AVIATION
Textron Inc., parent company of Bell Helicopter, has named Lisa Atherton as president and CEO of Textron Systems. She succeeds Ellen Lord, who will be nominated by President Donald J. Trump as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics within the Department of Defense.
Atherton most recently served as executive vice president of military business at Bell Helicopter where she provided strategic direction, overall management and performance for all government programs and business development efforts
She has also held several other leadership positions within military programs since joining Bell Helicopter in 2012, including vice president of global military business development, V-22 program manager and director of military programs.
Prior to joining Textron, Atherton was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and spent eight years in Air Combat Command’s Directorate of Requirements, helping shape the budget and operational requirements and needs for the combat air forces. She is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and earned her master of business administration from the Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary.
AWARDS/HONORS
Room in the Inn volunteer Drew Thomas has been selected as the 2017 Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy, an honor bestowed in the National Philanthropy Day Awards presented by the Fort Worth Metro Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
DRC Solutions, formerly the Day Resource Center, Thomasrew for summer bottled water drives the young member of Calvary Lutheran Church has conducted since 2015 in support of the Room in the Inn program to help people experiencing homelessness.
Thomas and other individuals and organizations will be officially honored Nov. 16, 2017, at a luncheon at Cendera Center.
TECHNOLOGY
Joe DiFonzo has been named as chief information officer for Sabre Corp.
RETAIL
Up-and-coming designers Marissa Heyl of Grapevine and Natalie and Ken Wood of Irving were among the winning collections that will be featured in Belk stores and online starting in March 2018. The Southern Designer Showcase, sponsored by Belk, is in its fifth year and celebrates the regional Southern designers who embody Belk’s modern, southern style. This year’s winners were selected out of 13 finalists from dozens of applicants.