USET Foundation Elects W. James McNerney, Jr., President and CEO and William H. Weeks, Jr., Vice President

Wellington, Fla. – Jan. 24, 2017 – At the annual meeting of the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation, Saturday, Jan. 21, in Wellington, Florida, the board of trustees elected W. James McNerney, Jr. as CEO and president and William H. Weeks, Jr. as vice president. These individuals will serve as officers of the corporation.

W. James McNerney, Jr. – W. James (Jim) McNerney, Jr. served as the USET Foundation’s vice president prior to being elected president and is active in the equestrian community through his family’s long-standing involvement in show jumping. McNerney and his wife, Haity, have supported show jumping advancement and events, with a focus on young rider development. In addition, the McNerneys have owned young and grand prix-level mounts ridden by Kent Farrington. Their daughters Julia and Hilary are also active competitors in the hunter and jumper divisions.

McNerney joined Boeing as chairman, president and CEO on July 1, 2005. He served as president until December 2013, CEO until July 2015 and chairman until March 2016.

During his tenure, the company recaptured the global lead in commercial airplane deliveries with steady increases in production and a comprehensive update of its product line; maintained a strong position in defense markets despite a downturn in U.S. military spending; restored Boeing’s historic leadership in human spaceflight with major new program wins; and expanded its engineering and manufacturing footprint inside and outside the United States.

Also, with a relentless focus on internal productivity to fund investments in innovation and growth, Boeing’s financial performance steadily improved under McNerney, with revenue rising 73 percent to a record $90.8 billion in 2014 from $52.5 billion in 2004, the year before he became CEO. Backlog and earnings per share tripled over the period, also to record levels.

Before Boeing, McNerney served as chairman of the board and CEO of 3M, then a $20 billion global technology company with leading positions in electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office products, health care, safety and other businesses. He joined 3M in 2000 after 19 years at the General Electric Company.

McNerney joined General Electric (GE) in 1982. There, he held top executive positions including president and CEO of GE Aircraft Engines and GE Lighting; president of GE Asia-Pacific; president and CEO of GE Electrical Distribution and Control; executive vice president of GE Capital, one of the world’s largest financial service companies; and president of GE Information Services. Prior to joining GE, McNerney worked at Procter & Gamble and McKinsey & Co., Inc.

In addition, McNerney was named the 2015 CEO of the Year by Chief Executive magazine and the 2008 National Management Association’s Executive of the Year. He received the Juran Medal from the American Society for Quality (ASQ), the Wilson Center’s Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship, the inaugural Turning Point Award from the U.S. Army War College Foundation, the Semper Fidelis Award from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, the John W. Dixon Award from the Association of the U.S. Army and an honorary doctor of science degree from Cranfield University.

By appointment of U.S. President Barack Obama, McNerney serves on the Kennedy Center board of trustees. He previously chaired the president’s Export Council and serves on the board of trustees of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that seeks to advance global security and prosperity. He is a past chair and previous member of the executive committee of Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies. He also is a past chair of the US-China Business Council.

McNerney is a director of Procter & Gamble, a director of IBM, a member of The Field Museum board of trustees in Chicago, a trustee of Northwestern University, the chair of the Northwestern Memorial HealthCare board and of the Kellogg School dean’s advisory board. He also is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an honorary fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

A native of Providence, Rhode Island, McNerney earned a B.A. degree from Yale University in 1971 and an MBA from Harvard University in 1975. McNerney and his wife Haity reside in Lake Forest, Illinois, and Wellington, Florida.

William H. Weeks, Jr. – Bill Weeks is a long-time horseman and owner of Sasco Creek Farm in Southport, Connecticut, and Wellington, Florida. Sasco Creek Farm is the home of grand prix mount Madison, a two-time Grand Prix Association Horse of the Year. Weeks has been a member of the board of trustees for the USET Foundation, serves as the second vice president on the National Horse Show’s executive board and is the director and chairman at Taylor Harris Insurance Services. Weeks’ wife and three daughters are all avid equestrians who compete on the national and international levels. Weeks also has years of experience as a successful businessman as the general partner of fresh fruit growers L&S Cranberry and director of Vermont Spirits, a premium vodka distillery. He was part-owner of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team throughout the 1990s and is a highly respected horseman in the hunter and jumper industries. Bill resides in Wellington, Florida, with his wife Olivia.

The USET Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of America’s elite and developing international and high performance horses and athletes in partnership with US Equestrian.

For more information on the USET Foundation, visit www.uset.org.

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