Northrop Grumman Employees Honored
for Leadership and Community Service

 

Matthew Needy Director of Process Excellence Strategy Northrop Grumman Newport News Higher Resolution Image Richard Charles General Foreman for Trades Labor Resource Planning and Strategy Northrop Grumman Newport News Higher Resolution Image

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Oct. 11, 2005 –Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has announced that two employees, Matthew Needy and Richard Charles, received the Top Forty Under 40 award for leadership, innovation and achievement in their careers, and their dedication to the community.

Inside Business, a weekly business journal covering Hampton Roads, Va., started the Top Forty Under 40 award seven years ago as a way to recognize people in business under 40 years of age for community involvement.

A panel of four judges evaluated more than 80 nominees on their professional achievements, vision and leadership, innovation and strategies for growth, and community service. The winners were profiled in a special issue of Inside Business and honored at a banquet on Oct. 10 at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.

Matthew Needy joined Northrop Grumman’s Newport News sector in 1991 as an engineer in the submarine division. He has held a number of engineering positions with increasing responsibility and now serves as the director of process excellence strategy. He is active in the community through his involvement with Leadership Hampton Roads, the Hampton Roads International Council on Systems Engineering and the Project Management Institute. He is a lay leader at Zion United Methodist Church and volunteers for St. Paul’s Soup Kitchen in Newport News and the PORT Homeless Shelter Program.

Richard Charles began his career with Northrop Grumman Newport News as a welding apprentice more than 19 years ago. He has held a number of positions in production, engineering, finance and trades management, and is now a general foreman for trades labor resource planning and strategy. He serves the community through his participation on the Virginia Community College System State Board and as a Northrop Grumman Newport News United Way Cabinet member. He is president of the Northrop Grumman Newport News Mariner’s Club and leads volunteer efforts for Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, the Head Start program, the Boy Scouts and Relay for Life.

Northrop Grumman Newport News, headquartered in Newport News, Va., is the nation's sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two companies capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines. Newport News also provides after-market services for a wide array of naval and commercial vessels. The Newport News sector employs about 19,000 people.