ProWomen Luncheon

Catherine B. McKee

Senior Vice President & Director

Strategic Business Services (SBS)

General Dynamics C4 Systems

About the Speaker:  As Senior Vice President and Director, SBS, and as a member of General Dynamics C4 Systems (GenDyn) Leadership Staff, Cathy is responsible for the leadership of many of the critical activities including: Business Support Services; Public Affairs & Issues Management; Internal Communications; Community Affairs & State Government Relations; Environmental, Health, Safety (EHS) & Chemical Control; Facilities Operations; Product & System Safety; Environmental Test Services; and Visual Media Communications & Publication Service. Cathy also functions as the liaison in all of these areas vertically with corporate General Dynamics.

In her role as GenDyn Crisis Preparedness Committee Chair, Cathy is responsible for all of the related activities, including crisis planning, prevention, response and business recovery (P2R2). GenDyn is recognized internally and externally as a model for its level of excellence in all aspects of risk management and communication.

Cathy serves as the GenDyn Business Process Owner for all aspects of preventive action (ISO9000.2001) risk & opportunity management and environmental, health and safety (ISO14001 & OHSAS18001). She has also served as a member of the Strategic Issues Management Committee, leading stakeholder relations and ally development activities.

As the leader of the Facilities Operations team, Cathy is responsible for the management of 140 acres of real estate, over 1.4M square feet of research & development engineering, manufacturing, and administrative space that houses over 3000 employees and 1000 tenants. GenDyn received the 2002 General Dynamics Safety & Health Achievement Award. GenDyn’s Scottsdale site is a 3-time recipient of the OHSA Voluntary Protection Plan STAR award.

As a member of the Executive Committee of the Worldwide EHS Council, Cathy has share responsibility for the development and implementation of EHS corporate-wide policy, standards, audit procedures and assessment processes. Cathy leads the development of the 5-Year Strategic Facilities, Compliance, Pollution Prevention, Waste Minimization, and Emergency Response Plans. During the 1990s, Cathy participated in Motorola's remediation efforts at the North Indian Bend Wash Superfund Site.

Cathy has been appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the Board of Trustees of the US Forest Service Foundation, where she participates on the Exective and Fianance Committees and chairs the Grants Committee.

Cathy is an Emeritus member of the Board of Directors of Scottsdale Healthcare and serves on its Quality Committee, as well as on the Board of Directors of Hospice of the Valley. Cathy is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Board of Jobs for Arizona's Graduates, where she chairs the Strategic Planning and Management Assessment Committees. Cathy has chaired the External Affairs Advisory Panel of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Cathy is a member of the International Women’s Forum and was President of the Arizona Women’s Forum and a founding member of the Arizona Foundation for Women. In addition, Cathy was an incorporator of Arizona Business Leadership for Education.

Cathy serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy. She also serves on the Dean’s Councils of the Colleges of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Public Programs as well as on the Advisory Council for the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics.

Cathy is a recognized expert in the area of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award & Criteria, specifically for her knowledge of the development and assessment processes around the Leadership Category 1.0. Her major focus is Public Responsibility & Citizenship, and under her direction General Dynamics C-4 Systems has become one of the most admired high technology companies in the Valley of the Sun.

Cathy has received many honors, including:

• American Society of Safety Professionals Executive of the Year for Arizona
• United Way Spirit of Caring Award
• YWCA Corporate Woman of the Year
• Jobs for America’s Graduates National Leadership Award
• Arizona State University’s Distinguished Achievement Award
• Top 100 Women in Arizona.
• International Women’s Forum “Women Who Made a Difference”
• Arizona Visionary Award for Community Service.
• Co-Author of the Handbook for Successful Communications

Cathy has served on the Management Board of the Frontline Group, an e-Learning company, and as a member of the Boards of Directors of KolbeCorp.com and Air Physics Corp. Cathy’s previous positions included Vice President of Administration, Director of External Affairs & Issues Management, Manager of Public Relations & Marketing, and Manager of Organization & Human Resource Planning & Development. Cathy’s’ experience was gained through prior positions at Max Factor & Co., Colgate-Palmolive Company, Allied Chemical Corp. and Ciba-Giegy Pharmaceuticals. Cathy received a BS in Chemistry from the College of Saint Elizabeth, is a graduate of the Arizona State University College of Business Management Institute and is a fellow of the Kaiser Institute for Innovation and Technology.