Executive team. Vern Raburn - President and CEO
Vern Raburn's passion for the high-tech industry is exceeded only by his love of aviation. With more than 25 years experience in the information technology industry, Raburn is a successful entrepreneur who has helped to shape the course of the information technology revolution and the high-technology industry. He has held senior executive positions at Microsoft, Lotus Development, Symantec and Slate, as well as the Paul Allen Group. During that time, he has also amassed over 6,500 hours of flight time, and earned type certificates in aircraft ranging from four-engine airliners to World War II bombers to modern executive jets. 
Peg Billson - Chief Operating Officer
Peg Billson joined Eclipse in July 2005 after an impressive role as Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell International, Inc., Aircraft Landing Systems division. Prior to that, Billson was VP of engineering for Honeywell Engines, Systems & Services; VP of program management for Honeywell's Aerospace Equipment Systems; and VP of the MD-11, MD-80 and MD-90 programs at McDonnell Douglas. At Eclipse, Billson is responsible for all areas of operations, including Engineering, Program Management, Management of Information Systems, Supply Chain Management, and Operations. Billson holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering-Aerospace from California State University at Long Beach, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Aeronautical Engineering, where she serves on the University's President's Advisory board. Peg holds a private pilot's license with a multi-engine rating. Peter C. Reed - Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration/CFO
Peter Reed's multi-industry experience includes mainframe computers, military trucks, and PC graphics. He has managed both large and small companies in high growth and turnaround situations. As VP of Finance and Contracts at AM General (a subsidiary of American Motors and later LTV), Reed led the costing, pricing, and contract strategies that resulted in AM General winning in excess of $4 billion in military truck business and tripling sales over a three-year period. One of the contracts won was a $2 billion Hummer procurement. Reed started his career with the Burroughs Corporation in 1969. He was most recently the President & CEO of Vermont Microsystems, Inc. Reed holds a BA in economics from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the University of Rochester. Dr. Oliver Masefield - Senior Vice President, Senior Fellow
Dr. Oliver Masefield joined Eclipse in 2000 and led the design and development of the Eclipse 500™ jet prior to being named an Eclipse senior fellow in 2004. Prior to joining Eclipse, Masefield was VP of research and development of Pilatus Aircraft, where he was responsible for technical innovation for Pilatus products worldwide. During his tenure at Pilatus, Masefield was responsible for managing development and certification of the highly successful PC-12 corporate/utility aircraft as well as the development of the PC-7 and PC-9 military training aircraft. Before joining Pilatus in 1973, Masefield was a project engineer on advanced Harrier V/STOL fighter aircraft for Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Ltd. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Aeronautical Engineering and a Ph.D in aerodynamics from the Loughborough University of Technology. Don Burtis - Senior Vice President, Senior Fellow
Don Burtis led the development of Eclipse Aviation's Avio™ Total Aircraft Integration™ and was named an Eclipse senior fellow in 2004. Burtis has more than 30 years of experience in high-tech product development. He has held executive management positions with UTM, the Power Electronics Group for Capstone Turbine Corporation, PCSI, and General Magic where he gained experience in taking technical products from concept through design and into high-volume production. Earlier in his career, Burtis worked on unmanned satellite experiments, designed controllers for environmental test systems, and managed a user interface validation service in cooperation with Apple Computer. Bill Bonder - Vice President, Supply Chain Management
Bill Bonder is optimizing the Eclipse 500 global supply chain network to support preproduction and accelerate the ramp into volume production. Bonder's 17 years of supply chain experience include positions at Gerber Scientific as Executive Director of Global Sourcing and Supply Chain, Marconi Communications, and Dell Computer as a Senior Global Strategic Commodity Manager where he was responsible for supplier selection, development, and relationship management. He holds an MBA from Assumption College in Massachusetts. Michael Brown - Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Michael Brown has developed and implemented information systems and strategies that differentiate a company from its competitors. As CIO of Maintenance Warehouse, a Home Depot company, Brown drove the reengineering of the entire IT infrastructure including hardware, networking, and ERP systems. These systems became a cornerstone in the decision of The Home Depot to buy Maintenance Warehouse three years ago. Since that time, Brown was the principal architect of a number of highly successful e-business and data warehousing initiatives on behalf of the company. Brown has orchestrated numerous successful conversions and ERP installations. He holds a Master's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Houston. Perry Denker - Vice President, Investor Relations
Perry Denker is Eclipse Aviation's chief liaison with its current and future investor base. Prior to joining Eclipse, Denker was VP of Albuquerque Economic Development, Inc., a private, non-profit economic development corporation. As such, he was instrumental in attracting Eclipse Aviation to Albuquerque. Denker has also served in a leadership capacity for several non-profit and for-profit economic development, marketing, and financial institutions. Denker holds an MBA from St. Ambrose University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa. Gene Garnes - Vice President, Program Management
Gene Garnes, most recently a senior manager at Bearing Point, and previously with Sikorsky, is using his considerable business management experience to ensure the timely completion and delivery of the Eclipse 500. Working with all functional groups, he has instituted a strong program structure at Eclipse. Garnes comes to Eclipse with high-level management experience working as a consultant to two major aerospace companies and overseeing the management team responsible for the Sikorsky S76 helicopter program. Ken Harness - Vice President, Engineering
Ken Harness is responsible for managing Eclipse's engineering organization. In his previous position as Eclipse's director of propulsion systems, Harness was instrumental in enabling Eclipse to successfully transition to Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) engines. Before joining Eclipse, Harness held leadership positions with Sikorsky Aircraft, Pratt & Whitney, and Williams International. Earlier in his career, Ken served as an Army aviator in various assignments globally, including aviation company command, U.S. State Department aviation operations support, and combat aviation operations in Southwest Asia. An aviation enthusiast, Harness is qualified as a UH-60 test pilot, and is rated as a commercial instrument pilot in helicopters as well as single-engine and multi-engine airplanes. Harness holds a bachelor's degree from Purdue University and MBA from Oakland University. Jack Harrington - Vice President, Business Affairs
Prior to joining Eclipse, Jack Harrington was in private practice as an aviation lawyer since 1986. His aviation insurance experience is complemented by broad experience in general casualty and product liability insurance defense matters. Harrington is a member of the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association, the Aviation Insurance Association, the National Business Aviation Association, the National Transportation Safety Board Bar Association, and the Experimental Aircraft Association, of which he is a director. He holds a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and sea, multiengine, and instrument airplane ratings. Mike McConnell - Vice President, Sales and Product Support
Mike McConnell has over 15 years of management experience in the high-tech industry and has honed his skill at building support networks from the ground up. Most recently as Senior Vice President of strategic planning for Mooney Aircraft, he was responsible for worldwide product and customer support, sales, and marketing activities. Just prior to joining Mooney, he was founder and president of an authorized distributor for Mooney aircraft. McConnell held key management positions throughout his 12 years at Dell Computer Corporation. During his tenure in various worldwide product marketing, sales, and marketing operations, he led portions of Dell's record growth from $250 million to approximately $30 billion in annual revenues.
Saul Pacheco, Jr. - Vice President, Quality
Saul Pacheco is responsible for ensuring Eclipse 500 aircraft quality and airworthiness. Pacheco was most recently the global director of quality and reliability for medical technology leader Medtronic, where he was responsible for all products released to the medical marketplace. At Medtronic, Pacheco led the evaluation of manufacturing processes, documentation, controls and procedures. Prior to that, he spent 11 years with Motorola in a variety of manufacturing and quality management roles. At Motorola, Pacheco was distinguished as a member of the team that won the Detroit Diesel and Cummins Supplier of the Year Award for improving supplier quality in both 1999 and 2000. Tina Rulo - Vice President, Human Resources and Administration
In her tenure as Vice President of Human Resources at various high-technology companies, Tina Rulo has created and led the implementation of worldwide staffing and training programs, professional and leadership development institutes, and employee retention plans. At Eclipse, Rulo directs the company's continued efforts to establish the culture and supporting policies to attract and retain highly skilled employees. She is also responsible for overseeing all aspects of the human resources discipline, including the company's compliance with regulations at federal, state, and local levels. Rulo has previously been the Vice President of Human Resources for high-growth companies that include Western Multiplex, Hyperion Solutions, and VLSI Technology Inc. Paul Schumacher, Vice President Manufacturing
Paul Schumacher is responsible for all aspects of high-rate production for the Eclipse 500. Schumacher joins Eclipse from Raytheon Aircraft Company, where he served as vice president of operations and was responsible for all manufacturing and facility operations. In this role, Schumacher led manufacturing for aircraft product lines including Baron, Bonanza, Hawker 400, Hawker 800, King Air, and Premier. Schumacher initiated implementation of lean manufacturing initiatives for Raytheon in 2001, and under his leadership the company experienced dramatic cost reductions. Prior to Raytheon, Schumacher spent 27 years at Lockheed Martin.
Don Taylor - Vice President, Safety, Training, and Flight Operations
The depth of Don Taylor's experience in training, advanced cockpit technology, and flight testing make him an invaluable part of our team. Taylor's experience includes 35 years as a United Airlines B-747-400 check pilot and flight instructor and two years in the United States Air Force. Prior to joining United, he was a USAF flight instructor in a civilian contract school. Since retirement from United, he has conducted test and evaluation flights as an independent consultant on advanced cockpit technology for MIT/Lincoln Lab, the MITRE Corporation, and the FAA. A life long pilot, he soloed at 16, earned a private pilot license at 17, and obtained a commercial pilot license and instructor license at age 18. Don has more than 30,000 flight hours and has type ratings on the Douglas DC-6, 7, & 10, the Boeing B-727, 757, 767 & 747 as well as the B-747-400 and the Boeing B-17. During the ‘90s he represented the EAA and general aviation on the FAA task force evaluating GPS and data link technology and was a member of the FAA Free Flight Steering committee. He has a broad background in general aviation and has flown most types of GA aircraft. For the past 6 years he has been a volunteer pilot flying the EAA's World War II B-17 bomber on tours throughout the country. Don currently serves on the EAA's Aviation Foundation board of directors and the FAA Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Committee.
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