Harry J. Pearce Nominated to Serve as Chairman of the National Defense University Foundation Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2005 -- The National Defense University Foundation (NDUF) today announced Harry J. Pearce, former chairman of Hughes Electronics Corporation, has been nominated to serve as Chairman of the Foundation Board of Directors. Pearce will succeed Paul J. Cerjan, vice president of Haliburton and a retired Army Lieutenant General.

"Harry Pearce is one of America's foremost business executives and has made a significant leadership impact at General Motors as general counsel, executive vice president and vice chairman and at Hughes Electronics as chairman," said NDUF President Charles D. Link. "Harry was also instrumental in establishing our strategic business forums, which are tied into the annual American Patriot Awards program, and we look forward to taking those to new levels of national prominence in the future."

A native of Bismarck, North Dakota, Pearce is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. During his service career, Pearce served as a Staff Judge Advocate in the Air Force and was certified as a military judge. On his return to civilian life, he joined a law firm in Bismarck. He was a municipal judge in Bismarck from 1970 to 1976 and also served as United States Commissioner and U.S. Magistrate.

Pearce joined General Motors as associate general counsel in October 1985, assuming responsibility for all product litigation and product safety matters worldwide. Previously, he had been a senior partner in the law firm of Pearce & Durick in Bismarck, N.D. In that capacity, he represented GM and other industrial companies nationwide in a variety of product liability cases over a period of 15 years.

Pearce is the former Chairman of the United States Air Force Academy's Board of Visitors, Chairman of the U.S. Air Force Academy's Sabre Society, and a lifetime member of the U.S. Air Force Academy's Association of Graduates. He was the recipient of the U.S. Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation's Colonel I. Robert Kriendler Memorial Award in 1998 and is also serving his sixth year as co-chairman of the U.S. Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation's Annual Leatherneck Ball.

Pearce is also a member of the board of directors of Marriott International, Inc., MDU Resources Group, Inc., Nortel Networks Ltd. and Nortel Networks Corporation, National Defense University Foundation, The New York Bone Marrow Foundation, The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, the Lauri Strauss Leukemia Foundation, the Stewart Francke Leukemia Foundation, Chairman of the GM Cancer Research Foundation and The Marrow Foundation's Board of Directors, President and board member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Research Foundation, and a member of University of Michigan's Health System Advisory Board. He also serves as a member of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) board of advisors.

Pearce is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and a fellow in the International Society of Barristers. He served as the first chairman of the Product Liability Advisory Council Foundation and was a founding member of the Minority Counsel Demonstration Program of the American Bar Association's Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession.

Pearce served as a member of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (including co-chair of the global mobility initiative on sustainability), co-chair of the Presidential Commission on the United States Postal Service, The Mentor Group's Forum for U.S.-EU (European Union) Legal- Economic Affairs, and The Conference Board. He also serves as a trustee of Northwestern University, Howard University, and the Air Force Academy Association of Graduates.

Pearce was born on Aug. 20, 1942, in Bismarck, N.D. He received a bachelor's degree in engineering sciences from the United States Air Force Academy in 1964, where he was a member of the Honor Committee, the Dean's List, the Commandant's List, and the Superintendent's List and a recipient of the Major General Fechet Award. He earned his juris doctor degree from Northwestern University's School of Law in 1967 where he was a Hardy Scholar. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1997, and an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Northwestern University in 1998 and an Alumni Merit Award in 1991.

In 2005, he received the University of Mary Leader in Entrepreneurship Award and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Public Service Award; the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award in 2004; the Society of Surgical Oncology's James Ewing Layman's Award in 2003; the International Association of Organ Donation's Corporate Benefactor Award and The American Jewish Committee's National Human Relations Award in 2001; the National Conference for Community & Justice Humanitarian Award and The Black Patriots Foundation Leadership Award in 2000; Parents magazine's "As They Grow" Award in 1999; The Detroit News "Michiganian of the Year" Award in 1998; and the ABA's Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession's "Spirit of Excellence" Award in 1997.

About the National Defense University Foundation

The National Defense University Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1982 to support and enhance the mission and goals of the National Defense University. The National Defense University is America's preeminent institution for military, civilian, and diplomatic national security, education, research, outreach and strategic studies. The main campus is located at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington DC. The NDUF promotes excellence and innovation in education by nurturing high standards of scholarship, leadership, and professionalism. It brings together dedicated individuals, corporations, organizations, and groups that are committed to advancing America's national security and defense readiness. The NDUF Board of Directors is composed of prominent Americans representing a cross section of the private sector as business and community leaders who serve in a voluntary capacity.