William G. Sutton, CAE, President and CEO of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, has received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the National Eagle Scout Association and the 2013 Financial Services “Good Scout” Award from the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Both awards were presented to Sutton at the Financial Services “Good Scout” Award Dinner held at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 7.
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award was established by the National Eagle Scout Association in 1969 to acknowledge Eagle Scouts who have received national-level recognition within their field and have a strong record of voluntary service to their community. Previous recipients include President Gerald R. Ford, astronaut Neil Armstrong, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, Senator Richard Lugar and cinematographer Steven Spielberg.
The “Good Scout” Award recognizes leaders who exemplify the values of the Scout Oath and Law in their personal, professional and civic life. According to National Capital Area Council Scout Executive Les Baron, “These values—trustworthiness, loyalty, doing one’s duty to God and Country—were hallmarks of Woody’s military, association and government career. Woody is an excellent role model for our youth of where perseverance and determination can take you.”
Sutton has held leadership roles in the military, government and association arenas throughout his distinguished career. A former U.S. Navy Rear Admiral with 30 years' military service, he took the helm of ELFA, the premier trade association representing the $827 billion equipment finance sector, in 2010. Previously, he served as Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services, a unit of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. He joined the Commerce Department after serving for five years as president of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute. He holds an M.S. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Naval Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.
“Scouting is one of our treasured national institutions, and the lessons I learned in scouting have helped me throughout my career, both in the Navy defending this great nation and in business working for our country’s future prosperity,” said Sutton, an Eagle Scout. “I am deeply honored to receive both of these awards.”