November 1, 2005: Headlines: COS - Costa Rica: Business: Compliance: Financial Management: Financial Executive: Costa Rica RPCV Bill Romenius is Director of International Business Compliance at Boeing
Peace Corps Online:
State:
Massachusetts:
February 8, 2005: Index: PCOL Exclusive: Massachusetts :
November 1, 2005: Headlines: COS - Costa Rica: Business: Compliance: Financial Management: Financial Executive: Costa Rica RPCV Bill Romenius is Director of International Business Compliance at Boeing
Costa Rica RPCV Bill Romenius is Director of International Business Compliance at Boeing
"Traveling around the world over the last several years has given me a deeper appreciation for language skills. Serving in the Peace Corps, I learned Spanish. As a child, I was frequently in the company of my extraordinary Lebanese grandparents, who spoke Arabic. I wish I had taken advantage of that opportunity to learn to speak Arabic."
Costa Rica RPCV Bill Romenius is Director of International Business Compliance at Boeing
Bill Romenius
Nov 1, 2005 - Financial Executive
When just out of college, Bill Romenius volunteered to join the U.S. Peace Corps. Who would've known that would be a backdrop for what has ultimately become a varied finance-based career that is full of international travel?
Title: Director - International Business Compliance
Company: The Boeing Co., Aerospace
Born: Holyoke, Mass., March 17, 1951
Family: Married to Brenda for five years. Brenda has two children: Megan, 21, and Brian, 19.
Education: Wichita State University, BA, Major in History, 1973; Wichita State University, MBA, accounting emphasis, 1975; Yale Executive Management Program, 1988
Career Summary: 1980 to present, The Boeing Co. Due to its size and diversity, I have been fortunate in undertaking several significant and challenging assignments within Boeing over the past 25 years. These include: Jan. 2003 to present: International Business Compliance, Washington, D.C.; 2001-03, Director of Financial Policy, Washington, D.C.; 1995-2001, Assistant Controller, Company Offices, Seattle; 1986-95, Director of Cost Accounting/Cost Accounting Affairs Manager, Company Offices, Seattle and Washington, D.C.; 1980-86, Financial Analyst, Seattle and Wichita, Kans.; Oct. 1977-April 80: Peace Corps Volunteer, Financial Analyst, Costa Rica, National Institute for Cooperative Development (INFOCOOP)
FEI Chapter: Washington, D.C. Chairs FBI's technical Committee on Government Business (CGB)
Leisure: Brenda and I enjoy going to concerts and theatre and taking walks around Washington, D.C. As members of the Smithsonian Residence Associates Program, we sign-up for Smithsonian Civil War tours led by noted historian Ed Bearss.
Time Management: At the start of each day, I put together a mental list of things that I wish to complete by day's end and stick to it.
Stress Management: Jogging after work really helps. Also, I find it helpful that when one issue is causing stress to move onto something else. It is amazing how often that once you go back to the stressful issue, an answer or direction becomes obvious and the path for a solution has been defined.
Recently-read Book: The World is Flat and others by Thomas Friedman. I find his perspectives valuable in understanding the Middle East and globalization. This has helped me gain an appreciation of the influences on the world economy and the role the U.S. plays in it.
If I could, I'd like to meet Benjamin Franklin, because of his pragmatism, and Thomas Jefferson because of his sheer genius. I'd like to gain their perspectives on current events. I would even buy the beer, which, in honor of the occasion, of course, would be Samuel Adams!
Who is your hero? My brother, Tommy. As a special education teacher for almost 30 years, he has made a difference in the lives of many underprivileged children - in spite of the significant increase in paperwork and regulatory compliance requirements. He works on on weekends so that when he has the kids in his classroom, he can spend that time with them. When he was preparing for a quadruple heart by-pass recently, Tommy's main concern was updating the lesson plans for his kids!
What's the best advice you've received? Two history professors in college told me to get my MBA instead of pursuing advanced degrees in history, and then one of my MBA professors recommended that I join the Peace Corps.
Favorite Deal: In 1996, as part of the merger with Rockwell Aerospace, an advance agreement on the handling of pension costs was required between Boeing and the U.S. government. I had to work with many government agencies to explain our proposed solution and gain their approval.
About 30 minutes prior to the deadline, all the approvals were gained and I was able to execute the advance agreement. We were able to close on the merger, which has benefited Boeing and its customers, principally the U.S. government - a true win-win.
If I could, I would change: Traveling around the world over the last several years has given me a deeper appreciation for language skills. Serving in the Peace Corps, I learned Spanish. As a child, I was frequently in the company of my extraordinary Lebanese grandparents, who spoke Arabic. I wish I had taken advantage of that opportunity to learn to speak Arabic.
Email: William.p.romenius@boeing.com
- Edited by Ellen M. Heffes
When this story was posted in January 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject. |
| PC establishes awards for top Volunteers Gaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9. |
| Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 years Congratulations to the Peace Corps for the highest number of volunteers in 30 years with 7,810 volunteers serving in 71 posts across the globe. Of course, the President's proposal to double the Peace Corps to 15,000 volunteers made in his State of the Union Address in 2002 is now a long forgotten dream. With deficits in federal spending stretching far off into the future, any substantive increase in the number of volunteers will have to wait for new approaches to funding and for a new administration. Choose your candidate and start working for him or her now. |
| 'Celebration of Service' a major success The Peace Corps Fund's 'Celebration of Service' on September 29 in New York City was a major success raising approximately $100,000 for third goal activities. In the photo are Maureen Orth (Colombia); John Coyne (Ethiopia) Co-founder of the Peace Corps Fund; Caroline Kennedy; Barbara Anne Ferris (Morocco) Co-founder; Former Senator Harris Wofford, member of the Advisory Board. Read the story here. |
| PC apologizes for the "Kasama incident" The District Commissioner for the Kasama District in Zambia issued a statement banning Peace Corps activities for ‘grave’ social misconduct and unruly behavior for an incident that occurred on September 24 involving 13 PCVs. Peace Corps said that some of the information put out about the incident was "inflammatory and false." On October 12, Country Director Davy Morris met with community leaders and apologized for the incident. All PCVs involved have been reprimanded, three are returning home, and a ban in the district has since been lifted. |
| The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today. |
| Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community. |
Read the stories and leave your comments.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: Financial Executive
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Costa Rica; Business; Compliance; Financial Management
PCOL24343
90