Susan Dong
Susan is the Vice President Performance Excellence. She is responsible for Process Improvement initiatives, Project Management Stewardship and Quality Assurance for the Electronics and Integrated Solutions Operating Group within BAE SYSTEMS. The Group’s annual defense electronics sales are $5 billion with more than 17,000 employees located throughout the United States and in the UK. Prior to this assignment, Susan was Vice President Mission Assurance for the Information Systems Sector within BAE Systems. This Sector’s sales were $1.5 billion with more than 7000 employees in the US.
From January 2000 through December 2002, Susan was Vice President Human Resources for BAE SYSTEMS North America, headquartered in Rockville, MD. She was responsible for employee relations, labor negotiations, compensation, benefits, employment, internal communications, and training and development. At that time, the company’s US annual sales were approximately $4 billion, employing approximately 22,000 people in the US designing, developing, integrating, manufacturing and supporting a wide range of advanced aerospace products and intelligent electronic systems for government and commercial customers.
Prior to her promotion to North America, Susan was Vice President Human Resources for the Information Systems Sector. She also served as President and CEO (Acting) for 18 months (3/98-9/99) and successfully led the company through two mergers, exceeded all financial projections and grew the business 5% while maintaining high morale within the company.
She started her career with General Dynamics in 1975 and has held a series of increasingly responsible positions. Five years prior to her move into Human Resources, Susan served as Vice President Business Development and Planning. In that capacity, she was responsible for all new business development activities including marketing, product promotion, customer relations, strategic planning and public relations. She was a principal in the sale of the General Dynamics Electronics Division to the Carlyle Group, the sale of GDE Systems to Tracor and the subsequent sales to Marconi and British Aerospace. She led the acquisition of two specialized engineering companies and successfully directed the divestiture of a $25 million product line. During her tenure, the business grew an average of 8% annually and the international and commercial business base increased from 9% to 22% over a four year period.
Susan received her BA from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Arizona State University. She completed management development programs at Harvard University, the University of Chicago and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Currently, Susan is a member of the Board of Directors for the California Space Grant Foundation, Inc. and the California Center for the Arts - Escondido. She was a member of the American Cancer Society’s Partnership Council for San Diego. Susan was also a member of the Government Requirements Committee of the Electronics Industries Association (EIA), and on the Board of Directors for the San Diego YWCA and Junior Achievement of San Diego. Susan received the Silver Knight of Management Award from the National Management Association, the Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) award and was recognized by Women Together for her support of the YWCA’s domestic violence programs. Susan and her husband, Arne Johanson, live in Rancho Bernardo, CA and have a 23 year old son.
