Hewson joined Lockheed Martin more than 35 years ago as an industrial engineer. During her career at the global aerospace and defense leader, she has held numerous executive and operational positions of increasing responsibility.
Lockheed Martin is organized around four primary business areas – Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space. From those core divisions, Lockheed Martin produces some of the world’s most advanced technologies, including the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, integrated air and missile defense systems, military and commercial helicopters, and the Orion space capsule for deep space exploration.
In 2019, TIME magazine identified Hewson as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World,” and FORTUNE magazine ranked her No. 1 on its list of “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” for the second year in a row. In 2018, she was named the “CEO of the Year” by Chief Executive Magazine, a Top 10 “Businessperson of the Year” by FORTUNE magazine, and one of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes.
Hewson currently serves on the board of directors of Johnson & Johnson, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, the board of governors of the USO, and as chair of the Catalyst board of directors. She previously served on the boards of DuPont, DowDuPont and Carpenter Technology.
Hewson has served on several U.S. government advisory bodies and business advisory groups. She is currently a member of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and the National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group. She is former chairman and current executive committee member of the Aerospace Industries Association and a member of the board of directors for the Business Roundtable.
Born in Junction City, Kansas, Hewson grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and her Master of Arts degree in economics from The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business. She is a member of UA’s President’s Cabinet and the Board of Visitors of the Culverhouse College of Business.
Her contributions to her alma mater are significant. In 2018, she and her husband, James Hewson, gave $15 million to support the construction of a new 108,000-square-foot building for the Culverhouse College of Business. The building will be named Hewson Hall in recognition of their generosity. The College was also the beneficiary of a $5 million gift in 2017 to support innovation and education in data analytics through an on-campus computing and collaboration center that bears her name.
She and James have two sons, Will and David.
