After 43 years of dedicated service to aviation and the national defense, Ed Will retired in 2007 as Director of Acquisition and Logistics Policy for the Boeing Company's Integrated Defense Systems business unit. In that role his responsibilities included advocating changes in Federal Government acquisition and logistics policies, implementing a Common Contracts System across the company, and supporting various e-Business initiatives with the Government such as Wide Area Work Flow, as well as other Department of Defense initiatives such as Unique Identification and Radio Frequency Identification. Prior to the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) merger with Boeing, Ed held a similar position since April 1996 in MDC.

Ed began his career as a Cooperative Engineering Student in 1963. He obtained his undergraduate degree from St. Louis University in 1972 and an MBA from the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL) in 1979.

He held various positions in both engineering and business management on advanced aircraft programs, including the original development programs for the USAF F-15 Eagle and USN/USMC F/A-18 Hornet, the National Aero Space Plane, and in various staff assignments, including Management Information Systems.

For several years, he also taught an evening undergraduate business course in computers at UMSL, and served on the UMSL Chancellor's Committee for Educational Outreach. In other leadership roles, Ed served as Director of Contracts and Pricing for McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, and as Director of Business Management for MDC's Phantom Works organization, where he was engaged in numerous R&D programs, including the company's successful bid for the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) program, one of the first Acquisition Reform pilot programs.

Ed is a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a Fellow in the National Contract Management Association (NCMA). He authored or coauthored various papers and articles in such periodicals as American Institute of Industrial Engineers (AIIE) Proceedings, NCMA's Contract Management magazine, and Acquisition Review Quarterly. Ed was invited to speak at such events and institutions as the Acquisition Research Symposium, the AIAA Technology and Operations Symposium, the DOD Procurement Conference, the Air War College, Army War College, the Naval Post-Graduate School, and the Defense Systems Management College.

Ed has rightly earned the respect of countless Boeing employees, industry partners, and government policy makers with his deep knowledge and understanding of government acquisition policies and issues. He helped shape many of these policies over the years. Perhaps most importantly, Ed successfully partnered with many customer representatives, providing them with his ideas, time, and talent while they considered positions on important acquisition issues related to the aviation and defense industry. He is respected by these customers, policy makers, and his colleagues as a professional and a friend.