TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 28, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- Louise L. Francesconi, a
Raytheon Company vice president and president of the company's Missile Systems
business, has been honored with the Women in Aerospace Lifetime Achievement
Award.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050928/NEW006 )
Presented at a ceremony early yesterday evening at the Women in Military
Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, Francesconi
received the award for "noteworthy contributions to aerospace during a career
spanning at least 20 years." NASA Administrator Michael Griffin presented
Francesconi's award.
Women in Aerospace is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the
advancement of women in aerospace and related careers, and to recognizing the
achievements of outstanding women in aerospace.
The highest ranking woman in the defense industry, Francesconi leads the
$3.8 billion, 11,000-employee organization that is the world's largest missile
systems business. Her career spans more than 30 years in the defense and
aerospace industry, and her expertise in strategic planning, technology
investment, customer focus and operational excellence has been instrumental in
making Raytheon Missile Systems the world's preeminent producer of weapon
systems for the United States military and the allied forces of more than 40
countries.
Among these systems are the Tomahawk Cruise Missile, the Paveway Laser
Guided Bomb, the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, the Javelin anti-
tank missile and the Standard Missile-3 sea-based missile defense system.
Francesconi also is leading the effort to create the leap-ahead generation of
directed energy systems using the company's expertise in high energy lasers
and high powered microwaves. Current applications include nonlethal warfare
and airport protection. Missile Systems also is applying its missile
technologies and engineering capability to space exploration, and its airframe
and guidance technology to the development of unmanned systems for defense and
commercial applications.
Francesconi, 52, has spent her 30-year career with Raytheon Company and
was with Hughes Aircraft Company before the merger of the two firms in late
1997. She began her career in the company's financial operations and rose to
chief financial officer of Hughes Missile Systems Company in 1993. She has led
the missile business since 1996.
Francesconi is a native of California, and is a graduate of Scripps
College and has a master's degree in business administration from the
University of California at Los Angeles.
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2004 sales of $20.2 billion, is an
industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information
technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft.
With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.
Contact:
Sara Hammond
520.794.7810
SOURCE Raytheon Company
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.raytheon.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050928/NEW006
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Sara Hammond of Raytheon, +1-520-794-7810
|
