Phebe Novakovic

Phebe Novakovic is an American business executive and former intelligence officer, currently serving as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Dynamics, a major aerospace and defense company. She has held this position since 2013, after joining the company in 2001 and serving in various executive roles, including President and Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President for Marine Systems, and Senior Vice President for Planning and Development.

Before her tenure at General Dynamics, Novakovic had a distinguished career in the U.S. government. From 1997 to 2001, she served as Special Assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense, managing processes for major Department of Defense budget and policy decisions. She also worked at the Office of Management and Budget, culminating in her role as Deputy Associate Director for National Security, where she managed the President’s budget for the Department of Defense and U.S. Intelligence Agencies. Earlier, from 1983 to 1986, she was an operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency.

Novakovic holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College, earned in 1979, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, obtained in 1988.

In addition to her role at General Dynamics, she has served on the boards of several organizations. She was a director of Abbott Laboratories from 2010 to 2021 and has been a director at JPMorgan Chase & Co. since 2020 . She also serves on the boards of trustees for Northwestern University and Ford’s Theatre, and is involved with organizations such as the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and the National Military Family Association.

Novakovic has been recognized for her influence in the business world. She was ranked 21st on Fortune's list of Most Powerful Women in 2023 and was also listed as the world's 29th most powerful woman by Forbes.