Date posted: 02/20/2007*

Fourteen Raytheon Company employees were recognized during the 2007 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) National Conference in Baltimore, Feb. 15–17. For more than 20 years, BEYA has attracted top professionals from every part of the nation and every field of science, engineering and technology. It offers a forum for the brightest technology minds in the country to discuss the most important engineering and science-related issues facing the nation.

William H. Swanson, Raytheon Chairman and CEO, attended the “Salute to Star Power” gala event that capped off the three-day conference. Swanson was thanked for Raytheon’s longstanding support and sponsorship of BEYA events over the years.

Other members of the corporate leadership team in attendance included: John Harris, Raytheon Executive Diversity Champion and vice president of Contracts and Supply Chain; Louise Francesconi, president of Raytheon Missile Systems; Keith Peden, Raytheon senior vice president of Human Resources; and Rebecca Rhoads, Raytheon vice president and chief information officer. Emanuel Brady, vice president and Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) CIO, and Hayward Bell, Raytheon chief diversity officer, were also in attendance.

Recognizing Engineering Excellence
Three of BEYA’s top honors went to two Raytheon employees who competed with individuals from more than 150 companies, government agencies and the armed services for their specific honors.

Wyllstyne Hill, vice president of Information Technology and chief information officer for Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS) in Tucson, Ariz., was recognized with two of the top honors. One of those honors was the prestigious Career Achievement in Industry Award, which recognized her performance as a role model, and the social and economic impact her body of work has had on the engineering community since joining Raytheon in 1971.  Hill was also recognized as one of BEYA’s Top 100 Blacks in Technology.

Wesley Haswell, a Space and Airborne Systems engineer, also received special recognition in the Professional Achievement Category for his more than 25 years of contributions to the defense industry and his involvement with the Texas Engineering Diversity Council and the Raytheon Black Employee Network. 

Twelve other employees (see below) were also named Modern Day Technology Leaders at a special conference event recognizing young, extraordinary performers for shaping the future of engineering with the contributions they have made to Raytheon and the defense industry. 

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Building a Diverse Workforce
In addition to honoring engineers for their contributions, BEYA is an opportunity for students and young engineers to network, meet role models who have succeeded and learn about companies like Raytheon that have a continuing need for quality engineers.

Between events, Raytheon talent acquisition specialists were busy answering questions at the company’s booth in the BEYA career fair. Many Raytheon executives and employees participated in daily workshops and panel discussions, talking about Raytheon-related issues such diversity, retention programs, work-life balance and internship programs.

“We want people to recognize Raytheon as a place where diversity is considered an advantage and a place where a person can grow and succeed — regardless of background,” said Bell. “In an environment where the pool of engineering talent is limited, reaching out is an imperative if we are to sustain and grow our business.”

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