K E Y S T O N E
ADIAG
2025 KEYSTONE PANEL
THE AIRWORTHINESS DEFENSE INDUSTRY ADVISORY GROUP (ADIAG)
Wednesday, May 14th @ 8:00 AM
What’s new in Airworthiness?
Government and Industry will discuss new tools and processes affecting Airworthiness execution.
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MODERATOR MR. JOHN HILL Air Force Acquisition Customer Engagement Liaison, Boeing Mr. John Hill is a Customer Engagement Liaison for the Boeing Company in the Dayton Field Office near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Mr. Hill has been with Boeing since July 2022 and is responsible for a portfolio that includes Tankers, Transports, Presidential Aircraft, Autonomous Systems, and Rapid Sustainment projects, among other things. Prior to his employment with Boeing, Mr. Hill spent over 30 years at Wright Patterson working a variety of projects within the Engineering Directorate. In his most recent assignment, Mr. Hill served as the USAF KC-46 Chief Engineer, responsible for all airworthiness issues on the KC-46 as well as the technical engineering efforts of all major development, production, sustainment, and modifications work on the KC-46 Fleet. In addition, he was the Chief Engineer for the F-35A, Lead Sustainment and Systems Engineer for the F-22, and the Crew Systems Technical Advisor for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. His extensive flight systems experience includes lead acquisition engineering positions with several aircraft System Program Offices, including the F-15, F-16, F-22, and F-35, as well as supporting roles in the C-17, C-130, T-6, T-7A, B-1, B-2 and the B-21. John has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering from Wright State University and a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from the University of Dayton and is a graduate of Air War College. He is a member of the Air Force Association, Airlift/Tanker Association, Association of Airworthiness Professionals, and other professional affiliations. John and his wife, Beth Ann, currently reside in Dayton, Ohio and have three children, Sarah, Jacob, and Chase. John is an avid sports fan who enjoys traveling, golfing and staying fit. |
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PANELIST MS. LILY ARCUSA SES, Director of Engineering, AFLCMC Ms. Lily S. Arcusa, a member of the Senior Executive Service is the Director of Engineering and Technical Management Chief Engineer, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. She provides wide ranging leadership for ensuring technical supremacy and integrity of all Air Force aircraft, engines, munitions, electronic and business systems. Ms. Arcusa is the United States Air Force Technical Airworthiness Authority for Air Force weapon systems, and she is leading the transformation to digital engineering to unleash the value of technology disruption and provide rapid capability maturation, delivery and readiness. Ms. Arcusa oversees a national engineering organization of 6,000 employees and is responsible for talent acquisition, development and management of the center’s engineering and technical workforce. She is the executive responsible for installation management of the Air Force-owned industrial plants throughout the nation. She also provides direct warfighter support through combat effectiveness, vulnerability, and operational weaponeering analyses, product support engineering and sustainment technology innovation. Ms. Arcusa began her career in the Aeronautical Systems Center’s Engineering Directorate in 2003. Since then, she has held a variety of management and technical positions within the Air Force acquisition community. She most recently served as the Deputy Program Executive Officer, Presidential & Executive Airlift Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. |
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PANELIST MR. JON MORTON Senior Manager, BDS Airworthiness Military Certification Jon Morton is a senior airworthiness manager for Boeing Defense and Space (BDS) responsible for the oversight of Military Handbook 516C certified programs under the Product and Services Safety organization. He is responsible for the airworthiness of several domestic military and international military programs and has experience working with numerous airworthiness authorities. His team currently supports several DOD and NASA projects including B-52, F-15, F/A18, MQ-25, MQ-28, T-7A, X-66A and more. He previously was a manager for the 737 Regulatory Administration Team responsible for supporting the MAX Return to Delivery with the FAA, EASA, and other international regulators. He is currently the Boeing representative for the Airworthiness Defense Industry Advisory Group (ADAIG). He started his Boeing career on the 777 program as a liaison engineer supporting systems installation. He held subsequent roles supporting the 787 final assembly team and then the Everett Delivery Center. He managed the 737 Production Support Engineering teams for 737 Final Assembly, 737 Wings, and P-8A Final Assembly. Later, he led the 737 Wire Design team. Jon is a graduate of the Boeing Leadership Development Excellence (LDE) Program, Class of 2016. He holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from St. Louis University and a M.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California. Jon currently resides in the St. Louis area with his wife and 3 kids. He enjoys cycling and skiing. |
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PANELIST MR. CHET THORNE Vice President of Engineering and Product Development, SNC Mr. Chet Thorne is Vice President of Engineering and Product Development for SNC. He is based at SNC's Rocky Mountain Campus facility in Englewood, Colorado. Chet’s responsibilities include Functional Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and the Test & Evaluation Organizations for SNC’s ISR, Aviation and Security (IAS) Business Area. His teams are responsible for Engineering Tools, Procedures, Technology Development, Test Evaluation, as well as Manufacturing integration and planning. Mr. Thorne joined SNC in October 2021 from Textron Aviation, where he worked under multiple company banners including Hawker Beechcraft Corporation and Raytheon Aircraft for the past 27 years. He is an experienced technical leader, having led multiple new aircraft development efforts from preliminary design through test and certification. He most recently led the Citation Longitude Program as the Director of Jet Product Development – and later led the platform’s market introduction as Director of Product Support & Technical Services. Prior to Longitude, Chet led the Functional Engineering organization at Beechcraft and various other full-scope aircraft and derivative / modification programs – having spent much of his early career in the experimental test world. |
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PANELIST MR. MICHAEL DELAUNE Director of Aviation Safety and Airworthiness, Lockheed Martin |
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PANELIST DR. STEPHEN COOK NG Fellow - Airworthiness, Northrup Grumman Aeronautics Systems Dr. Stephen Cook is the Northrop Grumman Fellow in Airworthiness, responsible for developing and implementing airworthiness policy and strategy across Northrop Grumman’s portfolio of manned and unmanned aircraft. Within the broader airworthiness community, Dr. Cook is active in standards development efforts in multiple consensus standards bodies including the Aerospace Industries Association, ASTM, and the International Civil Aviation Organization. He currently chairs the working group for National Aerospace Standard 9945 “Airworthiness Engineering Training and Education” which provides guidelines and curricula for airworthiness professional development. He also leads the Airworthiness Subcommittee for ASTM Committee F38 on Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Dr. Cook earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland in 2003, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University. He was inducted as an Associate Fellow of AIAA in 2016, has received two ASTM Awards of Appreciation in 2019 and 2025, and was awarded the Engineers’ Council Outstanding Engineering Merit Achievement Award in 2018. |
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