William Leonhard

Portrait of William Leonhard

William Leonhard
'64, B.S., Civil Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA; M.S., Civil Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ; National Defense University
Retired

BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Leonhard spent more than 35 years in the Engineering industry before retiring in 1998. Mr. Leonhard was a Senior Program Manager for The Parsons Corporation for nine years prior to his retirement. There he managed the design of themed rides for Disney Parks, was the site manager for a 5 million square foot computer manufacturing and development site, and the consultant on the construction of a computer chip manufacturing plant in Oregon.

Prior to working for Parsons, Mr. Leonhard served 25 years in the U. S. Air Force before retiring in 1990 as a Colonel. He served overseas in Thailand, Vietnam, Panama, and Germany. In Germany he managed the formulation of all construction plans to support Air Force mission requirements in Europe. There he developed a $1 billion construction program to support the U. S. wartime contingency plans and the eventual deployment of the Ground Launched Cruise Missile in the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, and Germany. Mr. Leonhard spent his last ten years in the Air Force involved in the military space program. As Director of Acquisition Civil Engineering he managed the design, construction and environmental responsibilities for the facilities required for all DOD space programs world-wide. Among these were the Space Shuttle facilities at Vandenberg AFB, CA and the construction of the Shriever AFB near Colorado Springs, CO.

Mr. Leonhard has had an interest in engineering education for many years and sits on Advisory Boards for the College of Engineering at San Diego State University and the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education at the College of Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. In 1997 he was honored as the Alumni of the Year for the College of Engineering at San Diego State University, receiving their “Monty” award.

William Leonhard was born in Fort Lewis, WA and, as a member of a military family, raised around the world. He graduated from San Diego State University in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and from Arizona State University in 1968 with a master’s degree in Civil Engineering. He is also a 1986 graduate of the National Defense University.

SDSU Affiliations:

  • College of Engineering – Advisory Board

Other Affiliations:

  • Advisory Board Member, Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education at Pennsylvania State University