Wood Dale, Illinois — AAR (NYSE: AIR), a leading provider of aviation services to commercial and government operators, MROs and OEMs, announced today that Ellen M. Lord, former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment for the United States Department of Defense, has been elected to the Company's Board of Directors, effective immediately.
“Ellen brings significant aerospace and defense expertise as well strong leadership experience from her time as the President and CEO of Textron Systems and most recently as Under Secretary with the U.S. Department of Defense,” said John M. Holmes, AAR President and Chief Executive Officer. “Ellen will bring a valuable perspective to our Board and our Company. We look forward to her contributions and are very pleased to welcome Ellen to AAR.”
Ms. Lord, 61, served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment for the United States Department of Defense from August 2017 until January 2021. In this role, she was responsible for all matters pertaining to acquisition; developmental testing; contract administration; logistics and materiel readiness; installations and environment; operational energy; chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons; the acquisition workforce; and the defense industrial base. Prior to her government service, Ms. Lord served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Textron Systems from October 2012 to August 2017, where she led a multi-billion dollar company with products and services supporting defense, homeland security, aerospace and infrastructure protection. Prior to that, she served in other leadership positions at Textron Systems and related companies. Ms. Lord is the former Vice Chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association and has previously served on the boards of the U.S. Naval Institute, the U.S. India Business Council and the Defense Technology Initiative. She was recently appointed to the board of Voyager Space Holdings and serves as an advisor to a number of companies. She earned a Master of Science degree in chemistry from the University of New Hampshire and a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Connecticut College. Ms. Lord currently is an independent aerospace, defense and industrial consultant.
