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Leo A. Brooks Jr. is a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army and senior executive with The Boeing Co.

Brooks’ last position with The Boeing Co. before he retired in April 2020 was vice president, enterprise subsidiary integration, government operations in Washington, D.C. In that capacity, he was responsible for optimizing enterprise integration of Boeing subsidiaries, joint ventures and investment partners.

From early 2009 to 2019, Brooks was vice president, defense, space and security and served as the company’s senior corporate liaison with the Pentagon, NASA and the Department of Homeland Security. In that capacity, he served on the leadership team of the Boeing defense business for 10 years, representing four CEOs during the time period. His first position with Boeing, from 2006 to 2009, was vice president, Army systems.

Prior to joining Boeing in August 2006, Brooks served in the Army for 27 distinguished years, retiring as a brigadier general. He commanded units in virtually every echelon of the Army, including an airborne brigade in the famed 82nd Airborne Division, and served as deputy commanding general of the 1st Armored Division in Germany and commandant of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy. His last assignment prior to retiring was vice director of the Army staff, Office of the Chief of Staff, in the Pentagon. In that capacity, he was the principal deputy to the director of the Army staff, responsible for integrating, coordinating and synchronizing the efforts of the Army staff to support Army and combatant commands in the global war on terrorism.

Brooks holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy and a master’s in public administration from the University of Oklahoma. He is a senior fellow of the Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Government, National Security Studies Program and was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws from the New England School of Law-Boston.

Additionally, he served as the executive in residence for the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management Honors Program at Morgan State University from 2014 to 2016. Brooks also served as a member of the board of trustees of Norwich University for eight years and on the board of the National Defense Industrial Association. He is currently on the board of directors of Valiant Integrated Services, a major defense company, and America’s Public Television Stations (APTS). He is also chairman of the Awards Committee on the Advisory Board of the Association of the United States Army, and former director on the board of the District of Columbia College Access Program. Brooks is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Brooks has received numerous awards, notably the Army’s Distinguished Service Medal in 2006. In 2007, Brooks received the Freedom Team Salute Award for outstanding service to the nation by the secretary of the Army. Additionally, he received the Black Engineer of the Year 2009 Military Leadership Stars & Stripes Award and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. In February 2019, Brooks received the Black Engineer of the Year 2019 BEYA Career Achievement in Industry Award.