Cedar Rapids, Io., USA - April 22, 2013, Cedar Rapids, Io., USA - Rockwell Collins, a supplier of avionics systems, announced that chairman and CEO Clay Jones will retire as CEO, effective July 31, 2013.
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Mr. Jones will remain on the company's board of directors as non-executive chairman. He was appointed Chairman and CEO of Rockwell Collins in June 2002 and he had been president and CEO of Rockwell Collins since 2001.
He previously served as president and was a corporate officer and SVP of Rockwell International. Prior to that, he held positions as VP and general manager of Rockwell Collins Air Transport Division and as corporate senior vice president of Government Operations and International in Washington, D.C.
From 1988 to 1995, Mr. Jones was responsible for the space and aircraft systems business areas as vice president of Aerospace Government Affairs and Marketing at Rockwell's Government Operations office in Washington. In 1982, he was sponsored by Rockwell to serve a fellowship in a White House Executive Exchange program.
Mr. Jones joined Rockwell International in 1979 after serving in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot. He holds a bachelor's degree from The University of Tennessee and a Master's of Business Administration from The George Washington University.
Mr. Jones serves on the Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and is a member of the Business Roundtable, The Business Council, and the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). He is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and serves as a director of Deere & Company and Cardinal Health.
The company also announced that president Kelly Ortberg is expected to succeed Mr. Jones as CEO, effective July 31, 2013.
Mr. Ortberg was appointed as president of Rockwell Collins in September last year. He served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Government Systems at Rockwell Collins, which provides airborne and surface solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense, Ministries of Defense throughout the world and manufacturers of military platforms. He also served as executive vice president and COO of Commercial Systems. ■