Faculty Member, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University
Sean O’Keefe holds the academic faculty rank of University Professor at Syracuse University, one of only 17 such faculty appointments conferred by the University in its 150-year history. He is also the Howard and Louise Phanstiel chair in Strategic Management and Leadership at the Maxwell School, and serves as a Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., a policy think tank in partnership with the Maxwell School.
Before his current post, O’Keefe served as Chairman and CEO of Airbus Group, Inc., the North America subsidiary of the global aerospace, defense and space corporation, and was a member of the corporate executive committee. Previous to his Airbus appointment, he was a company officer and Vice President at General Electric following his service as Chancellor of Louisiana State University. Between public service appointments, he was on the faculty at Penn State University and the Syracuse University Maxwell School.
O’Keefe served as a presidential appointee confirmed by the US Senate on four separate occasions. He served as the 10th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; after he joined President George W. Bush’s Administration on inauguration day as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget; he was appointed 69th Secretary of the Navy by President George H.W. Bush, and previously served as Comptroller and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Defense. Prior to the Pentagon appointments, he served on the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations staff and was Staff Director of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. His public service career began in 1978 upon his selection as a Presidential Management Intern.
Sean and Laura O’Keefe reside in northern Virginia and at Lake Skaneateles in upstate New York. They have three adult children.
