HII names new VP and NNS chief counsel

Jon Arena

APRIL 16, 2018 — Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) reports that Jon Arena has been named vice president and chief counsel of HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. He succeeds Jim Gildea, who retired on April 1.

Arena will be a key member of the law department’s leadership team, reporting directly to Kellye Walker, executive vice president and chief legal officer, and indirectly to Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin. In this role, he will be responsible for providing legal advice and counsel to senior management and overseeing and coordinating the provision of legal advice to Newport News.

Arena comes to HII from Boeing, where he served as senior counsel, Boeing Global Services, since 2015. Prior to Boeing, he served as a senior attorney at NASA from 2002 to 2015. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the Ohio State University in 1998 and a juris doctor from the College of William and Mary in 2002. He currently is pursuing an MBA through Washington University in St. Louis.

“I’m confident that the breadth and depth of Jonathan’s experience in commercial and government contracting, intellectual property and export control—as well as his strong record of ethics and leadership—will benefit Newport News’ people and programs,” Walker said. “We are fortunate to have him join our team.”