Ronald Sugar ’68, M.S. ’69, Ph.D. ’71

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Ronald Sugar established a record of achievement from an early age. The first in his family to finish high school, Sugar went on to UCLA, graduating summa cum laude in electrical engineering at age 19. The next year, Sugar obtained a master's degree, then earned his doctorate by the age of 23, in the same field. He subsequently completed executive education programs at Stanford University, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.

Today, Sugar is chairman, chief executive officer and president of Northrop Grumman Corporation, one of the nation's three largest defense companies and a leader in the application of high technology to military transformation. Over the last 10 years, Northrop Grumman has undergone a strategic transformation through a series of highly successful mergers and acquisitions. Northrop Grumman is the nation's largest shipbuilder and a leader in systems integration, advanced aircraft, radars, electronic warfare, space systems, missile defense and government information technology. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Northrop Grumman employs more than 125,000 people in all 50 states and 25 countries. Sugar joined the company following its 2001 acquisition of Litton Industries Inc., a diversified defense and technology company. He previously served as Litton's president and chief operating officer and as a member of its board of directors.

Prior to joining Litton, Sugar was president and chief operating officer of TRW Aerospace and Information Systems, and a member of the chief executive office of TRW Inc., a global automotive, aerospace and information systems company. Earlier, he ran TRW's worldwide automotive electronics business and also served as TRW's chief financial officer. TRW Inc. was acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2002.

In 1996, Sugar was honored by UCLA as Engineering Alumnus of the Year. In 2003, he received the University of Southern California's Daniel J. Epstein Engineering Management Award and the Marine Corps Foundation's Semper Fidelis Award. In 2004, Sugar received the Neil Jacoby International Award from UCLA's Dashew International Center for Students and Scholars.

Sugar is a governor of the Aerospace Industries Association, a trustee of the Association of the United States Army, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He earlier was appointed by the President of the United States to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. Sugar also serves as a national trustee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and as a trustee of the University of Southern California.

“I can think of no finer candidate to receive this award,” says Scott Seymour, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. “His accomplishments reflect great credit upon himself, his family, UCLA, the Northrop Grumman Corporation and the greater Los Angeles community.”