Bell Helicopter’s tiltrotor craft
Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, announced three new members to its Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and the departure of two leaders, the company said Aug. 28. Effective immediately, Gunnar Kleveland will assume the role of senior vice president, integrated operations; Cathy Ferrie will serve as senior vice president, engineering; and Matt Hasik will take on the position of senior vice president, commercial programs. Kleveland, Ferrie and Hasik will succeed Pete Riley and Jeff Lowinger in their respective roles as executive vice president, integrated operations, and executive vice president, engineering and commercial programs. “We are excited to welcome these new members to the ELT at Bell Helicopter. Gunnar, Cathy and Matt are ready to assume their important new responsibilities, which is a testament to the efforts we have made in talent development and to our focus on building leader capability,” said John Garrison, president and CEO at Bell Helicopter.
Kleveland joined Bell Helicopter nine years ago and has had numerous leadership roles in strategic sourcing, supply chain and logistics. Most recently, he led the company’s supply chain optimization efforts. Kleveland earned degrees from the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and a master’s degree from Midwestern State University. Ferrie joined Bell Helicopter 15 years ago, serving in technical and leadership positions of increasing responsibility in engineering. Under her leadership as vice president of Xworx, the team has made improvements in advanced research and development efforts for the OH-58 and Bell 407 armed aircraft demonstrators, and next generation rotor blade and hub technologies as well as advanced materials and analytical tool development. Ferrie received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Syracuse University, a master’s degree and a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is the Southwest Region director-at-large for the American Helicopter Society and is part of the NASA Aeronautics Roundtable. Most recently the program manager for the V-22 program, Hasik has had several strategy, operations, engineering and program management positions during his seven-year tenure at Bell Helicopter. He has led significant design and development efforts for key programs, including the Bell 525 Relentless, and as chief engineer for the V-22, Hasik led efforts toward solving critical fleet readiness challenges with respect to gearboxes, blades, and engine time-on-wing. A U.S. Navy veteran, Hasik earned bachelor and master’s degrees in engineering from Duke University and a master of business administration and master’s degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Riley will retire at the end of the year after 11 years of service at Textron. Under Riley’s leadership, Bell Helicopter increased its output in both Fort Worth and Mirabel, and successfully completed the production ramp of the V-22 program, achieving production of 40 V-22s per year in less than five years. Riley also contributed to the establishment of a safety first culture throughout the company. Lowinger will be taking a leadership position outside of Bell Helicopter. During his five-year tenure with the company, he has been instrumental in the development of new products such as the Bell 525 Relentless and the recently announced Bell SLS.