AEROSTRUCTURES EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM
 

 

Dr. Leslie Jay Cohen - Senior Vice President, Sales - Military
 Dr. Cohen joined HITCO in 2001. He served for 31 years at McDonnell Douglas where he held positions of increasing responsibility in Technology Operations and Business Development. As a Senior Director, he directed all Business Development for MDAC in the Russian Federation. He has published over 40 papers on Advanced Composite design and development, is a lecturer in Advanced Composites and has been awarded the USSR Gold Medal for Science and Technology, and a Foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Judd Hall Award for Manufacturing of Composites and SAMPE Fellow. He holds B.S, M.S., and Ph D. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Fulbright Post Doctoral at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology specializing in Structures and Materials.
 
Steve Bower 
Steve Bower - Vice President, Accounting/Secretary
Mr. Bower joined HITCO in April, 2003 after seven years with SGL CARBON in Charlotte, N.C. and Wiesbaden, Germany. Prior to joining SGL, Mr. Bower held several controllership and Investor Relations positions with Collins & Aikman Corporation from 1989 through 1996. Prior to 1989 Mr. Bower was an Audit Manager at Price Waterhouse LLP. Mr. Bower received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from California State University, Northridge in 1983. He received a Masters of Business Administration degree from Duke University in 1996
 
Doug Branson
Douglas Branson – Vice President, Quality Assurance
Mr. Branson joined HITCO in 2010. He has over 26 years in the aerospace industry having begun with Rockwell International, moving to McDonnell Douglas, and finally with The Boeing Company where he last held the position of Director, Supplier Quality for the Long Beach site programs. Mr. Branson earned a Bachelor of Science degree from California State Polytechnic University, and an MBA from Cal State Fullerton.
 
Dino Militello
Dino Militello – Vice President, Production & Manufacturing
Mr. Militello joined HITCO February 1984 holding positions in Program Management, Research and Development, Engineering and  Operations.  Mr. Militello’s experience includes, carbon carbon composites, ceramic matrix composites and CFRP for aircraft structures.  Previously Mr. Militello Operations Manager at A-Carb, LLC, division of Messier-Bugatti a manufacturer of carbon-carbon aircraft brakes.   He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology from State University of New York at Buffalo .
 
Nick Nenadovic
Nick Nenadovic – Vice President, Commercial Programs
Mr. Nenadovic brings 26 years of Aerospace & Defense experience to HITCO. Prior to joining HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc., Nick held various leadership roles with increasing responsibility at Argon ST, General Electric Aviation, Smiths Aerospace, Goodrich Corporation and The Boeing Company. Mr. Nenadovic holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Redlands and a Masters of Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona.
 
Jeff Schade
Jeff Schade – Vice President, Composite Materials
Mr. Schade’s early career roots were established in Quality Assurance within the aerospace industry with McDonnell Douglas on the C-17 program, followed by increasing leadership roles with Pilkington Aerospace.  Mr. Schade pursued Finance, Sales, Marketing and General Management positions in various industries including component manufacturing for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration applications, customized air movers for telecommunications, medical and industrial customers and specialized steel and concrete transmission poles supporting the electric utility industry before joining HITCO in 2010.  He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from The Ohio State University and a Masters of Business Administration from California State University Long Beach.
 
Eric Sorenson
Eric Sorenson – Vice President, Engineering
Mr. Sorenson joined HITCO in 2009.  He has over 20 years experience in the aerospace industry in both technical and management roles with Rockwell International, Northrop Grumman, McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.  Eric has focused his career on process development and manufacturing of composite aerospace structures for commercial aircraft, military airplanes, spacecraft and unmanned vehicles.  At Boeing, Eric achieved the distinction of Associate Technical Fellow for his work in the composites field.  Eric earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Materials Science Engineering from UCLA.