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Christy Alvord, President
Ms. Alvord is responsible for leading Unison's major business functions, including setting strategic objectives for the company and overseeing the ongoing integration of several significant acquisitions. Under her leadership, Unison has grown into a global company supplying components and systems to many of the world's major aircraft engine and airframe manufacturers.
Prior to joining Unison, Ms. Alvord was president of Middle River Aircraft Systems, a GE Aviation business and a leading supplier of thrust reversers, nacelles and specialized aerostructures. Growing 20 percent a year, some of MRAS's key customers are GE, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Bell, Goodrich and Pratt & Whitney. Ms. Alvord also worked as a manager for the GE Corporate Initiatives Group, where she oversaw the implementation of Lean manufacturing and Cash management initiatives. She also spent a number of years with McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy, where she focused on strategy, M&A, and supply chain management. She also served as director of export affairs for HTL, a producer of medical devices in Warsaw, Poland, and worked as an engineer at Los Alamos National Labs.
Ms. Alvord earned bachelor of science degrees in mechanical engineering and political science, and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. She also earned her MBA from the Harvard Business School.
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Pablo Penaloza, Chief Financial Officer
Pablo Penaloza joined Unison in 2007, after holding several key finance positions at business units within GE. As CFO, Mr. Penaloza sets the financial direction of the company and leads the planning and execution of Unison's financial strategy. He also oversees the company's financial reporting and treasury functions.
Prior to joining Unison, Mr. Penaloza spent three years as the Global Manager of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) for GE Aero Energy, a $2 billion dollar division of GE Energy. In this role, he was responsible for leading all of the critical financial planning and reporting phases for the business, in addition to driving process improvements for global FP&A as leader of the Key CEO Councils for the Aero Energy business.
Mr. Penaloza has also served as the Manager of Finance for Supply Chain in GE's $33 billion Consumer and Industrial business unit. His activities included managing all financial planning, analysis and accounting duties for 10 GE plants and overseeing the tax function for 14 different legal entities. Mr. Penaloza is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance and Economics, from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
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Paul Theofan, V.P. of Marketing and Sales
Paul Theofan joined Unison in August 1985, and currently has more than 22 years of experience in the aviation industry.
Mr. Theofan directs all marketing and sales initiatives for Unison's six domestic and three international manufacturing facilities. He also advises the senior management team on strategic opportunities and relationships that drive growth for the company's core business units. Mr. Theofan's responsibilities include overseeing Unison's development as a leading Tier I Integrator for the design, manufacture and supply of electrical and mechanical aviation systems. In this capacity, he directs customer satisfaction activities not only for Unison's products but also for products from partnering suppliers that complete these complex systems for OEM, government and airline customers.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Theofan served as Unison's original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sales director. In this role, he formed strategic relationships with OEMs, leveraging partnerships to maximize company growth and market share. Before that, Mr. Theofan worked as director of operations, overseeing all production activities for the Jacksonville headquarters site. During his tenure with Unison, Mr. Theofan has also worked as senior engineer, manager of quality assurance, and materials manager.
Earlier in his career and prior to joining Unison, Mr. Theofan served as an engineering officer onboard United States flag vessels in the Merchant Marine. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing crude oil supertanker power plant operations and maintenance and repair functions, primarily in the Alaska Pipe Line/California trade.
Mr. Theofan earned his bachelor of engineering degree from the State University of New York Maritime College in Throgs Neck. He is a certified Six Sigma Greenbelt.
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Doug Folsom, V.P. of Operations
Doug Folsom joined the company in 2006 and brings more than 15 years of operations and management experience to Unison.
In his role, Mr. Folsom is responsible for all aspects of Unison' global supply chain, overseeing manufacturing and procurement at the company's nine locations in the United States and abroad, including: Dayton, Ohio; Holtsville, N.Y.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Norwich, N.Y.; Rockford, Ill.; Wichita, Kan.; and locations in Canada, Mexico and Thailand. He leads a team of more than 1,500 operations employees worldwide.
Mr. Folsom began his career in the aviation industry in 2001, managing engine assembly at GE Aviation's plant in Lynn, Mass. More recently, he was with GE's Airfoils Center of Excellence in Rutland, Vermont. In this role, Mr. Folsom managed more than 1,300 employees at two major facilities responsible for the production of blades and vanes for military and commercial engines. Under his leadership, the company became the first manufacturer to receive Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) certification as a result of achieving a safer, healthier environment.
Mr. Folsom started his career with GE's Energy business, where he held several leadership positions with increasing responsibility over the course of nine years. While at GE, he earned certification as a Master Black Belt and became a graduate of its Manufacturing Management Program (MMP). Mr. Folsom holds a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts and an MBA from the University of Maine.
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Michael Sanders, V.P. of Engineering
Michael Sanders joined the company in Nov. 2002, and has more than 22 years of aviation engineering experience.
In his current role, Mr. Sanders is responsible for leading the engineering department in the design and development of Unison's product designs, including both production and customer support functions. Unison's product lines include aircraft ignition systems; electrical wiring harnesses; power generation and control (alternators, starter-generators, power conditioning and control units and LASAR digital engine control); tubes and ducts; and switches, sensors and bellows. In his current role, Mr. Sanders has led the engineering department through unprecedented growth, including the introduction of two new product lines: Speed and Temperature Sensors, and the integration of the Elano Corporation and Aircraft Parts Corp. (APC) into Unison. Under his leadership, Unison was selected to provide its Tier 1 electrical systems capability to GE's next generation jet engine—the GEnx Turbofan. Mr. Sanders leads teams of engineering professionals at seven facilities in Canada, India, France and the United States, and has grown the company's engineering site in Mexico to a team of 25.
Prior to joining Unison, Mr. Sanders was department Six Sigma Black Belt for GE Aircraft Engines, where he was responsible for controls components and for providing business development support. In this role (and during GE's acquisition of Unison in 2002), he led the successful integration of the company into GE's Engineering group. Before that, Mr. Sanders worked for BMW Rolls-Royce as a manager for controls unit engineering and, before that, a manager for simulations and electronics. In these roles, he performed various duties, including developing validation test processes and procedures and certifying the mechanical and electrical supplier-designed/built components for the BR715 aircraft engine. Mr. Sanders began his career as a design engineer for fuel/hydraulic systems with The Boeing Company.
Mr. Sanders is certified as a professional engineer in the state of Ohio and is a GE Six Sigma Black Belt.
He earned his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., and his master of science degree in engineering management from the University of Dayton in Ohio.
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John Frus, V.P. of Research and Development
John Frus joined Unison in January 1988, bringing with him more than 15 years of technology development and engineering experience.
In his current position, Mr. Frus leads all of Unison's research and development efforts, including the exploration of new technologies and materials. He is an expert in engineering control systems, pulse power, electric power systems, sensors, and digital and microprocessor logic design. His key area of focus has been to investigate new ignition technologies and develop electronic ignition products.
Mr. Frus developed the first practical solid-state ignition systems, ignition diagnostic and health monitoring systems, multiplexed ignition systems, and active spark shaping. He has registered 41 patents worldwide, and has several pending.
Mr. Frus earned his bachelor and master of science degrees in electrical engineering and his MBA from the University of Illinois in Urbana.
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John Lowe, General Counsel
John Lowe joined Unison in January 2007 after working as an attorney for GE Aviation in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Prior to joining GE, Lowe practiced law in Columbus, Ohio, where he was twice named a "Rising Star" in the Cincinnati Magazine's "Ohio Super Lawyers" and was a recipient of Business First Magazine's "40 Under 40"award. When the latter publication identified the top attorneys in Columbus by practice area, Lowe was the youngest attorney listed. John has worked with the Student Leadership Intern Program, KidsVoting, Junior Achievement and the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference. Lowe is active in the United Way, having Co-Chaired the Central Ohio Young Leadership Group, United Way's most successful YLG organization with over 1,000 young professionals each donating over $2,500 annually, later serving on the Campaign Cabinet and currently serving on United Way of Northeast Florida's Resource Management team. He is a graduate of Leadership Columbus and, more recently, of the Human Performance Institute's "Energy for Performance" Executive Training.
Lowe earned his law degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt.
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Bill Bussa, V.P. of Human Resources
Bill Bussa joined Unison in 2007 and brings more than 11 years of human resources management experience. He is responsible for providing HR leadership and direction for all Unison employees at the company's nine locations in the United States and abroad, including: Dayton, Ohio; Holtsville, N.Y.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Norwich, N.Y.; Rockford, Ill.; Wichita, Kan.; and locations in Canada, Mexico and Thailand.
Prior to joining Unison, Mr. Bussa held several HR management roles within GE, Unison's parent company. Most recently, he was a member of the company's negotiations team during its successful negotiations of new national union contracts. He also provided HR leadership and support in several different capacities for GE Aviation, including as the client human resources manager for sales, business development, customer and product support, and small commercial engine operations and as plant HR leader for GE Engine Services' Arkansas City, Kan. facility.
Mr. Bussa has also directed HR activities for a major technology company during an acquisition, was project leader for an HR systems transition, supported labor relations efforts, and managed all human resource-related functions such as staffing, compensation and performance management. Mr. Bussa earned graduate and undergraduate degrees from The Ohio State University. He has a master's degree in Labor and Human Resources and a bachelor of science degree in Agricultural Business and Applied Economics.
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