SAN DIEGO, Oct. 17, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Institute for Defense and Business has named Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) James M. Zortman one of five 2011-2012 Executive Fellows chosen for their outstanding military service record and demonstrated ability as thought leaders.
The Institute for Defense and Business (IDB) is a nonprofit research and education institute based in Chapel Hill, N.C., that fosters "shoulder-to-shoulder" partnerships between the Department of Defense, other government agencies and the private sector in a joint environment to achieve excellence and innovation.
The IDB Executive Fellows program offers recently retired senior leaders from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the military services an opportunity to continue to contribute and serve by sharing their expertise and wisdom with future leaders.
"The Executive Fellows program has built a solid foundation of thought leadership that has benefited thousands of IDB program participants," said Mark C. Cramer, IDB president. "The Fellows interact on a small group basis with participants who carry back to their organizations the valuable leadership lessons learned and apply them as they work to innovate and improve their organizations."
Zortman, a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral, is sector vice president of Life Cycle Logistics and Support for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. Zortman also serves as site manager of Northrop Grumman's Unmanned Systems Development Center in San Diego. He joined the company in 2008 after a distinguished 34-year Navy career.
In his final assignment, Zortman served as commander Naval Air Forces and chief executive officer, Naval Aviation Enterprise. In this role, he led a combined team of more than 180,000 military, government, civilian and contractor personnel responsible for operations, readiness and full life cycle management of 3,800 aircraft and 12 aircraft carriers.
Zortman's naval honors include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (4), the Bronze Star and the Air Medal. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and completed a fellowship with the Chief of Naval Operations in Strategic Studies Group at the Naval War College.
The other 2011-2012 IDB Executive Fellows are Gen. Paul J. Kern, USA (Ret.), former commanding general, U.S. Army Materiel Command; Gen. Richard I. Neal, USMC (Ret.), former assistant commandant of the Marine Corps; Lt. Gen. Donald J. Wetekam, USAF (Ret.), former deputy chief of staff for installations and logistics, HQ USAF, and Rear Adm. Erroll M. Brown, USCG (Ret.), former assistant commandant for engineering and logistics, HQ U.S. Coast Guard.
Formed in 1997 by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina, the Institute for Defense and Business offers educational programs for the military, government, non-governmental agencies and private sector in the areas of logistics, life cycle management, organizational change, and stabilization and economic reconstruction. Please visit www.IDB.org for more information.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.