Poitras named President of Electric Boat as Casey moves up

General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) says that John P. Casey (Right in picture), president of General Dynamics Electric Boat, will succeed Phebe N. Novakovic as executive vice president of the corporation’s Marine Systems group. Novakovic was elected in March by the corporation’s board of directors to be its president and chief operating officer. Kevin J. Poitras (left in picture), senior vice president of engineering, design and business development of Electric Boat, will succeed Casey as president of Electric Boat. The appointments are effective May 2.

In announcing Casey’s appointment, Jay Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of General Dynamics, said, “John Casey has done a superb job as President of Electric Boat. He fully understands the intricacies and opportunities facing the Marine Systems group and will excel at addressing them. His experience in driving continuous improvement and dealing with the complexities of submarine design and manufacturing will benefit the entire corporation.”

“I’m very confident in Kevin Poitras’ ability to lead Electric Boat, furthering our commitment to disciplined program execution that ensures we continue to provide the U.S. Navy with the world’s most highly capable submarine fleet,” Johnson said.

Casey, 57, has been president of General Dynamics Electric Boat since October 2003. He joined Electric Boat in 1979 and served in a variety of increasingly responsible operations and management positions, including vice president of operations, before becoming president. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a master’s degree in business administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Hartford, and a master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Poitras, 60, became senior vice president of engineering, design and business development in September, 2010.He joined Electric Boat in 1973 as a construction support engineer and held positions of increasing responsibility within the engineering and operations departments before becoming vice president, engineering and design programs in 2005.He earned a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from the Maine Maritime Academy.

The General Dynamics Marine Systems group includes General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Conn., and Quonset Point, R.I.; and General Dynamics NASSCO, San Diego, Calif.The group is a leading U.S. shipbuilder, designing, building and supporting a diverse portfolio of ships for the U.S. Navy and commercial customers. These units employ approximately 20,600, and generated net revenue of $6.6 billion in 2011.

April 5, 2012