Electric Boat Announces New President

Groton's Electric Boat distributed this bulletin to employees Wednesday morning:

General Dynamics today announced that John P. Casey will succeed Phebe N. Novakovic as executive vice president of the corporation’s Marine Systems group.

Kevin J. Poitras, senior vice president of engineering, design and business development, will succeed Casey as president of Electric Boat. The appointments are effective May 2.

Novakovic was named president and chief operating officer of General Dynamics in March.

In announcing Casey’s appointment, General Dynamics Chairman and CEO Jay Johnson said, “John Casey has done a superb job as president of Electric Boat. He fully understands the intricacies and opportunities facing the Marine Systems group and will excel at addressing them. His experience in driving continuous improvement and dealing with the complexities of submarine design and manufacturing will benefit the entire corporation.”

“I’m very confident in Kevin Poitras’ ability to lead Electric Boat, furthering our commitment to disciplined program execution that ensures we continue to provide the U.S. Navy with the world’s most highly capable submarine fleet,” Johnson said.

Casey, 57, has been president of Electric Boat since October 2003. He joined Electric Boat in 1979 and served in a variety of increasingly responsible operations and management positions, including vice president of operations, before becoming president.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a master’s degree in business administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Hartford, and a master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Serving as president of Electric Boat has been a true honor for me,” said Casey. “It has been my privilege to work with you – the men and women of Electric Boat. The success we have achieved is a direct reflection of your hard work, and I thank each of you for all you’ve done. Under Kevin’s leadership, I know the company will extend its record of accomplishment.”

Poitras, 60, became senior vice president of engineering, design and business development in September 2010. He joined Electric Boat in 1973 as a construction support engineer and held positions of increasing responsibility within the engineering and operations departments before becoming vice president, engineering and design programs in 2005. He earned a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from the Maine Maritime Academy.

“During John Casey’s tenure as president, Electric Boat established new benchmarks for performance and innovation in the production of nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy,” said Poitras. “John has set the bar very high, but I’m convinced that by working together, we will continue to achieve success as a business, a technology leader and an important contributor to our nation’s security.”

The Marine Systems group comprises Electric Boat, Bath Iron Works and General Dynamics NASSCO. The group is a leading U.S. shipbuilder, designing, building and supporting a diverse portfolio of ships for the U.S. Navy and commercial customers. These units employ approximately 20,600, and generated net revenue of $6.6 billion in 2011.