Kathy Warden
Northrop Grumman
Chair, CEO and President
2023 CME STEM Leadership Honoree for Pioneering Innovation
Kathy Warden is chair, chief executive officer and president of Northrop Grumman Corporation. She was elected chair of the Northrop Grumman Board of Directors in 2019 and has served as CEO and president since January 1, 2019. She was elected to the company’s Board of Directors in 2018. Prior to becoming CEO and president, Warden served as president and chief operating officer, responsible for the operational management of the company’s four sectors as well as its enterprise services organization. She also led the integration of Northrop Grumman’s Orbital ATK acquisition. Previously, she served as corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems and Information Systems sectors.
Prior to joining Northrop Grumman in 2008, Warden held leadership roles at General Dynamics and the Veridian Corporation, she was a principal in a venture internet firm, and she spent nearly a decade with the General Electric Company working in commercial industries. Warden earned a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and a master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Merck & Co., Inc. and Catalyst, and as the vice chair of the Greater Washington Partnership. She is also a member of the Business Roundtable, and the 2022 recipient of the Deming Cup for Operational Excellence.