[1] Stonecipher began his career at General Motors' Allison Division, where he worked as a lab technician and was influenced by Jack Welch.

[3] In September 1994, Stonecipher was elected President and CEO of McDonnell Douglas, holding this post until its merger with Boeing in 1997.

[3] Stonecipher came out of retirement to lead Boeing, following the resignation of Chairman and CEO Phil Condit in December 2003 over several scandals.

These scandals surrounded allegations of documents stolen from competitors and the hiring of a government procurement officer who at the time was involved in the United States Air Force's KC-767 contract.

Stonecipher assumed the titles of President and CEO, which was not considered an interim appointment as there was no search initiated for a new Chief Executive, while Lewis Platt became non-executive Chairman of the Board.

[5] Under Stonecipher's guidance, the Air Force lifted a 20-month suspension of Boeing's Launching Systems Group, which had been involved in one of the scandals, allowing them to bid on Pentagon contracts again.

[7] Although not fully evident at the time, the results of major changes to Boeing's airplane program design, sourcing and financing made during Stonecipher's and Condit's tenures would later prove disastrous.

The probe found that Boeing business operations were unaffected, that Peabody's career and compensation were not influenced, and that there was no improper use of company expenses or property.