University of Arkansas Alumna to Visit Campus

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Amy Tu has been chosen as the Arkansas Alumni Association’s 2013 Johnson Fellow.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Alumna Amy Tu, J.D.’96, chief counsel for commercial aviation services for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, will return to the University of Arkansas campus on April 3-4 as the Arkansas Alumni Association’s 2013 Johnson Fellow.

Endowed by Dr. Jeff Johnson, B.A.’70, and his wife, Marcia, the Johnson Fellows program was created for the specific purpose of bringing esteemed alumni back to the University of Arkansas campus to engage and inspire students. Tu, who is lives in Seattle, has a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Wellesley College and Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law. She will share her expertise and multiple-disciplinary background while addressing students studying law, business, political science and engineering as the fourth Johnson Fellow.

“We are very excited to welcome Amy back to Fayetteville,” said Julie Preddy, associate director for Lifelong Learning at the Arkansas Alumni Association. “Dr. Johnson and the selection committee felt students would be inspired from learning about her academics and personal and professional accomplishments.”

The visit is also a chance for Tu, who was born in Canada to first-generation Chinese immigrants, to return home to Fayetteville. Her father, Yien-I Tu, is an emeritus economics professor at the U of A.

Early in her career, Tu worked in the business world, spending time at both Merrill Lynch and Saks Fifth Avenue, before attending law school, where she also served on the Arkansas Law Review. She began her legal career in Arkansas, serving as an international counsel for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for four years. Following a stint as international legal counsel for The Gap Inc., she began working at Boeing Co. in Chicago in 2001, serving as assistant corporate secretary and counsel.

In her current position, Tu is the chief attorney responsible for supporting the president and leadership team of commercial aviation services and providing legal support for all strategic and operational matters worldwide. She leads and manages a team of attorneys, paralegals and administrative staff supporting all global business activities of the fast-growing services division. Acquisitions, joint ventures and alliances are integral parts of the division.

As she climbed the ladder at Boeing, she picked up several accolades along the way. She was named one of the Top 40 under 40 by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2003 along with being named Chinese-American Business Woman of the Year by the Chicago Foundation for Women and Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce in 2004. She is also active with the United Way and Special Olympics.