Jim Thornton has been appointed director of environmental health and safety strategy and regulatory affairs at the Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII).

In this new role, Mr. Thornton is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic initiatives related to environmental health and safety. He also will explore other programs that will benefit employees and dependents in numerous wellness initiatives.

Mr. Thornton joined the shipyard in 1978 and has served in a number of different capacities with increasing responsibility. As director of environmental health and safety, he was instrumental in bringing OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and ISO 14001 certifications to NNS. He has a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Auburn University and a master's degree in industrial hygiene from Texas A&M University. Mr. Thornton is a national board-certified safety professional and industrial hygienist. He currently serves as president of the Virginia Self-Insurers Association and chairman of the American Society of Safety Engineers Government Affairs Committee.

"Newport News Shipbuilding has a strong reputation in environmental health and safety on the national level, largely due to Jim's efforts," said Bill Bell, vice president of human resources and administration at NNS. "I am confident and excited that he will continue to move our programs to even higher levels of performance."

August 12, 2011