James Forrestal Memorial Award has been given annually since 1954 to distinguished Americans who have most effectively applied Mr. Forrestal’s ideas of a close working relationship between government and industry toward the requirements of National Security. The first recipient of the award was President Dwight David Eisenhower in 1954. In recent years, the award has been given annually to an industry executive who not only has a demonstrated record of business accomplishment, but who has also been active in helping to preserve and strengthen the Nation’s defense industrial base.

Jones was cited for his leadership to create a balanced, diversified and integrated business model that has resulted in shared development of next generation technologies for both government and commercial markets. The association also recognized Jones for his commitment to common architectures based on open system standards pioneered by the telecommunications and IT industries for application to DoD requirements. By applying this approach across product lines in communication and aviation electronics, time-to-market and overall costs to the DoD have been reduced.

He was also recognized for his leadership in advancing Lean design, development, manufacturing and support processes that have also reduced product and services costs for the U.S. military, while providing higher quality and increased functionality.

Jones has been Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rockwell Collins since June 2002. He was named president and chief executive officer of Rockwell Collins in 2001. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Jones joined Rockwell International in 1979 after serving in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot.

Jones serves on the Board of Directors of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM), and on the Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industry Association (AIA). In addition, Jones is a member of The Business Council and the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). He is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a director of the Unisys Corporation.

NDIA is a partnership between industry and government that is driving the future of defense and national security. NDIA facilitates growth, innovation, and technological advances for all facets of the defense industrial and related support base. NDIA membership includes over 1,100 corporations and 36,000 individuals. In addition, its subsidiary affiliates cover a broad array of complimentary activities and add additional perspective to this diverse area.