College of Engineering Commencement 2003 Keynote Speaker

DIRECTV, Inc.Eddy W. Hartenstein is chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of DIRECTV, Inc., chairman of DIRECTV Latin America, LLC and corporate senior executive vice president of Hughes Electronics Corporation. Hartenstein is responsible for the strategic planning of DIRECTV, the nation's leading direct broadcast satellite service and DIRECTV Latin America. Hartenstein is also a member of the HUGHES Executive Committee.

Prior to his position as chairman and CEO, Hartenstein was president of DIRECTV, Inc., which is based in El Segundo, Calif., and is a unit of HUGHES. Hartenstein headed DIRECTV since its inception in 1990 and was responsible for assembling the DIRECTV management team and guiding its strategic efforts to develop the business infrastructure necessary to launch the United States' premier direct-to-home entertainment distribution service. DIRECTV, has been awarded three technical Emmy Awards for its contributions to digital broadcast satellite technology.

From 1987 through 1990, Hartenstein was senior vice president of Hughes Communications, Inc. In that capacity, he was responsible for leading Hughes' acquisition and development of its fleet of Ku-band satellites.

Between 1984 and 1987, Hartenstein served as president of Equatorial Communications Services Company in Mountain View, Calif., now a division of GTE. Equatorial provided nationwide telephony and data distribution services for a variety of Fortune 100 companies.

Prior to joining Equatorial, Hartenstein was vice president of Hughes Communications, from 1981 to 1984. In that position, he directed the marketing and development of the original Galaxy satellite fleet, serving the broadcast television and cable programming industries.

Hartenstein joined Hughes Aircraft Company in 1972. Before transferring to Hughes Communications in 1981, he held a succession of engineering, operations, and program management positions at Hughes Space and Communications Company and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Hartenstein received bachelor's degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 1971 and 1972, respectively. He received an M.S. degree in Applied Physics from Cal Tech in 1974 while a Hughes Aircraft Company Masters Fellow.

Hartenstein sits on the board of directors for Thomson Multimedia and the Consumer Electronics Association, and is currently chairman of the Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association (SBCA). Hartenstein was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Class of 2001, and in 2002 he was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.

College of Engineering Commencement 2003 Index