FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Sept. 18, 2014 – Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Sheila Cheston, corporate vice president and general counsel, received the InsideCounsel magazine Sharing the Power award for making significant strides to expand the influence and empowerment of women in the legal profession. Cheston received the award for leadership in enhancing diversity at the InsideCounsel-Transformative Leadership Awards dinner held last night in Washington, D.C.
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At Northrop Grumman Cheston oversees all of Northrop Grumman's legal matters and is a member of the company's corporate policy council.
Throughout her career, Cheston has been committed to breaking barriers and advancing diversity and inclusion, in private practice and in government. Cheston and her diverse leadership team at Northrop Grumman worked with the American Bar Foundation to support research on the progress of women in the legal profession, sponsored an Equal Justice Fellow who provides legal services to homeless veterans and partnered with a law firm to provide legal counsel to underserved women and children in the community. The Northrop Grumman team has been honored for their dedication to diversity and inclusion and community service with the 2014 National Association of Women Lawyers Challenge Award, the 2012 American Bar Association Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Award and the 2012 Legal Times Champions Award.
Cheston joined Northrop Grumman from BAE Systems, Inc., where she was executive vice president and a member of its board of directors. Previously, she was a partner at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, where she was chair of the firm's International Aviation, Defense and Aerospace Group. Cheston has held key leadership positions in the U.S. government, including general counsel of the United States Air Force and special associate counsel to the President of the United States.
Cheston earned a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a juris doctorate from Columbia University School of Law. She is a fellow of the American Bar and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Cheston serves on the board of directors of the National Partnership for Woman and Families, the board of advisors for the National Military Family Association and the board of directors, Equal Justice Works.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
