Patrick M. Shanahan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrick M. Shanahan
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Official portrait, 2018
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| Acting United States Secretary of Defense | |
| In office January 1, 2019 – June 23, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | David Norquist (acting) |
| Preceded by | Jim Mattis |
| Succeeded by | Mark Esper (acting) |
| 33rd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense | |
| In office July 19, 2017 – January 1, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Secretary |
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| Preceded by | Robert O. Work |
| Succeeded by | David Norquist |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Patrick Michael Shanahan
June 27, 1962 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
Patrick Michael Shanahan (born June 27, 1962) is an American businessman. He is currently the president and CEO of Spirit AeroSystems.
Before this, he worked for the United States federal government. He was the acting United States Secretary of Defense in 2019. The Secretary of Defense leads the country's military. President Donald Trump chose Shanahan for this important job.
Before becoming acting Secretary, Shanahan was the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2017 to 2019. He also spent 30 years working at Boeing, a big airplane company.
In May 2019, President Trump planned to make Shanahan the permanent Secretary of Defense. However, Shanahan later decided to step down. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family. His last day in the role was June 24, 2019.
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Early Life and Education
Patrick Shanahan was born on June 27, 1962. His birthplace was Palo Alto, California. He grew up in Seattle, Washington.
He went to Bishop Blanchet High School and graduated in 1980. After high school, he studied at the University of Washington. There, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering.
He continued his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He earned a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He also got a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Career at Boeing (1986–2017)
Patrick Shanahan started working at Boeing in 1986. Boeing is a major company that builds airplanes. He worked on many different airplane programs, like the Boeing 777.
He held many leadership roles at Boeing. He helped manage the Boeing Missile Defense Systems. He also worked on commercial airplane programs such as the 737, 747, 767, 777, and 787.
Shanahan was known as "Mr. Fix-it" at Boeing. This was because he helped solve problems, like getting the 787 program back on track. He was in charge of designing, making, and making sure the 757 family of planes was profitable.
He also led teams for military aircraft. These included the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, Boeing CH-47 Chinook, and Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters. In 2016, he became a senior vice president. In this role, he managed manufacturing and worked with suppliers around the world.
Working for the U.S. Government (2017–2019)
Becoming Deputy Secretary of Defense
On March 16, 2017, President Trump announced that he wanted Shanahan to be the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense. This is the second-highest civilian job at the Pentagon. President Trump wanted Shanahan to help plan for a larger military.
The United States Senate had to approve his nomination. This happened on July 18, 2017, with a vote of 92 to 7. Shanahan officially became the Deputy Secretary of Defense on July 19, 2017.
Serving as Acting Secretary of Defense
President Trump announced that Shanahan would become the acting Secretary of Defense. This happened on January 1, 2019. He took over after Jim Mattis resigned.
As acting Secretary, Shanahan traveled to different places. On February 11, 2019, he made a trip to Afghanistan. He met with leaders there, including President Ashraf Ghani.
He also visited the Mexico–United States border on February 23, 2019. He went with military leaders to see how the border was being managed.
In May 2019, the White House said President Trump would nominate Shanahan to be the permanent Secretary of Defense. However, Shanahan later decided to withdraw his name from consideration. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family. His time as acting Secretary ended on June 24, 2019.
Career After Government (2019–Present)
After leaving government work in 2019, Shanahan joined several company boards. These include Zanite Acquisition Corp., Leidos, and CAE Inc..
In October 2023, he was named interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. He was already a member of the company's board of directors.
Personal Life
Patrick Shanahan lives in Seattle with his wife, Adrienne Shanahan. He has three children from a previous marriage.
Awards and Memberships
Current Positions
- Member, National Academy of Engineering (since 2019)
- Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society
- Fellow, Society of Manufacturing Engineers (since 2004)
- Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Former Positions
- Secretary and Treasurer, American Helicopter Society International Board of Directors
- Chair of Board of Regents at University of Washington
- Regent, University of Washington (2012–2017)
- Board of directors, American Parkinson Disease Association
- Member, Washington Roundtable
Awards
- Distinguished Service (2019), University of Washington College of Engineering
Images for kids
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In Spanish: Patrick M. Shanahan para niños
