Dear Shipbuilders,

NNS has more work ongoing and into the immediate future than over the last four decades. In recognition of this increase and to prepare for successful work execution today and into the future, I am adding additional leadership to our new construction aircraft carrier programs. This change aligns with Enterprise (CVN 80) approaching 10% complete and the acceleration of digital transformation.

• Lucas Hicks, currently vice president of New Construction Aircraft Carrier Programs, will become vice president of CVN 78 and CVN 79, continuing his proven leadership and bringing greater focus on our carrier construction, delivery and post-delivery programs. He will continue reporting to Matt Needy, vice president of Navy Programs.

• Brian Fields, currently vice president of Business Transformation (iDS) and Chief Information Officer (CIO), will become vice president of CVN 80 and CVN 81, bringing strong leadership from across the shipbuilding value stream, including Ford-class engineering and design and program management, planning and production control, supply chain, and manufacturing and construction. Additionally, he was qualified as a shift test engineer and currently leads the stand-up of our digital transformation efforts, bringing this critical knowledge to the carrier new construction program. He will report to Matt Needy.

• With Brian’s move to the carrier program, I am pleased to announce that Jason Sutton, currently the program director responsible for Steel Fabrication and Assembly (SFA) program interface, is being promoted to Chief Information Officer (CIO). Jason brings two plus decades of IT leadership to this position. Prior to joining NNS in 2018 as director of Digital Implementation, he served for 24 years in the United States Air Force as an IT and Cyberspace Operations Officer before retiring at the rank of colonel. Jason will report to Bharat Amin, Huntington Ingalls Industries CIO, as part of HII’s centralization of cybersecurity and IT responsibilities, and he will be matrixed to me as the CIO for NNS. Jason’s current SFA responsibilities will transition to SFA Program Manager Juanita Bivens in an acting capacity until his replacement is selected.

These changes are effective immediately, though all three leaders will transition over the next few weeks. Please join me in congratulating Jason and in supporting all of these leaders as they transition into their new roles over the next month. I am confident these changes will enable best practices across all programs while the greater bandwidth of the team will drive further accountability.

Respectfully,
Jennifer Boykin
President
Newport News Shipbuilding