John F. McDonnell served as Chairman of McDonnell Douglas Corporation (aerospace) from 1988 until its merger with Boeing in 1997 and as its Chief Executive Officer from 1988 to 1994. Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1938, McDonnell is the son of McDonnell Aircraft founder James Smith McDonnell. McDonnell completed his Bachelor's in aeronautical engineering at Princeton University in 1960. After marrying his wife Anne in 1961, McDonnell began working for MAC as a strength engineer on Project Gemini the following year. After McDonnell became Chairman in 1988, he helped create the newsmagazine 90 Days as a way to keep employees and shareholders abreast of what was going on in McDonnell Douglas.

In addition to his continued involvement with Boeing, he is also a director of BJC HealthCare, chairman of the board of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and vice chairman of the board of Washington University. McDonnell is also a lifetime trustee of the St. Louis Science Center. In 2006, McDonnell and the JSM Charitable Trust endowed $10 million to Washington University for the creation of the McDonnell International Scholars Academy. Commenting on the program McDonnell said, "So far the Academy has progressed beyond my expectations." McDonnell was later named St. Louis "Citizen of the Year" in 2009. McDonnell resides in the St. Louis area, and enjoys traveling and tennis as hobbies.