Defense giant Lockheed Martin disclosed last week that it will be ending its centennial year of operations with a surprise: the installation of its first female Chief Executive Officer.

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In 2002, he was promoted to chairman and chief executive officer, becoming the first African-American to run a major Wall Street firm.

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Wyman , former chief executive officer of CBS TV, became the first member of the Augusta National Golf Club to resign in protest over the club's refusal to admit a woman member.

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"We're through the first stage, " says Mark Richardson, New York-based chief executive officer for Chase Asset Management.

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As President and Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems, Inc. she is the first woman to ever head a major Pentagon contractor.

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Meantime, among the tens of thousands of Americans who lost jobs in the first 100 days of the Obama presidency was one Rick Wagoner, former chief executive officer of General Motors Corp.

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"I looked at it as a four-legged stool with one leg very deep in the ocean, " recalls Fluxman, a tanned, toned South African who first came aboard as chief financial officer and chief operating officer, stepping up to chief executive officer six years ago.

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The indictment says the home improvements provided by Veco and its chief executive officer, Bill Allen, a "personal friend of Stevens, " included a new first floor, a new garage, a new first- and second-story wraparound deck, new plumbing and new wiring.

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