People

Roger Wolfe

DeCrane Aerospace, Columbus, Ohio, named Roger Wolfe chief executive officer, replacing retiring CEO Dick Kaplan.

Wolfe was hired by DeCrane Aerospace following his departure from Landmark Aviation, where he led the company through successful FBO acquisitions, renovations and a rebranding. He left following the sale of the company to Dubai Aerospace Enterprise.

Wolfe has 30 years of experience in aviation and aerospace operations. Prior to joining Landmark Aviation, he worked with Honeywell in several leadership positions, including vice president of Airframe Systems, where he managed integrated product lines and was successful at increasing profitability and expanding into new markets.

Patrick Herguth

Avidyne Corp., Lincoln, Mass., named Patrick Herguth chief operating officer. He most recently was vice president and general manager of the medical business unit at Planar Systems, a maker of display hardware and software used in medical, computing, transportation and business markets.

Previously, Herguth was general manager of the Laboratory and Medication Management Systems unit at GE Healthcare. He spent two years at GE, integrating acquired businesses in the health care IT market. Before joining GE, Herguth held positions at Eastman Kodak’s Health Imaging Division.

Jamieson, Leung, Campbell

Shadin Avionics, St. Louis Park, Minn., named Jim Jamieson director of engineering. He will be responsible for directing the activities of the Engineering Department in developing new technologies and products, maintaining existing products and providing engineering support to the Production, Repair and the Sales and Marketing departments.

Jamieson has 19 years of engineering experience, including positions at Medtronic and B.F. Goodrich.

The company also named Henry Leung mechanical design engineer. Leung previously held a position with General Dynamics as a principal mechanical engineer. He will assume responsibility for designing new products, making improvements to existing products, and evaluating products, parts and processes for cost efficiency and reliability, as well as ensuring project completion.

Robert Campbell will join Shadin as a technical writer. Previously a lead technical writer for Honeywell International, Campbell has 25 years of experience in the field.

Thomas Kennedy

Raytheon named Thomas A. Kennedy vice president of the Tactical Airborne Systems organization of its Space and Airborne Systems business. He will be responsible for the business operations and strategic direction of division, which administers radar, electronic warfare and airborne processor programs for U.S. and foreign military services.

Before this assignment, Kennedy served as vice president for the SAS Mission Systems Integration organization, which developed the Airborne Standoff Radar surveillance system for the United Kingdom. He has 24 years of experience with Raytheon and Hughes Aircraft.

Before joining Hughes, which was acquired by Raytheon in 1998, Kennedy was a captain in the U.S. Air Force, where he managed vehicle avionics development and production programs for satellite launch vehicles.

Ken Estelle

Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, named Ken Estelle vice president and general manager of Technical Service Solutions.

Estelle, a 28-year veteran of the aerospace and defense industries, will be responsible for Rockwell Collins’ service and support operations, which provide repair and overhaul of aviation electronics, as well as for parts management and logistics for commercial, business and military aircraft worldwide.

He most recently was a vice president of Global Customer Management with Smiths Aerospace, now GE Aviation.

Art Manni

Downing Aviation Associates (DAA), a Phoenix-based aviation consulting and contract services company, named Art Manni chief operating officer. Manni, who joined DAA in August 2006 as a senior associate, has management experience with aerospace firms, including Pratt & Whitney Canada, AlliedSignal, Honeywell and AmSafe.

Darrel Downing, the founder and CEO of DAA, will focus on general business direction and client relationships.

Richard Owen

The World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA), McLean, Va., named Richard Owen executive director.

Owen, a trade association executive with more than 15 years of related experience, comes to WAEA from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where he was director of agricultural affairs. Before that, he was the executive director for the National Association of Wheat Growers Foundation, and executive vice president of the Montana Grain Growers Association.

Michael Tiedemann

German embedded systems provider SYSGO named Michael Tiedemann chief executive officer. Tiedemann, who was most recently international sales manager, joined SYSGO as a sales manager in 1997. Since then he has been responsible for developing the worldwide sales business.

Kevin Walsh

Kevin Walsh was named chairman of the board for the Independent Fixed Base Operators Association (IFBOA), Bedford, Mass. Walsh is president of Onyx Aviation, Sequim, Wash., a provider of business valuation services and FBO and airport business reviews. He has 35 years experience in aviation, including positions with Mercury Air Group, Maytag Aircraft and Mercury Air Centers.

IFBOA, established in 2006, aims to provide independent FBOs the resources and buying power they need to compete in the marketplace, and to help ensure the community focus, flexibility and autonomy of local business operators.