BALTIMORE, Feb. 25, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) employees received national recognition during the 2009 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Conference in Baltimore, Feb. 19-22.

"For more than 20 years, this conference has served as a tremendous platform to recognize the outstanding achievement of African-Americans across our country," said William H. Swanson, Chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company. "We are very proud of all of this year’s award recipients."

Swanson attended the event and presented two of BEYA’s top honors to Raytheon employees Alana Tyler and David Wilkins.

Tyler was awarded BEYA’s Most Promising Engineer Award. She is a graduate of the class of 2007 Raytheon Engineering Leadership Development Program, and she was also selected for the 2007 President’s Culture Initiative to help drive cultural change in Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems Business. Due to her proven work ethic, her ability to get results, and her insights, she was chosen for a special rotational assignment to support the Integrated Defense Systems Vice President of Engineering.

Wilkins received the prestigious Career Achievement Award at the BEYA Conference. As Vice President of Contracts for Raytheon Network Centric Systems, Wilkins is a leader who has contributed enormously to the significant growth and success of the company’s business. In 2007 he established a diverse group to pursue international growth. The group has bid on more than 100 international programs worth more than $15 billion and has contributed to higher efficiency, win rates and profitability.

He has also chaired the business’ People Engagement Council, which launched three initiatives last year that will benefit more than 14,000 employees, including more than 6,500 engineers. In addition, he served as the Executive Sponsor for the Raytheon Black Engineer Network for four years, significantly increasing the organization’s effectiveness.

Six other exceptional employees were also named Modern Day Technology Leaders at a special conference event where they were recognized for their dedication and contributions to Raytheon and to industry. They are Vincent Alexander, Jaron Charles, Sherita Cummings, Tiffany Graham, Amunche Onyemelukwe, and Sidney Rodrigues.

Jon Jones, Raytheon executive diversity champion and president of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, said: "Encouraging diversity of thought enables us to tap into the different perspectives and expertise of our employees. The result: more innovative solutions for our customers."

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

    Contact:
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SOURCE: Raytheon Company

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