Joel DeBoer
PresidentAviation & Federal General Manager
An outstanding leader with a natural ability to build strong connections with others, Joel DeBoer is a big believer in hiring the right people, getting out of their way and letting them achieve.
Joel has spent his entire career at Burns & McDonnell, starting in 1991 as an electrical engineer assigned to aviation and federal projects. He became a project manager, then moved up the ranks to take on leadership roles, where he served as a department manager, vice president of operations and senior vice president within the Aviation & Federal Group. In 2021, he took over leadership of A&F and today, as its president and general manager, pilots a robust team executing domestic and international aviation and federal projects around the world.
In the community:
Joel is passionate about strengthening and investing in his community. He supports organizations including:
- Saint Luke’s Hospital
- Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired
- Safe Home Domestic Violence Shelter
- Children’s Mercy Hospital
- Kansas City Zoo
- Various Local STEM Initiatives
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
How about a mashup of random factoids? I played saxophone in high school, drove a Jeep in college, have been skydiving and scuba diving, and bungee jumped. I rappelled down waterfalls, worked in 10 different countries, had emergency heart surgery at 46, can solve the Rubik’s cube, and sang to my wife at our wedding.
What’s the coolest part of your job?
Having conversations with creative, smart people and enjoying those moments when you come together to uncover a solution that creates a Polaroid memory of high-fives.
What excites you most when you look at the future of our company?
In ways we have never seen before, the challenges in front of us are larger, more complex, include surprising mashups across multiple industries and looking for answers. Worrisome? Nah, because the ridiculously talented teams and future leadership we have on deck are already working on solutions that will move the needle, and I can't wait to watch what they achieve. The future is bright.