Dennis Muilenburg joined Boeing in 1985. He served as president from December 2013 to December 2019, as CEO from July 2015 to December 2019, and as chairman of the board from March 2016 to October 2019. Until July 2015, Muilenburg served as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer of Boeing, where he supported the company's aerospace business operations and focused on specific growth enablers, including important global relationships, leadership initiatives and development program performance. Before that, Muilenburg served as president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS). Earlier, Muilenburg was president of BDS's Global Services & Support business, vice president and general manager of the Boeing Combat Systems division, and program manager for Future Combat Systems. Prior to that, he served as vice president of Programs & Engineering for Boeing Air Traffic Management and director of Weapon Systems for the proposed Boeing Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. He also held program management and engineering positions on F-22, Airborne Laser, High Speed Civil Transport and the Condor reconnaissance aircraft, among others. Muilenburg spent the first 15 years of his Boeing career in the Puget Sound region of Washington, where he held a number of program management and engineering positions in support of both the commercial airplanes and defense businesses. A native of Iowa, Muilenburg earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and an honorary doctor of science degree from Iowa State University, as well as a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington.