A Profile of Peg Billson, Aeronautical Engineering, '84

A Calculus for Caring

Peg BillsonBack in 1980, Peg Billson was sitting in the calculus survey course required of freshmen like her, who dreamed of one day sitting in the left seat of a 747, when she heard a remark that got her attention.

It came from John Jenkins, who was teaching the course then on Embry-Riddle's Prescott campus. "If you think this is fun," he told the aeronautical science majors in his classroom, "you need to sign up for the engineering calculus sequence." His offer got some laughs - after all, it would have meant taking four more semesters of math - and was ignored.

Four years later at commencement, Billson reminded Jenkins of his long-forgotten throwaway line and told him, "That's what I did." She had just received her degree - in aeronautical engineering.

"I have an innate need to learn things, Billson said, explaining why she shifted her goal from flying planes to engineering them. "Engineering gives you the basics of how and why things work. There's more to figure out."

Billson's need to learn and figure things out has served her well ever since she graduated in 1984. Today, she's vice president and general manager of Honeywell International Inc.'s Aircraft Landing Systems business, based in South Bend, Ind. The unit, with an added 12 repair, overhaul, and distribution centers worldwide, earns $400 million a year.

A knack for figuring things out quickly came at an early age for Billson, as her father, a sales manager, received promotions to larger regions every two to three years. "I'm from everywhere," she said, explaining that she and her three siblings attended schools in Michigan, southern California, Texas, and Maryland.

It was an upbringing that made her very flexible. "I don't think twice about moving to a new experience," she said. "I don't need to have everything defined. I know I'll figure it out when I get there."

What she lost, however, were roots. "I compensate for it with friendships and by associating with causes and organizations I care about - like Embry-Riddle," she said. "Embry-Riddle played an important role in my life, and I've been associated with the university ever since 1979."

Billson, who started flying when she was 14, was in high school in Maryland when "out of the clear blue" she received an invitation to Embry-Riddle's 50th anniversary celebration. "They probably got my name from a list of Cessna owners," she said. Although she didn't attend, when it was time to select a college, her choice was clear. Her goal was to become an airline pilot, and Embry-Riddle was the only university specializing in aviation education.

She wanted to go to Prescott because she loved the Southwest, but her parents favored the Daytona Beach campus, closer to home. "For three or four months, there was a big debate in my family about it," she recalled. The dispute was resolved after her father took a business trip to Daytona Beach during spring break. "He came back and said, 'You can go to Arizona.' "

"The atmosphere on the Prescott campus was -- intimate." She laughed. "It was very small, but it satisfied my needs," she said. "The faculty were there because they wanted to be a part of building something. We were all part of building something there."

Much of what Billson was building there involved friendships and leadership skills. In her second year, she was elected treasurer of the student government, and then became its president. She played volleyball and softball. She helped organize Octoberwest and Casino Night.

During her time in Prescott, Billson and her fellow engineering students - 45 out of a total enrollment of only 290 - were welcomed into the home, and lives, of engineering professor Tracy Doryland and his wife Nancy.

"It was hard for the girls," Nancy Doryland said, "because there were so few women on campus, so we did different things with them. Peg was easy to know, even then. It was fun to be with her."

"The Dorylands became surrogate parents for many of us," Billson recalled. "It was during that period when you're figuring out what you'll do. Their guidance and stability made a difference in who I became as a person. They continue to be very special people in my life."

When Billson graduated, she went to work for Douglas Aircraft Co. in Long Beach, Calif., where for 13 years she held positions in engineering, product support, and program management, eventually serving as vice president of MD-11, MD-80, and MD-90 programs.

Along the way, she picked up a master's degree in engineering-aerospace from California State University at Long Beach, where she published papers and a thesis on computational fluid dynamics.

In 1997, Billson joined Honeywell as vice president of program management for Aerospace Equipment Systems in Torrance, Calif.

Next, she was appointed VP of engineering for Honeywell Engines, Systems and Services in Phoenix, Ariz., where she was responsible for 4,000 engineers worldwide and served five business enterprises. She implemented the Design for Six Sigma methodology to develop products and technologies for propulsion engines, environmental controls, and electrical power systems for commercial, military, and space applications.

In her current position, which she started in January 2003, Billson is accountable for all aspects of the aircraft landing systems business, including setting the strategic direction, delivering on its financial commitments, and satisfying customers.

Running one of Honeywell's aerospace companies, she said, "what gets me fired up is winning. I'm responsible for about 2,000 employees. The most difficult part of my job is figuring out how to grow the business so that I can ensure that our folks have jobs."

But then she likes figuring things out.

"I don't think Peg sees anything as impossible," Nancy Doryland said.

Although she's a top female executive in a male-dominated industry, Billson says she feels no pressure to be someone she is not. "Earlier in my career, I tried on different traits and leadership styles, but I reached the point where being myself is best. I don't care who you are, the fundamental truth will always be: can you stare yourself in the mirror at the end of the day?"

Her need to keep learning, combined with her own rapid career trajectory, has forced her to reevaluate her definition of success. "At a young point in my career I'd achieved a level that others retire at," she said. "What success means for me has now matured. I now want to help others achieve their definition of success."

That list of others includes Embry-Riddle. From 1995 to 2000 she advised the university as a member of its Board of Trustees, and she now serves on the President's Advisory Board.

"Peg brings a sense of understanding and maturity to her involvement with the university," said George Ebbs, the university's president. "Her suggestions are always practical and applicable. She's always working for Embry-Riddle's interests."

But perhaps her most meaningful service to the university is on a personal level. When she returns to the Prescott campus for alumni events, faculty and staff observe, she goes out of her way to interact one-on-one with students. "I've often seen her take out a piece of paper and make a note for them to get in touch with her later," Nancy Doryland said. "She loves encouraging the students and praising them."

By Robert Ross