John S. Langford, Chairman and President
John S. Langford is the Chairman and President of Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation,
which he founded in 1989. Langford is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He received
his Bachelors degree in Aeronautics (1979), Masters in Aeronautics and Defense Policy
degrees (1985 & 1983) and Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Public Policy (1987) from MIT.
Prior to Aurora, Langford worked for the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria,
Virginia. While at MIT, Langford organized and led a series of human-powered aircraft
projects, culminating in the Daedalus Project, which in 1988 shattered the world
distance and endurance records for human-powered flight with a 72 mile flight between
the Greek islands of Crete and Santorini. Earlier, Langford worked for the Lockheed
Corporation as an engineer on the development of the F-117 stealth fighter, and
as an intern at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Langford
has been awarded the DeFlorez Prize from MIT (1979), the Kremer Speed Prize from
the Royal Aeronautical Society (1984), the Young Engineer of the Year award from
the AIAA National Capital Section (1989), the National Tibbets Award for outstanding
contributions to the SBIR Program (1996), the Barry M. Goldwater Educator Award
from the AIAA (2000), and the President's Award for Exceptional Service from the
National Association of Rocketry (2008). He was chosen as one of Virginia's Outstanding
Industrialists for 2004 by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and was named Virginia's
Small Business Person of the Year for 2004 by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Langford co-founded Athena Technologies in 1998 and served as CEO and Chairman.
Athena was sold to Rockwell Collins in 2008. Langford is an Associate Fellow in
the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a Fellow in the
Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS). He has served on academic advisory boards at
MIT, the University of Maryland, and Mississippi State University. He has served
on the Board of Directors of the National Aeronautics Association (NAA) and the
Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). He has been a
long-time aeromodeller, with membership in the National Association of Rocketry
and the Academy of Model Aeronautics. He is a member of the Association of Unmanned
Vehicles Systems (AUVSI) and the Council on Competitiveness. Langford serves on
the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) and is chair of the Subcommittee on Unmanned Air
Systems. He has served on several study committees for the National Research Council.
Dan Brady, Vice President of Production Programs
Mr. Brady joined Aurora in June 2007 from Vought Aircraft Industries where he was
Director of Global Supply Chain Management and previously Director of Boeing and
Bell Military Programs. At Aurora he is responsible for the profit and loss of the
Aerostructures business sector . His daily responsibilities include overall program
development and program execution which includes the oversight of component production
for prime contractors such as Northrop Grumman for the Global Hawk, and Sikorsky
Aircraft for the sonobuoy launcher for MH-60R and the main rotor pylon for Sikorsky's
CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter. The Aerostructures team was also awarded a USAF contract
to develop a concept demonstrator for the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft. Mr.
Brady has over 30 years of experience managing military and commercial aircraft
programs incorporating a broad range of activities including development and implementation
of business unit strategy, global supply chain management, business management,
international experience in supplier management, contract negotiations, and teaming.
In 1996, he was appointed Northrop Grumman's Commercial Aircraft Division Leader
for the Program Management Center of Excellence Initiative. Mr. Brady holds a Bachelor
of Sciences in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Business
Administration from the C.W. Post Center, Long Island University.
Tom Clancy, Chief Technical Officer and Vice President of Development Programs
Mr. Clancy joined Aurora as one of its original staff in 1989 after completing Electrical
Engineering coursework at MIT. He has a broad background across all aspects of UAV
engineering and technology. Early in his career, he was group leader for avionics,
heading the team responsible for the design and original sizing of an electrical
propulsion system for the Perseus high-altitude UAV, later becoming group leader
for propulsion, managing the development of the Arion I closed-cycle engine, and
overseeing the maturation of the Arion IIB multi-stage turbocharged engine. As the
Perseus aircraft design progressed into integration, he served as project manager
and chief engineer for the entire Perseus development program. He has also served
as chief engineer and flight director on multiple UAV programs and operations at
Aurora.
Javier de Luis, Vice President of Research Programs
Dr. de Luis joined Aurora in 2007 and is presently Aurora's Chief Scientist. Dr.
de Luis earned his BS in1983,his MS in 1985, and his PhD in 1989 in Aeronautics
and Astronautics from MIT. His professional interests are in the fields of spaceflight
research and operations, engineering design and analysis, and technology management.
Dr. de Luis joined Payload Systems Inc. in 1989 as a staff scientist, and later
held the position of Chief Scientist and CEO of the company. PSI was acquired by
Aurora in 2007. Dr. de Luis has served as the co-investigator and project manager
for several spaceflight payloads. He also served as a payload representative at
Mission Control during mission operations. He has published papers on such diverse
topics as piezoelectric actuators and intelligent structures, structural control,
design and development of spaceflight systems. Dr. de Luis is a recipient of the
MIT James Means Memorial Prize for excellence in space systems engineering; a NASA
Commendation for Technology Excellence, a NASA Group Achievement Award, and a NASA
Manned Flight Awareness Award. He was three times a finalist in the NASA Astronaut
Selection Program. He holds a US patent for electrically insulated embedded piezoelectrics
in composite structures. Dr. de Luis has appeared on several local and national
news programs as commentator on space shuttle missions.
Ralph Koch, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Koch joined the Company in October 2003. His daily responsibilities include
managing all contracts, accounting, financial and treasury functions, as well as,
budgeting and long-range forecasting. In addition, Mr. Koch is responsible for M&A
evaluation, due diligence and financial integration. Before entering private industry
in 1991, Mr. Koch was an audit partner with KPMG's Washington, DC practice. Previously,
he was a co-founder and CFO for RegalWorks, Inc., a holding company for media and
business services companies where he was responsible for M&A. Prior to 2000,
he was the CFO for CardSystems, Inc., an electronic payment processing company and
Information Management Consultants, a government contractor providing information
technology services. He has experience with multiple private and public equity and
debt financings. Mr. Koch is a Certified Public Accountant in Virginia and member
of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and has a BS in Business
Administration from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.
Kristine T. Miller, Vice President of Business Operations
Ms. Miller is responsible for strategic planning and execution of shared services
for Aurora’s four locations. Shared services include human resources, facilities,
MIS/IT, security, export control, corporate communications, educational & public
outreach, and corporate flight operations. In addition the General Managers in VA
and MA directly report to her. Since joining the organization in 1994, Ms. Miller
has been responsible for human and capital resources planning to support the company’s
growth both organically and through acquisition. In 1999 she led activities to establish
an international joint venture and subsequently a successful acquisition in 2000
that doubled the company size. Ms. Miller led the green field activities to start
an operation in Columbus, Mississippi in 2005 and an R&D center in Cambridge, Massachusetts
in 2006. Ms. Miller joined Aurora in 1994 as Director of Administration after ten
years industry experience working with government contractors BDM International
and Comprehensive Technologies International, Inc. She holds a BS in Business Administration
from George Mason University and an MBA from George Washington University.
Jeff A. Tillery, Vice President of Manufacturing and Quality
Mr. Tillery joined the Aurora team in August 2005, initially serving as the Corporate
Director of Quality; the scope of which grew in January 2007 to include the role
of the Director of Engineering in Manassas. Mr. Tillery has also successfully managed
several special projects in a Program Management capacity including GoldenEye 80
pre-production, Global Hawk/BAMS full-scale reconfigurable display article, Orion
UAS JCTD Program Manager (PM), and CH53K Main Rotor Pylon first article management.
In his current role, Mr. Tillery provides executive oversight of all of Aurora facilities'
AS9100 certified quality management systems (QMS) involving design, manufacturing,
and supply chain management processes focused on customer satisfaction, on-time
delivery, and continuous improvement. Prior to joining Aurora, Mr. Tillery served
as the Global Director of Quality with Measurement Specialties, Inc., a global designer
and manufacturer of sensors and pressure transmitters. Additionally, he served MSI
in PM roles for military/aerospace pressure sensors. Prior to MSI, Mr. Tillery held
a variety of mechanical design engineering and management roles in both engineering
and quality with world-class organizations including GE Fanuc, Sundstrand, and Hughes
Aircraft. Mr. Tillery received his BS degree from Purdue University and is GE-certified
as a Six Sigma Blackbelt with specialized emphasis on Design for Six Sigma and Design
for Reliability.
John Tylko, Vice President of Business Development
Mr. Tylko was a founding member of Aurora's Board of Directors and has been continuously
involved with the company since its inception in 1989. Mr. Tylko was an Advanced
Manufacturing Engineer at General Electric's Aircraft Engine Group from 1979 to
1981 where he was responsible for development of composite material structures on
the F-404 and T-700 military aircraft engines. Mr. Tylko co-founded General Computer
Company ('GCC') in 1981 and served as its Chief Operating Officer from 1987 to 2003.
GCC developed a variety of innovative products in the consumer electronics and personal
computer markets, ranging from video games to laser printers. Mr. Tylko was responsible
for all aspects of operational management necessary to grow the company from startup
to over $50 million in revenue. He also co-founded VideoGuide in 1993 and was instrumental
in its sale to Gemstar TV Guide International. VideoGuide develops interactive electronic
program guides for television. Mr. Tylko served as a Vice President of Aurora since
May, 2003. He led Aurora's Aerostructures business sector through May, 2006 and
played a major role in managing Aurora's Global Hawk manufacturing program. He led
the transition of Aurora's West Virginia manufacturing plant to a state-of-the-art
composite structures manufacturing center. In May, 2006 he assumed overall responsibility
for Aurora's business development and strategic planning. Mr. Tylko holds a BS in
Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and
is a lecturer in MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is a recipient
of MIT's Founders Award which recognizes entrepreneurship.
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