Dennis A. Muilenburg (born 1964) is an American engineer, business executive and a former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Boeing, a multinational aerospace and defense company. He was CEO from 2015 to 2019, when he was fired in the aftermath of two crashes of the 737 MAX and its subsequent groundings.
Muilenburg was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2018 for leadership in defense, space, security, and commercial aircraft.
Contents
Early life
Muilenburg grew up on a farm in Iowa.
He graduated in 1982 from Sioux Center High School in Sioux Center, Iowa. He received a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University, followed by a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington.
Career
Boeing
Muilenburg started work at Boeing as an intern in 1985.
Muilenburg held numerous management and engineering positions on various Boeing programs, including the X-32 (Boeing's entry in the Joint Strike Fighter competition); Boeing's participation in the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter; the YAL-1 747 Airborne Laser; the High Speed Civil Transport; and the Condor unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. He was later vice president of the Boeing combat systems division and program manager for the Army Future Combat Systems program. Muilenburg was president and chief executive officer of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, later renamed Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), from September 2009 to 2015.
In December 2013, Muilenburg became the president of Boeing.
In June 2015, Boeing announced that Muilenburg would succeed James McNerney as CEO, who was stepping down after ten years in that role. He became CEO in July 2015.
In February 2016, it was announced that Muilenburg would also succeed McNerney as Boeing's chairman. In March 2016, Muilenburg became the chairman of Boeing.
In 2018, Muilenburg agreed to a fixed-price contract to deliver two customized 747 planes to the U.S. government which left Boeing with billions in losses.
In March 2019, as a result of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash and the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, which occurred five months prior to the Ethiopian crash, most airlines and countries began grounding the Boeing 737 MAX 8 due to safety concerns. On March 12, President Donald Trump spoke to Muilenburg and received assurances that the aircraft was safe. Trump grounded the 737 MAX family of planes on March 13.
In October 2019, Boeing announced that the board had voted to separate the roles of chairman and CEO, both of which were held by Muilenburg. David L. Calhoun would take over as non-executive chairman, while Muilenburg continued as CEO and president. The company said this change would enable Muilenburg to focus full-time on running the company, while it worked to return the Boeing 737 MAX to service.
New Vista Capital
As of 2025, Muilenberg is co-founder and CEO of US private equity company New Vista Capital.
Memberships
Board memberships
Current
Trustee, The National WWII Museum
Chairman of the Board, Otto Aviation
Board member, Westwin Elements
Previous
Board member, US-China Business Council
Trustee, Northwestern University
Trustee, Washington University in St. Louis
Board member, Caterpillar Inc.
Board member, The Boeing Company, until he resigned on December 23, 2019, as President, CEO and board member in the aftermath of the 737 Max crashes
Chairman of the board, The Boeing Company
Vice-chairman of the board, The Boeing Company
Chairman of the board, Aerospace Industries Association
Board member, Aerospace Industries Association
Other memberships
Member, Business Roundtable
Member, Association of the United States Army
Member, National Space Council Users Advisory Group
Member, National Academy of Engineering
Personal life
Muilenburg cycles about 120 miles per week around the Chicago area, where Boeing was formerly headquartered.
Muilenburg is married with two children. He is a Baptist.
Awards
Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society
Honorary Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
John W. Dixon Award (2017), Association of the United States Army
CEO of the Year Award (2018), Thurgood Marshall College Fund
Dean's Award (2018), University of Washington College of Engineering
Person of the Year (2018), Aviation Week