Northrop Grumman Corporation
Ronald Smith
Vice President, Corporate Competitive Excellence
Ronald Smith is vice president of corporate competitive excellence and leads the company's continuing effort to drive process improvement and enhance performance across the corporation.
Prior to his current assignment, Smith was vice president of Six Sigma for Northrop Grumman Space Technology. He was responsible for the strategy and development of a tailored approach to implementing business transformation through process improvement by identifying business improvements that benefit our customers and return tangible value to the business.
As director of electrical processes and products in engineering, Smith led the integration of this organization as it was formed during the company's transition to a process-based business approach, and helped to pave the way for an effective implementation within engineering.
Since joining TRW in 1982, Smith has held many technical and managerial positions related to the development of electrical communications hardware for satellite systems. He was responsible for the design and development of all electrical hardware for flight programs including RF, digital, mixed signal and power & control disciplines, and flight embedded software. He led the Digital Products Center for payload electrical design, and was principle investigator for multiple IR&D programs in the development of advanced communications hardware.
Smith earned a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, with post-baccalaureate studies at Long Beach State University.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense company headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. Northrop Grumman provides a broad array of technologically advanced, innovative products, services and solutions in systems integration, defense electronics, information technology, advanced aircraft, shipbuilding, and space technology. The company has more than 125,000 employees and operates in all 50 states and 25 countries and serves U.S. and international military, government and commercial customers.