General Howell M. Estes, III (USAF Retired) was appointed to our board of directors as an independent director in April 2001, is chairman of our nominating and corporate governance committee and is a member of our compensation committee. General Estes retired from the United States Air Force in 1998 after serving for 33 years. At that time, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Space Command, and the Commander of the Air Force Space Command headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. In addition to a bachelor of science degree from the Air Force Academy, he holds a master of arts degree in public administration from Auburn University and is a graduate of the Program for Senior Managers in Government at Harvard's J.F.K. School of Government. Since 1998, General Estes has been the president of Howell Estes & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm to chief executive officers, presidents, and general managers of aerospace and telecommunications companies worldwide. He serves as vice chairman of the board of trustees at The Aerospace Corporation. He served as a consultant to the Defense Science Board Task Force on Space Superiority and more recently as a commissioner on the U.S. Congressional Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization, also known as the Rumsfeld Commission. |