LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced today that it has appointed John J. Chino vice president of programs, quality and engineering, succeeding David H. Barakat, who will be retiring later this year.
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Chino, 59, will assume his new position on Sept. 15. He will report to Wes Bush, Northrop Grumman president and chief operating officer.
"John Chino has an outstanding track record in managing challenging programs, focusing on quality products for our customers, and advancing our technical capabilities to enable the company to serve our customers' needs well into the future. This experience makes him well suited for this important leadership position," said Bush.
In his new role, Chino will lead the company's activities associated with program management, quality, engineering and technology. In program management, he will conduct special program reviews and take responsibility for the company's non-advocate review process. In quality, he will lead the company's efforts to continually enhance the quality management systems across the enterprise.
Chino will be the functional lead for engineering collaboration efforts across the company. He will serve as the corporate focal point for Northrop Grumman's technology development efforts. He will also lead the intellectual asset management team and provide the technical interface for the company's university relations efforts.
Chino was most recently deputy, sector vice president and general manager of the company's Electronic Systems sector. He joined the company in 1971 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, program and business area management.
Chino earned a bachelor's degree from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, a master's degree from the University of Maryland, a doctorate in engineering from George Washington University, and completed the General Managers Program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Business.
Barakat is retiring after 40 years with Northrop Grumman. He has served in his current position since 2006. Previously, he was sector vice president of programs at the company's Mission Systems sector, providing management, technical and programmatic oversight for major programs across the organization. Before that, he served as vice president and general manager of the Intelligence Systems Division.
"Dave Barakat played a key role in ensuring the highest quality program management, technology and engineering processes in our company," said Bush, "He was also responsible for the design, development and implementation of hardware and software systems developed for a wide variety of applications for national and international customers. We congratulate him for all his accomplishments and thank him for his many contributions to our company and to the security of our nation."
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
