Newport News Shipbuilding promotes three execs

Newport News Shipbuilding has announced several leadership changes as the shipyard attempts to optimize and speed operations.

Matt Needy is now vice president and chief transformation officer, after previously serving as vice president of Navy programs. In his new role, Needy is responsible for executing Newport News’ strategies, advanced development of business growth — including the next-generation attack submarine — enterprise-wide improvement, operational health and risk-opportunity management. He has worked for the shipyard for more than three decades.

With Needy’s promotion, the shipyard named Bryan Caccavale as vice president of Navy programs, a promotion from vice president of material and manufacturing. Caccavale’s leadership and financial experiences will benefit program execution and financial performance of the ships built and maintained by Newport News, the shipyard said in a news release Wednesday. Caccavale has worked in several roles at Newport News since joining in 2012, including director of business management for submarine programs, director of business management for Navy programs and vice president of supply chain management, according to his LinkedIn account.

Along with the leadership shifts, the shipyard is restructuring its material and manufacturing parts back into separate stand-alone divisions. Cullen Glass, who has served as director of supply chain management, has been promoted to vice president of supply chain management. He is responsible for all procurement, outsourcing and material logistics for the shipyard. Glass joined the shipyard in 2019 as corporate director of enterprise after spending 18 years at Honeywell.

Julia Jones will remain in her position of vice president of manufacturing.

The changes build on the shipyard’s multi-year modernization efforts to safely and efficiently deliver aircraft carriers and submarines to the Navy. That includes an integrated digital shipbuilding program, which Newport News said has been critical in the completion of the recent completion of modernization of the county’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford — built at Newport News — as well as the launch of Virginia-class submarine USS New Jersey and construction of the first digitally designed and built Ford-class carrier, the upcoming USS Enterprise.

“We have been on an aggressive journey to transform the way we run our business. Accomplishing this transformation while running our complex business is not a simple task,” Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding, said in a statement. “Our Navy customer expects us to deliver ships on time and on budget so they can meet the evolving demands of the global security environment. Our ultimate success depends on the acceleration of these efforts led by experienced leaders.”

Newport News Shipbuilding is a division of Newport News-based Fortune 500 contractor Huntington Ingalls Industries. HII is Virginia’s largest industrial employer with a workforce of more than 44,000 people, including Newport News Shipbuilding.