Boeing announced on Tuesday the nomination of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley for election to the company’s board of directors.
Haley served as ambassador to the U.N. under President Donald Trump from January 2017 until she resigned in December of the same year.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to contribute to Boeing’s continued success as a cutting edge industry leader and a great American company,” Haley said in a statement.
Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg welcomed her nomination, saying in a statement that “Haley brings to Boeing an outstanding record of achievement in government, industry partnership, and successfully driving economic prosperity.
Haley wrote in her October resignation letter that she would be taking a “step up” into the private sector after leaving the U.N. Since then, Haley has received $200,000 for domestic speaking engagements, CNBC reported in January. Haley is just one of several Trump officials who have passed through his Cabinet and into the private sector.
Trump approved a massive defense policy bill last August that authorized a top-line budget of $717 billion to cover a variety of spending. The 2019 National Defense Authorization Act included $616.9 billion for the Pentagon’s base budget, $69 billion for overseas contingency operations funding and $21.9 billion for nuclear weapons programs under the Energy Department. Boeing also won a $805 million contract last summer to build refueling drones to be based on aircraft carriers.
When Haley was South Carolina’s governor, she helped Boeing establish new facilities in the state in 2013. The most notable facility was the company’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft manufacturing complex. Boeing had nearly 7,000 employees and contractors in South Carolina as of last year.
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