REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Nov. 29, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has appointed five vice presidents to manage the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; civil space; Prometheus 1; subcontracts; and Six Sigma at the company's Space Technology sector.
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Those appointed are:
-- Dennis Averyt - vice president, intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance
-- Maureen Heath - vice president, civil space
-- Peggy Nelson - vice president and project manager, Prometheus 1
-- David Rosener - vice president, subcontracts
-- Ron Smith - vice president, Six Sigma
"These senior positions significantly strengthen our management team and add depth during a time when our business is growing and we are seeking new opportunities," said Wes Bush, president of the Space Technology sector. "They will focus intently on developing and implementing enhanced processes to ensure mission success, bring new levels of customer responsiveness, and build on our historic market positions to leverage the full range of Space Technology's capabilities."
Dennis Averyt, 51, as vice president, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), is responsible for the sector's strategy in the ISR market area as well as the development of advanced systems and capture of major systems contracts. As ISR market area lead for the sector, Averyt is the senior focal point for relationships with customers and is accountable for ensuring responsiveness to their needs, enhancing business opportunities and cultivating new customers.
Averyt earned a bachelor's degree in marine engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy.
Maureen Heath, 49, as vice president, civil space, is responsible for the sector's strategy in the civil space market, including the development of advanced systems, and the capture of major systems contracts in that business area. She is the senior focal point for the sector's civil space customers, building on current relationships with NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, specifically. Heath additionally is the company's lead executive for NASA's Space Exploration Prometheus initiative.
Heath brings an extensive background in space programs to her new position from her most recent role as vice president of marketing and Washington operations. She began her aerospace career with the U.S. Air Force in 1979. Heath earned a bachelor's degree in physics from California State University at Fullerton and a master's degree in public administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She was named a Brookings Congressional Fellow in 1995, serving in the office of Senator Pete Domenici for one year.
Peggy Nelson, 49, as vice president and project manager, Prometheus 1, will lead the Northrop Grumman team chosen recently to co-design the program's spacecraft in conjunction with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Prometheus 1, formerly known as the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO), is a robotic mission to orbit and explore three planet-sized moons of Jupiter as a pioneering initial step in the country's new Space Exploration initiative. Appointed JIMO program manager in 2003, Nelson headed the sector's successful proposal team. Prior to that, she was director of systems development operations for Northrop Grumman Mission Systems.
Nelson earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of California at Los Angeles and a master's degree in electrical engineering from California State University, Northridge. She has also completed the Executive School of Management Program at the University of California, Los Angeles.
David Rosener, 40, as vice president, subcontracts, reflects the critical nature of the sector's current subcontracts base as well as the increasing importance of subcontracts among new business opportunities. Rosener leads the sector's overall subcontracting strategy from source selection through negotiation, execution and delivery. He joined Northrop Grumman in 2002 as director of subcontracts.
Rosener earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and a master's in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.
Ron Smith, 44, as vice president, Six Sigma, is responsible for the strategy and development of the sector's process-based business approach.
In his previous position as director, electrical processes and products in the sector's engineering organization, Smith led its transition to a process-based approach and helped pave the way for effective implementation of this approach across the entire engineering organization. Since joining the company in 1982, Smith has held many technical and managerial positions related to the development of electrical communications hardware for satellite systems.
Smith earned a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Calif., with post-baccalaureate studies at Long Beach State University.
Northrop Grumman Space Technology develops a broad range of systems at the leading edge of space, defense and electronics technology. The sector creates products for U.S. government and commercial customers that contribute significantly to the nation's security and leadership in science and technology.
