Brown Named to Florida Tech Board of Trustees

Harris CEO Continues Company’s Long History of University Support

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Institute of Technology today announced that William M. (Bill) Brown, chairman, president and CEO of Harris Corporation, has been named to the university’s Board of Trustees.

“Florida Tech is very proud of its decades-long partnership with Harris, and particularly pleased to welcome Mr. Brown to the university’s governing body,” said Florida Tech President and CEO Anthony J. Catanese. “We’ve long admired Harris’ commitment to this community, and appreciate Mr. Brown continuing that commitment.”

Brown joins two former Harris CEOs who currently sit on Florida Tech’s Board of Trustees. Phillip W. Farmer, current Board chairman, has served since 1994. John T. Hartley has served on the Board since 1987.

Harris is a leading global provider of communications and information technology products, software, systems, and services to government, defense, and commercial markets. Corporate headquarters are located in Melbourne, and the company has about 14,000 employees who serve customers in more than 125 countries. Brown was appointed president and chief executive officer in November 2011 and elected chairman of the board in April 2014.

Prior to this, Brown was with United Technologies Corporation (UTC), where he held several senior leadership roles since joining the company in 1997. He most recently was senior vice president, Corporate Strategy and Development, with responsibility for the company’s global strategic planning and M&A activity. Before that, he served five years as president of UTC’s $6.5 billion Fire & Security division, where he led 45,000 employees, operating 41 factories and 350 branches across 35 countries. In this role, he successfully executed and integrated a number of acquisitions, grew sales from $4.2 billion to $6.5 billion and tripled operating profits. During his tenure he transformed the division into a global leader in the $100 billion fire safety and electronic security market.

Brown received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in mechanical engineering from Villanova University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.

###