William J. Dwyer
President, GE Honda Aero Engines, LLC.

A native of Parnell, Wisconsin, Bill received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and his Masters of Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bill joined GE Aviation in 1986. His technical assignments were in the areas of Engine Performance & Systems Analysis, Mechanical Design, and Control System Design, where his responsibilities included developing system requirements, detailed design, and system integration for commercial, military, marine & industrial engines.

Bill's business roles included: working on the launch of a new 70 passenger regional jet engine, campaign and development Program Manager for the S-92 helicopter and Korean Advanced Trainer programs, Marketing & Sales for Marine & Industrial Engines-based in Jakarta, Indonesia. He later served as Project Director for the F404 Engine family, where he had product management and fleet support responsibility for a fleet of 4,000 engines operating worldwide, followed by an assignment as the Master Black Belt for the Military Systems Division. His most recent role was General Manager for Marketing and Advanced Programs for the Military Systems business, where he led product planning and positioning for new and derivative products. Bill's current role is President of the GE-Honda Aero Engines, where he is responsible for the successful business collaboration with Honda to develop and market business aviation engines.

Bill and his wife Jeanne have four children: Claire, Liam, Lindsey and Craig. They enjoy outdoor activities.

 

Atsukuni Waragai
Executive Vice President of GE Honda Aero Engines and President of Honda Aero, Inc. (effective April 2008)

Atsukuni had a principal role in the definition of the HF120 design and in the formation of the GE Honda Aero Engines joint venture. In 2003, he was named to a team to outline the terms of agreement that would define the joint venture program between GE and Honda to co-develop engines in the 1000 to 3500 lb thrust class. Beginning in 1996, he led the Honda turbofan engine program to develop the HF118 engine, a predecessor of the HF120, and accomplish the first flight of the HondaJet. For the previous 10 years, Atsukuni participated in the Honda jet engine program as a Test Team Leader and Gas Turbine Test Engineer at Honda R&D Fundamental Research Center. In these roles, he established and executed the required engine test methodology and key criteria necessary for successful flight testing. During the early years of his career, Atsukuni was a development team member of variable valve timing and variable geometry turbocharger technology for Honda engines as an Automotive Test Engineer.

Mr. Waragai has a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

 

Kazuhiko Kato
Business Program Manager for GE Honda Aero Engines and Senior Manager for Honda Aero, Inc.

Kazuhiko was named to his current position in 2004 after having spent the previous year as a member of the contract negotiation team representing Honda in the formation of GE Honda Aero Engines. He is responsible for media relations and other external affairs regarding GE Honda Aero Engines. Previously, he led activities that resulted in the establishment of Honda's new aero-engine subsidiary, Honda Aero Inc. These activities included capital investment and personnel planning. Kazuhiko brings experience and expertise in new project development and joint venture negotiations to GE Honda Aero Engines from his prior roles in business planning and development and production control for Honda in both North America and Japan.

Mr. Kato received his Bachelor degree in Economics from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan in 1983.

 

Jim Dougherty
Manager, Marketing & Sales for GE Honda Aero Engines.

Jim joined GE Aviation in 2000 and has held various roles in the Engineering and Marketing divisions. Before being named to his current position, Jim was the marketing manager for GE Aviation's CF6 engine line. His responsibilities included new engine sales for both Boeing and Airbus products, including the B747, B767, A300 and A330 airframes. He was also responsible for the aftermarket strategy of the CF6 engine, leading the "Tech CF6" upgrade initiative for the CF6-80C2 and -80E1 engine models. While in this role, Jim supported over 100 new engine sales and services campaigns in over 30 countries worldwide. Jim started his career at GE Aviation as a hot section design engineer for the CFM56 engine line, where he earned a patent on a new high-pressure turbine disk design.

Jim has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton, a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Business Administration degree from Xavier University.

 

Menelik (Mel) Solomon
Manager, Marketing for GE Honda Aero Engines.

Mel is a veteran in business aircraft market research and analysis. He currently leads key campaigns with airframe OEMs, conducts market analysis, and provides strategic guidance on business development for GE Honda Aero Engines. Prior to joining GE Honda, Mel was with Bombardier Aerospace for over 10 years in various positions. He was involved in hydro-mechanical systems design on the Dash 8 Regional Turboprop product line, in continued airworthiness management of the Challenger and CRJ-200 fleet of aircraft, and more recently as an Associate Product Planning Manager for the Business Aircraft division of Bombardier Aerospace playing key roles in the launch of the Learjet 60XR.

Mel holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aerospace Engineering from Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada and an Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

 

Etsuo Noda
GE Honda Aero Engines Chief Engineer for Honda.

Etsuo began his career as an automobile engine designer, spending three years at Honda R&D establishing variable turbocharger design methodology. In 1986, Etsuo joined Honda R&D Fundamental Research Center as a Gas Turbine Design Engineer. Over the next 18 years, he made significant contributions in turbofan engine design and development as part of Honda's first jet engine program. During this time, Etsuo attained roles of increasing responsibility including lead engine designer, mechanical design team lead, and turbofan project lead. His involvement was instrumental in the development of the HF120 turbofan engine and achievement of first flight of the HondaJet.

Mr. Noda received his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan in 1983.

 

Bob Meade
Manager of GE Honda Aero Engines Systems Engineering.

Bob joined GE Aircraft Engines in 1984 and has held numerous roles in the Engineering and Engine Services Divisions. In his most recent assignment, Bob led the GE Aviation Product Definition Engineering organization composed of 800 Engineering Designers world-wide supporting all GE Aviation engine product lines. His team was responsible for the product definition data (models, drawings, and parts lists) for all commercial, military, and marine and industry products. Bob's team owned the Configuration Control process for the GE Aviation business. Prior to this role, Bob was a Master Black Belt in the Six Sigma organization responsible for the Design for Reliability process at GE Aviation. Previously, Bob was the Design for Reliability and Technology Leader in the GE Engine Services Division. In addition, Bob has over 15 years experience leading teams in Mechanical Design for a variety of GE Aviation products.

Mr. Meade received his Master of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1987 and Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1984 from the University of Cincinnati.