Former Trustee

Mr. Patrick J. Finneran, Jr.
Mr. Patrick J. Finneran, Jr.

Mr. Finneran is the President of Accelerated Performance Solutions LLC (APS). APS integrates leadership development, strategic planning and performance management to assist clients in near term performance improvement and long term sustainable growth. Current APS clients include the Sabreliner Corporation in St. Louis, Missouri and the Jacksonville, Florida Aviation Authority.

Prior to founding APS, Mr. Finneran was a senior executive with the Boeing Company. He joined McDonnell Douglas following a 20 year career in the United States Marine Corps. Rising quickly in the company he was promoted to Vice President General Manager of the AV-8B Harrier program in 1992 where he successfully led a tri national development program with Italy & Spain to develop a RADAR equipped variant of the airplane. He also established a remanufacture program to rebuild less capable versions of the Harrier into the RADAR equipped Harrier II+.

His next assignment was to consolidate the AV-8, T-45, F-15, and C-17 aircraft programs in St. Louis into production aircraft programs. The result was a substantial reduction in cost, increased productivity and improved customer satisfaction. Mr. Finneran then served as the Vice President / General Manager of Market Development with wide ranging domestic and international customers.

In 1997 he was assigned to lead all F/A 18 aircraft programs which included production of F/A 18 C/D aircraft, development of the F/A 18 E/F Super Hornet and support for fielded aircraft worldwide. During his tenure the Super Hornet successfully transitioned from development to test and into full rate production. It was one of the few Department of Defense major programs to complete development on cost and on schedule. As a result of this exceptional performance, the F/A 18 E/F program was awarded the prestigious Collier Trophy for the most significant accomplishment in aeronautics and astronautics for 1999.

Read More
Following the F/A 18 program, Mr. Finneran became the Vice President / General Manager of Naval Aircraft responsible for all Navy and Marine Corps aircraft programs. The pinnacle of Mr. Finneran’s career with Boeing was his assignment as President of Boeing Support Systems. This was a $7B business unit responsible for maintenance, logistics, supply chain management and training. In his final assignment as the Vice President of Program Management and Business Excellence, he leveraged his experience as a program manager, division leader and business unit president to revitalize the program management processes for Boeing to include the publication of a comprehensive Program Managers guidebook. Mr. Finneran also served as a member of the Boeing Corporate Compliance Risk Management Board.

Mr. Finneran holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master's degree from East Carolina University. He is a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society. He is an honor graduate of the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, the Air Force Command and Staff College and a graduate of the National War College. In 2009 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Engineering by the University of Notre Dame. In 2004 he was awarded the Navy League's prestigious Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz Award for major contributions to America's Maritime Strength & National Security. He was also recognized as an Outstanding Missourian by a unanimous resolution of the Missouri State House of Representatives for his contributions to the State and St. Louis community.

Mr. Finneran is currently on the Continuing Education Council and Chairperson of the Advisory Council for Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a Trustee of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a Director of the St. Louis Muny, a Director of Grand Center in St. Louis, Vice Chairman of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, a Trustee for the Marine Corps University Foundation and a Director of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.

 

 

About MCUF