Embry-Riddle’s Center for Aviation and Aerospace Leadership to Host 2011 Aviation and Aerospace Manufacturing Summit

Jan. 21, 2011
The two-day summit will present data and address issues on the state of aerospace manufacturing in the United States and around the world.

Daytona Beach, Fla., Jan. 21, 2011 – The Center for Aviation and Aerospace Leadership (CAAL) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide will host its second Aviation and Aerospace Manufacturing Summit on Feb. 23-25, 2011, at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn in Orlando, Fla.

The two-day summit will present data and address issues on the state of aerospace manufacturing in the United States and around the world for both military and commercial markets, as well as address key trends and industry projections. Events will include workshops on leadership and strategy, lectures, and panel discussions.

“Last year’s inaugural Aviation and Aerospace Manufacturing Summit was an outstanding example of the high-quality outreach we want to continue to provide to our aviation leadership community,” said John R. Watret, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of the Worldwide Campus. “We are excited to announce that this year’s event will offer even more opportunities to continue the dialogue about how to successfully solve critical leadership and management issues facing our industry today.”

Leaders from across the industry, ranging from the U.S. military and Department of Commerce to private industry and academia, will conduct the summit’s sessions and seminars. The 2011 summit will feature industry leaders that reads like a “Who’s Who” in aviation and aerospace, including Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force; Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale, assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing and services, U.S Department of Commerce; Marion C. Blakey, president and CEO, Aerospace Industries Association; Tony Velocci, editor-in-chief of Aviation Week and Space Technology; and Gregory F. Hall, senior vice president, technical operations at FedEx Express.

“Through focused research, knowledge management, and targeted development programs, CAAL explores both the personality traits that define great aviation and aerospace leaders, as well as the knowledge, skills, and best practices required to excel at the highest levels of industry,” said Dr. Robert Materna, director of CAAL and a professor of Business Administration at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide.Materna, as well as other faculty from Embry-Riddle Worldwide, will build upon the success of last year’s summit. Additional featured faculty and staff include retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert E. Mansfield Jr., aerospace executive in residence for CAAL; Dr. Bruce Ellis, senior aerospace economist and manufacturing strategist for CAAL; Dr. Kees Rietsema, director of research for CAAL; and Dr. Ken Jennings, managing director of Third River Partners, a leader development and strategy execution consultancy whose clients include Aerojet and General Electric’s jet engine division.

"The challenges facing the aviation and aerospace industry today are complex, and there is a tremendous need for programs than can prepare leaders to meet these challenges,” says General Mansfield. As current economic uncertainty continues, the aviation and aerospace industry will not be impervious to its effects. The information imparted at this Summit will serve as a bellwether in the current climate. For more information on the 2011 Aviation and Aerospace Manufacturing Summit in Orlando visit the ERAU website below.

The Center for Aviation and Aerospace Leadership (CAAL), within Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s Department of Business Administration, was founded in late 2008 to capture, create, and share relevant information on leadership in the aviation and aerospace industry. CAAL’s objective is to create a multidisciplinary community that drives innovation and fosters excellence in leadership and management practices across the industry.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 170 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu