Retired CEO/Chairman of Goodrich to Present next Wilson Lecture on Feb. 27

Marshall Larsen to speak at The College of Wooster on Feb. 27

WOOSTER, Ohio — Marshall Larsen, retired chief executive officer, chairman, and president of Goodrich Corporation, will present “The Journey from Tires to Aerospace” at The College of Wooster’s next James R. Wilson Lecture in Business Economics. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m., in the Wilson Room of The Scot Center (1267 Beall Ave.). His lecture will focus on Goodrich’s transformation from a tire manufacturer in a commodity market to a global leader in the aerospace industry.

Larson joined Goodrich in 1977 and gradually climbed the corporate ladder. He began as an operations analyst and financial manager before becoming director of planning and analysis and then director of product marketing. Five years later, he was named assistant to the president and then general manager of several divisions of the company's aerospace business. He was elected vice president of the company in 1994 and then named group vice president of Goodrich Aerospace. A year later he was promoted to executive vice president. In 2002, he became president and chief operating officer, and the following year he was appointed president and chief executive officer.

A former chairman of the U.S. Aerospace Industries Association, Larsen is also a member of The Business Council and The Business Roundtable. In addition, he serves as a director of Lowe's Companies, Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, United Technologies Corporation, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. In 2011, he was named Citizen of the Year by The Charlotte World Affairs Council.

Larsen received his Bachelor of Science degree (1970) in engineering from the United States Military Academy, and earned his Master of Science degree (1977) from the Krannert Graduate School of Industrial Management at Purdue University.

The James R. Wilson Lecture Series in Business Economics brings business and financial leaders to the Wooster campus to share their insights with students, faculty, and the broader community. The series is supported by the James R. Wilson Fund for Business Economics, which was established in 2001 through a gift from James R. and Linda R. Wilson. Previous speakers in the Wilson Lecture Series include Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment; Donald Kohn, vice chairman of the Federal Reserve; and Katharine Lee Reid, former director of The Cleveland Museum of Art.

Additional information about Larsen’s lecture is available by phone (330-263-2145) or e-mail.