By Jill Wojciechowski

This is one in a series of personality profiles in Horizons online that takes a closer look at the members of the Rockwell Collins executive leadership team.

Executive profile index

When 13-year-old Jonathan Chadick expressed an interest in Mock Trial and Speech competition earlier this year, his father simply smiled and quickly vowed to support his only son's decision.

Gary Chadick was about Jonathan's age in the early 1970s when the hit television show Perry Mason caught his attention. That's when he began toying with the idea of one day becoming a trial lawyer involved in his own courtroom dramas.

The surprise witnesses and stern cross-examinations on the longest-running lawyer show in American television history had without a doubt piqued Chadick's curiosity. But unlike his own son, Chadick didn't receive encouragement from his father.

"My dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was 12 months old," said Chadick, who was raised primarily by his mother in Syosset, N.Y. "By the time I was 10 or 11, he had moved to a nearby VA Hospital, so most of my memories of him are in a wheelchair or hospital bed."

Although Chadick wasn't fortunate enough to have a positive male influence in his life, he did receive tremendous support from his mother, Norma, who took over the family furniture business in Long Island, N.Y., when her husband became ill.

Recognizing her son's growing interest in law, Norma Chadick later arranged a summer internship for her then 16-year-old son at one of her customer's law firms.

"I always had that itch to be a lawyer when I was a kid," said Chadick, now Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Rockwell Collins. "Getting the opportunity at age 16 to see what the practice of law was really like was incredible."

Making a dream come true

With a much clearer understanding about what it was like to practice law and what it took to make that dream become a reality, Chadick decided to forego the chance to carry on the family furniture business.

Early encouragement — Gary Chadick credits his mother, Norma, for encouraging him to fulfill his dreams. Today, the 46-year-old East Coast native is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Rockwell Collins. Although his mom now resides in Florida, the two still have a close relationship.
Photo by Paul Marlow, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

"I had been working at my parents' business throughout my childhood, and I wanted more for myself - and I think my mom did, too," said Chadick. "She didn't force me to continue the legacy of that business. She gave me a choice, so I opted to pursue a law career."

After graduating from high school in 1979, Chadick entered Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.

"My mom was a very strong believer in getting a good education and she instilled that concept in me early on," said Chadick. "She pushed real hard for me to go to college because she believed you needed that educational foundation to get ahead in the world."

His father, Howard, passed away during the first semester of his freshman year, but Chadick continued on and eventually received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and math.

In 1983, he entered The George Washington University National Law Center in Washington, D.C., where he met the man who ultimately helped shape his career as an aerospace and defense industry attorney.

Professor Ralph Nash founded the Government Contracts Program at the National Law Center in 1960, and was director of the program when Chadick began law school. He also taught First-Year Contracts - a mandatory class for all law students - and although there were three other classes each with different professors, Chadick ended up in Nash's classroom.

Toward the end of the first semester, he was approached by Nash about a summer job as a student research assistant.
 
"He liked my work, and since law school was pretty expensive, I took whatever opportunity I could to help defray some of the expenses," recalled Chadick. "That's where my path toward government contracts work began."

California bound

After receiving his Juris Doctor in Law in 1986, Chadick and one of his friends planned a short vacation to California for the purpose of catching an Oakland Raiders football game. But when word of his trip spread throughout McKenna, Connor and Cuneo - the firm at which he had been working as a clerk - Chadick soon found himself also preparing for a job interview.

A few years earlier, several of the law firm's partners had relocated to Los Angeles where they started a government contracts practice to better serve their West Coast clients. One of those partners was Jay Gallagher, a well-respected government contracts attorney who eventually hired Chadick as a first-year associate in the L.A. office.

"I could have stayed in Washington, D.C., where I also had a job offer, but the experience those L.A. lawyers had in government contracts really was the deciding factor," said Chadick. "I thought I had a much better chance of getting practical, litigation experience working for them."

So, in September 1986, Chadick relocated to suburban Los Angeles, where he went to work representing aerospace and defense companies such as Boeing, Lockheed, and General Dynamics, and almost all of the major government contractors and subcontractors.

He was a self-described workaholic and, by 1992, was working about 2,800 billable hours per year. He had a great career, was working on multi-million dollar claims and lawsuits and was obtaining great deposition and litigation experience. But, it was all-encompassing and his thoughts about what he wanted from life were beginning to change.

Three years earlier while working on a case, Chadick was introduced to his future bride. Lori Branson had an MBA degree in finance and was working as a financial consultant at a company hired to represent Chadick's client. The two began dating after the case closed, and were married in September 1990.

"We were in our late 20s by then and we both knew what we wanted, and that included a family," said Chadick. "I was traveling all of the time and working on the weekends, and we both knew we needed to find more balance in our lives."

After the realization that he'd have to pursue work outside of his current firm, Chadick began searching for and landed an in-house counsel position at Litton Industries - now part of Northrop Grumman- in Woodland Hills, Calif.

"Gary is an extremely dedicated family man and he does his very best to balance his career and family life," said Rockwell Collins Assistant General Counsel Paul Coe, who worked with Chadick at Litton Industries. "He didn't get the opportunity to do a lot with his father because of his illness, so he's very committed to spending time with his family."

A surprising move

Seven years later, Chadick had become Litton's Assistant General Counsel, and was content with the life he and his wife had built with their two young children - a son and a daughter - in southern California.

But when Litton General Counsel John Preston approached him in April 2001 about an opportunity at an aerospace and defense company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, things began to change.

"I smiled when John told me about the job because I had never lived in the Midwest, and I certainly didn't know much about Cedar Rapids," admitted Chadick. "I'm a big-city guy, but it was an interesting opportunity, so I kept an open mind."

With the support of his wife, who was raised in Yankton, S.D., Chadick decided to make a move that surprised both his mother and his older sister.

"My mom and sister were shocked that I'd be interested in a job in the Midwest," said Chadick. "I had lived in Los Angeles for 15 years and grew up in New York."

But the connection Chadick made with Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and CEO Clay Jones, and other members of the senior leadership team, left a lasting impression. And, on July 23, 2001, he became our company's first General Counsel.

"I remember sitting on the airplane going back to L.A. following my interview in Cedar Rapids, and wondering if I could really move to a small Midwest city," said Chadick. "My wife and I talked a lot about the job opportunity and what we would really miss about not living in a big city, and we ultimately came to the conclusion that this was a move we had to make.

"I wouldn't be at Rockwell Collins today if it weren't for my wife," he continued. "She's been tremendously supportive of my career and she understands - having been in the work world - the demands that attorneys face. She's very supportive of the hours I need to work to get the job done."

A down-to-earth guy

Those who know Gary Chadick both personally and professionally are the first to admit he is extremely humble. And, despite the fact that he sets very high work standards, he is a different person when he is away from the office.

"Gary is very focused on execution when he's in the office, but when he's away from the office he's a very easy-going, extremely gracious individual," said Coe. "A lot of people only get to see his professional side when they interact with him in his capacity as the General Counsel and Secretary; however, he's very much just a down-to-earth type of guy."

Heather Neff, who has known Chadick for the past seven years and worked for him as a project manager in the Office of the General Counsel, agrees. Neff also says she wouldn't be where she is today without the career guidance she received from the man she describes as her informal mentor.

"Working for Gary wasn't always easy, but he had a unique way of bringing out the best in me," admitted Neff, now a senior program manager for Data Link Solutions at Rockwell Collins. "He helped me reach a level I might not have otherwise, and I think that says a lot about his leadership style."

Although she left the Office of the General Counsel two years ago, Neff still finds herself calling her former leader for advice and direction.

"I learned so much about what dedication really means when I worked for Gary," said Neff. "He is so dedicated to his career, but he's also very close to and dedicated to his family. He's constantly talking about his wife and kids, and he makes sure he sets aside quality time with each of them."

Whether it's watching a New York Yankees baseball game with his son, helping his 9-year-old daughter, Jennifer, complete her Girl Scout projects, or playing a round of golf with the entire family on a Sunday afternoon, Chadick cherishes his time with his family.

He also is committed to helping Rockwell Collins continue its success, which is something that motivates him day in and day out.

"One of the best decisions I've ever made in my life was coming to Rockwell Collins," said Chadick, who resides on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids. "This is the best job I've ever had. I am fortunate to be able to work with management that understands the importance of ethics and legal compliance."

Chadick also appreciates the working relationship he has established with his executive assistant, Susan Hinds.

"Susan is an outstanding assistant," he said. "She does an incredible job with the logistics for our Board meetings, and is such a nice person to work with."

Still in the prime of his life, this 46-year-old executive hasn't given any thought to retirement. He admits that he and his wife will likely return to California when their working days are through, but for now, he is focused on helping our company be successful.

"I truly enjoy coming to work every day, and I look at everything as an opportunity to help make our company better," continued Chadick. "I hope my legacy at Rockwell Collins will be that I was a valuable contributor toward us being recognized as a 'great' company."