Edward E. Whitacre, Jr. – 01/30/10
Chairman and CEO, General Motors Company
Chairman Emeritus, AT&T Inc.
Mr. Edward E. Whitacre, Jr., was elected chairman and CEO of General Motors Company on December 1, 2009, supporting its vision to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles. He is also chairman emeritus of AT&T Inc., the largest and most storied communications company in America and the world.
Based in Dallas, Texas, AT&T is a leading worldwide provider of wireless, broadband, business communications and other services, including directory publishing and advertising services.
Whitacre served as chairman and CEO of the company from 1990 until retiring in June of 2007. In that time, he led then-SBC Communications on a disciplined growth strategy and through a series of industry-changing mergers and acquisitions, including the 2005 acquisition of AT&T Corp., after which the company adopted the venerable name, AT&T Inc.
SBC made significant domestic and international investments in Teléfonos de Mexico and the acquisitions of Pacific Telesis (1997), SNET (1998) and Ameritech (1999). In addition, SBC established several groundbreaking strategic partnerships with companies such as Yahoo! and Echostar, enabling SBC to set the pace for DSL sales as well as enter the video market. SBC joined with BellSouth to create Cingular Wireless, which in 2004 acquired AT&T Wireless. SBC and the new AT&T have repeatedly been named by Fortune magazine as the most admired telecommunications company in America and the world. Forbes magazine named AT&T “Company of the Year” for 2006.
Born in Ennis, Texas, Whitacre graduated from Texas Tech University in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. He began his career with Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1963 as a facility engineer in Lubbock, Texas. He then progressed through a series of assignments in the company’s operational departments in Texas, Arkansas and Kansas.
From 1982 to 1985, Whitacre headed Southwestern Bell’s Kansas Division, leading the state division through the divestiture of the Bell System. He then moved to corporate headquarters where he served as group president, vice president-revenues and public affairs, and vice chairman and chief financial officer.
In October 1988, Whitacre was made president and chief operating officer, responsible for the company’s six primary subsidiaries. Within 16 months, Whitacre became SBC chairman and CEO, and retained this title with AT&T Inc.
Whitacre’s leadership extends beyond the corporate community – and into the community at-large – where he is actively involved in a wide variety of educational and civic activities. In addition to past service as the national president of the Boy Scouts of America, he is the past chairman of the Board of Regents of Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He has also served as Chairman of the United Way Community Campaign for San Antonio and Bexar County, Texas. He remains an Advisory Council member of the Boy Scouts and a trustee for the Advisory Board of the San Antonio United Way group.
Whitacre currently serves on the boards of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation and the PGA Tour. He also became Chairman of the new General Motors board when the company launched in July 2009. He serves on the board of the Institute for International Economics and is a member of The Business Council. Additionally, he has served on the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and the board of Anheuser-Busch Companies.
In recognition of his commitment to business and community, Whitacre was named one of the Top 25 Executives of the Year by BusinessWeek. He also has earned a number of awards for his contributions to business and civic affairs, including the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce’s Freeman Award, the Spirit of Achievement Award from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, and the International Citizen of the Year Award from the San Antonio World Affairs Council. In March 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Business Hall of Fame. He’s been inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame and the American Academy of Achievement. In 2006, he was named Texan of the Year by the Texas Legislative Conference. He also has been recognized with the Corporate Leadership Award from the National Minority Supplier Development Council and is a recipient of the Obelisk Leadership Award, recognizing outstanding commitment to the arts.
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