• 17 Mar 2025 04:42 AM
• 0

Leadership Moves, Mar/Apr 2025

GAMA Selects Jim Viola as President

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced on Dec. 12 that it had selected James Viola to be its next president and CEO. Viola will join GAMA in March when he steps down as president and CEO of Vertical Aviation International, where he has worked since 2020. Pete Bunce, who has been CEO at GAMA since 2005, will retire in April as part of a transition process. Viola was a US Army aviator, retiring after 26 years as Division Chief of Operations for Army Aviation in the Pentagon. He joined the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2008; he left in 2020 as director of the FAA General Aviation Safety Assurance office.

Elroy Air Appoints Andrew Clare as CEO

On Jan. 14, autonomous aircraft developer Elroy Air announced the appointment of Andrew Clare as its new CEO. He succeeded Elroy’s founding CEO David Merrill, who became its executive chairman to focus on strategy. Clare joined Elroy from autonomous driving technology company Nuro, where he started in 2017 and departed as its CTO.

Dómhnal Slattery Returns as Vertical Chair

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer Vertical Aerospace announced in January it had appointed Dómhnal Slattery as chairman of its board of directors, a position he had held from January 2022 to August 2023. He succeeded Stephen Welch, who will remain on Vertical’s board as a non-executive director. From 2010 to 2022, Slattery was the founding CEO of aviation lessor Avolon, where he booked orders for 500 of Vertical’s VX4 eVTOL aircraft.

Dave Dennison Leaves Archer to Launch Neon Aero

In January, Dave Dennison posted on LinkedIn to announce he would be the founding CEO of Neon Aero, a startup with a small team focused on supplying aerospace and defense manufacturers. Dennison left eVTOL developer Archer Aviation, where he worked since 2021 before departing as its vice president of operations leading military strategy. While Neon has not yet disclosed product offerings or services, Dennison posted on LinkedIn that it aims to “provide serious performance and technological differentiators for fractions of the costs of incumbents.”

NAAMCE Hires Ted Angel as Executive Director

The National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE), based in Ohio at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, announced on Jan. 31 that it has hired Ted Angel as its first Executive Director. NAAMCE, supported by JobsOhio (a private, non-profit economic development corporation), says it “supports the expanding work of manufacturers and operators of advanced air mobility vehicles.” NAAMCE hosts nearly 20 tenants, including AFWERX, Beta and Joby. Angel most recently served as the Director of Projects and Business Development for Aerospace & Defense for the Dayton Development Coalition (DDC), part of the JobsOhio network of regional economic development partners. Prior to the two and a half years at DDC, Angel served for 27 years in the US Air Force.

Christopher Calio Elected New RTX Chair

On Feb. 3, RTX announced that Christoper Calio, the company’s president and CEO, would become its chairman of the board of directors effective April 30. Calio will succeed Greg Hayes, who will transition to the role of special advisor to the CEO through January 2026. Calio started at RTX in 2022 and became its CEO in May 2024. He previously worked at Pratt & Whitney, starting in 2005 and departing as its president in 2022.

XTI Aerospace Appoints Stephanie Chung as Corporate Advisor

On Feb. 4, XTI Aerospace appointed Stephanie Chung to its corporate advisory board as it continues the development and market entry plan of its TriFan 600 VTOL aircraft. Chung had previously been chief growth officer at private aviation provider Wheels Up from 2020 to 2023. She had also worked as president at JetSuite X and national sales director at Bombardier.