Jeffery A. Smisek is the president and CEO

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

 of United Continental Holdings

United Continental Holdings

United Continental Holdings, Inc. , is a publicly traded airline holding company, incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in the United Building in Chicago, Illinois. UCH owns and operates United Airlines, Inc. and Continental Airlines, Inc. both of which use the trade name United Airlines...

 Inc., (NYSE:UAL), the holding company for United Airlines

United Airlines

United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...

 and Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...

. Together with their regional partners, these airlines operate a total of approximately 5,675 flights a day to 372 airports on six continents. Smisek is also a member of the United Continental Holdings, Inc. Board of Directors.

Previously, Smisek was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Continental Airlines, Inc. Smisek joined Continental in 1995 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. In 2004, he became President and was elected to the company’s board of directors. He became President and Chief Operating Officer in September 2008 and assumed the role of Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer in January 2010.

Smisek serves on the board of directors of the Baker Institute, the Museum of Science and Industry and National Oilwell Varco, Inc. He was also named Aviation Week’s Person of the Year for 2010.

Education and personal life

Smisek graduated from Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

, A.B. summa cum laude in Economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, in 1976, and Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

, J.D. magna cum laude, in 1982.