Charles Keegan
Former vice president-operations planning for FAA, Charles Keegan, has joined Raytheon Co. as director of strategic development, airspace management and homeland security (AMHS). He reports to Andrew Zogg, AMHS vice president. Keegan also was formerly chairman and director of FAA’s Joint Program Development Office. Visit www.raytheon.com.
Patterson, Rabey, Burgess
Cobham plc, Wimborne, UK, has appointed John Patterson as a non-executive director. He is executive director-development at the pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca plc, and has held directorships with other firms. In addition, Cobham has appointed Pete Rabey as director of group strategy. He formerly was a partner in McKinsey & Company, specializing in the aerospace and defense sector. And Cobham has named Martin Burgess group director of human resources. Cobham produces avionics and aerial refueling equipment, among other products. Visit www.cobham.com.
William Carroll
William Carroll has been named director of sales at Optical Alchemy Inc., Maynard, Mass., a producer of systems for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, Carroll has a 30-year history in aircraft sales with companies such as Aerospatiale, Piper Aircraft, Executive Jet Inc., Meteorlogix and HeliFlite Shares. Visit www.uavpayloads.com.
New Officials
Midcoast Aviation, Cahokia, Ill., recently announced personnel changes in its engineering department. Joe Thurman has been named director of the Bombardier Global 5000/XRS program; Kelly Sepe has been promoted to manager, structural engineering; and Pat Quinn is now manager of certification/designated alteration station (DAS) administration. Midcoast also made changes in its sales department, naming Michelle Averso and Mary Smith as customer account managers. Both Averso and Smith will focus on Challenger 604 completions; Averso also will work with Global 5000 customers. In addition, David Derrick has been named senior graphic designer. Meanwhile, Sabreliner Corp. and its subsidiary, Midcoast, have hired Tammy Gillette as training and development coordinator. She formerly was with Elliott Aviation. Visit www.midcoastaviation.com.
John Chino
Northrop Grumman has appointed John Chino as deputy of the company’s Electronic Systems sector and vice president and general manager of enterprise excellence. The 34-year veteran with the company will report to James Pitts who was recently named corporate vice president and president of Northrop’s Electronic Systems Division. Chino formerly served as the Electronic Systems sector’s vice president and general manager of engineering and manufacturing. Visit www.northropgrumman.com.
Itzhak Nissan
Itzhak Nissan has been appointed as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. by the company’s board of directors. Educated at the University of Washington in Seattle, Nissan joined IAI in 1978 as a systems engineer. He became corporate vice president and general manager of the Systems Missiles & Space Group in 2002. Visit www.iai.co.il.
Steve Opel
Interstate Electronics Corp. (IEC), an Anaheim, Calif.-based subsidiary of L-3 Communications Corp., has appointed Steve Opel as senior program manager for its Air Force programs. He reports to Vern Green, IEC’s vice president of programs. Opel formerly was a U.S. Air Force colonel who served as the Materiel Command’s representative to the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, Ill. IEC produces GPS receivers and translator-based products for aircraft. Visit www.l-3com.com.
Susan Mertes
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) has appointed Susan Mertes director of aviation infrastructure, a newly created position. She is an attorney with a telecommunications law degree. According to an AIA release, Mertes "monitors and identifies emerging issues and trends related to aviation infrastructure and federally funded advanced systems research and development." Visit www.aia-aerospace.org.
Dave Miller
DiagnoSYS, Kissimmee, Fla., has named Dave Miller eastern region sales director, based in Port Richey, Fla. He has held other positions in the field of electronics test, inspection and programming, including with GenRad, Analog Devices, Teradyne, Mantech, IMS and Eagle Test Systems. Visit www.diagnosys.com.
Michael Romanowski
Michael Romanowski has been named president of the National Center for Advanced Technologies (NCAT), a research and education foundation that provides a bridge between government, industry and academia. He also maintains the position of vice president of civil aviation at the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). Romanowski succeeds Stan Siegel, who retires from Arlington, Va.-based NCAT, which is the parent organization of the Next Generation Air Transportation System Institute. Visit www.ncat.com.
Supreet Oberoi
Real-Time Innovations Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based producer of software tools and middleware, has appointed Supreet Oberoi as vice president of engineering. He started his career at Microsoft Corp. and also held various positions at Oracle Corp. Oberoi’s design and engineering accomplishments include developing Agile Software’s product line. Visit www.rti.com.