The sky’s been the limit for Norman Augustine, MSE, most of his career. Long before he became chair and CEO of Lockheed Martin — the nation’s largest defense contractor — aviation was in his blood.

Augustine, who will discuss leadership on May 11 at UMB as part of its Core Values Speaker Series, graduated with a BSE in aeronautical engineering from Princeton University before earning his MSE.

The Colorado native began his career in 1958 at Douglas Aircraft Co. in California where he worked as a research engineer, program manager, and chief engineer. He left Douglas in 1965 to serve in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as assistant director of defense research and engineering before joining LTV Missiles and Space Co. in 1970, serving as vice president.

Under UMB’s core value of leadership, the University continuously strives to be a leader and to develop leaders. Augustine certainly became even more of an esteemed leader in the second half of his career.

In 1973, he returned to the government as assistant secretary of the Army and in 1975 became under secretary of the Army, and later acting secretary of the Army. Joining Martin Marietta Corp. in 1977 as vice president of technical operations, he was elected CEO in 1987 and chair in 1988. He served as president of Lockheed Martin Corp. upon the formation of that company in 1995, and became CEO later that year. He retired as chair and CEO of Lockheed Martin in 1997, at which time he became a professor at his alma mater Princeton, where he served until 1999.

Augustine was presented the National Medal of Technology by the president and received the Joint Chiefs of Staff Distinguished Public Service Award. He has five times received the Department of Defense’s highest civilian decoration, the Distinguished Service Medal. He is co-author of The Defense Revolution and Shakespeare In Charge and author of Augustine’s Laws and Augustine’s Travels.

He has served a wide range of organizations including the American Red Cross, Procter & Gamble, ConocoPhillips, the Boy Scouts (he’s a former Eagle Scout), and many more. He holds 33 honorary degrees and was selected by Who’s Who in America and the Library of Congress as one of “Fifty Great Americans” on the occasion of Who’s Who’s 50th anniversary.

An avid outdoors enthusiast who has trekked extensively around the world to 112 countries, including dogsledding in the Arctic, exploring volcanoes in Antarctica, canoeing the Boundary Waters of Canada, and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, Augustine has stood on both the North and South poles of the Earth.

He’s also a member of the UMB family as a regent with the University System of Maryland. Legislative leaders named him chair of the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission, also known as the Augustine Commission, which in February released 32 recommendations to the General Assembly for how to make the state friendlier to the business community. 

Augustine will speak at the Southern Management Corporation Campus Center on May 11 at noon. Please plan to attend.

by Chris Zang