About the Speaker
Mr. Tommy Preston, Jr.
Vice President of Ethics |Law & Global Compliance | The Boeing Company
Tommy Preston, Jr. is the global vice president of Ethics at The Boeing Company, where he leads a team of global professionals focused on strengthening Boeing’s culture of compliance and ethical behavior rooted in the company’s values. The Ethics organization also ensures efficient and trusted employee reporting mechanisms and a strong anti-retaliation policy; works with senior leadership to foster a speak up culture through messaging and employee engagement; and embeds professionals across Boeing business units and sites to identify and mitigate risk areas, reinforce expectations of compliant and ethical behavior, and provide guidance to employees.
Previously, Preston served as director of national strategy and engagement and
government operations, where he was responsible for protecting and advancing Boeing’s interests, competitiveness and reputation, and provided counsel on various regulatory and public policy issues. He also supported myriad business unit programs, including 787, Space Launch System, and Missile and Weapon Systems across multiple sites.
Preston also served as co-chair of the company’s Racial Equity Task Force, and
collaborated with stakeholders to advance key measures of equity, diversity and inclusion within the company.
Prior to joining Boeing, Preston was in private practice where he represented companies and organizations, including Boeing, on economic development, public policy, compliance and regulatory matters. He also worked with clients to develop and implement programs to help minimize risk and ensure compliance with state and local regulatory and ethics requirements.
Preston graduated with a degree in political science from the University of South Carolina and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Law. As an undergraduate student, Preston was a Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholar and served as student body president. Preston is the recipient of the prestigious Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the highest honor awarded to a University of South Carolina student. Preston remains active at his alma mater. He served a two-year term as president of the university’s Alumni Association. He was the youngest and first person of color in the university’s history to serve in this position. He also represented alumni as a voting member of the university’s Board of Trustees.
Preston is an active member of the American Bar Association (ABA) where he served in a number of roles including national chair of the ABA’s Young Lawyers Division, representing more than 200,000 young and early career lawyers from across the United States. Preston is also a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and on the Board of the American Bar Endowment.
Preston also continues to stay connected to his home state. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Charleston Wine and Food Festival, is a Liberty Fellow through the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and chairs the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance Board of Directors; the first African American to serve as Chair in the 121-year history of the organization.
Preston and his wife, Felicia, are the proud parents to their three children: Charlotte, Benjamin and Asa.
