NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Aug. 12, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has appointed four vice presidents to key positions with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC, a joint venture with Fluor and Honeywell Corporations, that recently won the contract to manage and operate the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC.

Veasey Wilson has been appointed vice president of business operations; Fred Dohse has been appointed vice president of nuclear operations; Jon Fagan has been appointed vice president and chief nuclear engineer; and Mary Ann Benischek has been appointed vice president of information technology (IT).

These Northrop Grumman employees are part of a leadership team that assumed responsibility of the Savannah River Site on midnight July 31.

"For the past year, this team has provided tireless support throughout the entire contract proposal and is a key reason for the Department of Energy's selection of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC to manage and operate the site," said Matt Mulherin, sector vice president and general manager for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding sector's Newport News operations. "Their demonstrated commitment and dedication will chart a successful course as we move into this new business opportunity."

Wilson will lead all business management, IT, supply chain, and process excellence functions at the Savannah River Site to ensure financial strength and operating efficiency. Prior to this appointment, he served as vice president of supply chain management at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Newport News shipyard, where he was responsible for supply chain management processes, including approximately $1 billion a year in material and services acquisition, logistics, material operations, and supply chain process analysis and re-engineering. Wilson has more than 30 years of operations experience in the computer, aerospace, and shipbuilding industries and has held positions of increasing responsibility with Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, Quantum Corporation and Allied Signal Corporation. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Virginia State University and a master's degree in business management from Central Michigan University.

Dohse will be responsible for the safe, secure and environmentally sound storage, disposition and operation of all special nuclear materials and nuclear fuels at the Savannah River Site. He most recently served as director of the George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) nuclear-powered aircraft carrier program at Northrop Grumman's Newport News shipyard. Prior to that, he held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility in the U.S. Navy for 30 years, attaining the rank of captain. His Navy experience includes serving as Submarine Squadron commander; military assistant to president's national security advisor and National Security Council staff deputy executive secretary; director, Nuclear Arms Control Division, Joint Staff (Pentagon); and commanding officer of the USS Memphis (SSN 691). He earned a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Idaho.

Fagan is responsible for engineering and nuclear safety operations at the Savannah River Site, including engineering management, systems engineering, nuclear safety, design and engineering processes. Prior to this appointment, he served for most of his 35-year career at Northrop Grumman's Newport News shipyard as a leader in the nuclear engineering division, designing, building and overhauling the nuclear propulsion plants of the U.S. Navy's submarines and aircraft carriers. His career has spanned almost every aspect of the life cycle of Navy nuclear propulsion plants and facilities, from conceptual design through plant deactivation. He most recently served as director of engineering for the nuclear propulsion plant of the nation's next generation aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford class. Fagan earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and a master's degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University.

Benischek is responsible for establishing the IT strategic direction and the day-to-day leadership of all information systems at the Savannah River Site. Prior to this position, she served as vice president of situational awareness systems for Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector. She joined Northrop Grumman in 1981 as a software engineer, and subsequently completed cross-functional assignments in manufacturing, finance and contracts. She served as program director and led enterprise resource planning initiatives, including management of SAP. She managed programs and business areas for various domestic and international customers. These included F-16 radar and derivatives, B-1B radar, and the U.S. Postal Service Automated Flats Sorting machine. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, she worked for IIT Research Institute as a computer programmer/analyst. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Fordham University, a master's degree in mathematics from Lehman College, and has completed the Harvard University general manager's program.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC was formed by Fluor Corporation, with partners Northrop Grumman and Honeywell. Subcontractors Lockheed Martin and Nuclear Fuel Services are also members of the team. Key members from each company make up the Savannah River Nuclear Solutions leadership team. The team won the U.S. Department of Energy contract for site management and operations of the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C ( http://www.srs.gov/general/srs-home.html ). The contract is worth an estimated $4 billion over a five-year period and includes five one-year option periods, bringing the total contract value to approximately $8 billion.

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. 

  CONTACT:  Jennifer Dellapenta
          Northrop Grumman Corporation
          (757) 380-3558
          Jennifer.Dellapenta@ngc.com