ST. LOUIS, Sept. 06, 2001 -- The Boeing Company has named Karen Bedell as director of Community Relations for the company's Military Aircraft and Missile Systems group headquartered in St. Louis.
In her new role, Bedell will serve as president of both the Boeing-McDonnell Foundation and the Employees Community Fund of Boeing St. Louis, and will oversee Boeing St. Louis educational outreach programs and the activities of company volunteers. She assumes responsibilities for the Boeing-McDonnell Foundation from Toni Bailey, corporate vice president of Boeing Community and Education Relations. With the move of Boeing's world headquarters, Bailey has relocated to Chicago, where she is focusing on national and international citizenship programs.
"Karen is the perfect choice to lead the Boeing programs that are making a positive difference in the community," said Jerry Daniels, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems. "She's keenly focused on customer satisfaction and teambuilding, skills that are critical to her new role. She'll do an outstanding job of building on the strong foundation of community service that Toni has helped create for our Boeing team."
Bedell joined McDonnell Douglas Corporation, now Boeing, in 1984. She most recently served as director of Navy Missile Systems International Programs. Prior to that, she was the F/A-18 program manager for Australia.
The Boeing-McDonnell Foundation is a charitable fund established to advance the achievements of not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions that serve St. Louis. The Foundation distributes about $6 million to various organizations each year.
The St. Louis Employees Community Fund that Bedell will oversee is managed by an employee board, funded by employee donations and sponsored by Boeing. Last year the Fund distributed more than $2.1 million to local not-for-profit organizations.
Boeing each year demonstrates its commitment to education by conducting numerous events, including a science and technology career day, a back-to-school supply drive and a summer teacher internship program.
Boeing volunteers in St. Louis contribute more than 6,000 hours each year to a number of community outreach programs, including a summer food drive and holiday gift-giving events.
01-117