Textron Names Lynn Kelley Vice President of Textron Six Sigma

Providence, RI- Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) today announced the appointment of D. Lynn Kelley, Ph. D. as vice president, Textron Six Sigma, effective immediately. She succeeds John W. Mayers, who has been named executive vice president, Corporate Development for Textron Financial Corporation. Kelley will report to Ken Bohlen, executive vice president and chief innovation officer, and has been named a corporate officer. She will also serve on Textron’s Transformation Leadership Team, a group of 20 executives from Textron’s diverse businesses and functions that plan and drive the most vital company-wide initiatives.

“Lynn’s background and experience are well suited to lead Textron’s Six Sigma organization as we continue our journey to become the premier multi-industry company,” said Bohlen. “Lynn will be responsible for further advancing Textron’s Six Sigma efforts -which have become so much more than simply implementing tools and techniques to drive savings - but are a critical component for fueling growth and inspiring innovation across the enterprise.”

Kelley, 51, began her career at Textron with Textron Fastening Systems in 1999, where she held various positions, including vice president, Continuous Improvement and acting vice president of Strategic Planning. She also completed various international assignments, before entering the Textron Six Sigma Black Belt program, where she progressed to become Master Black Belt for Textron’s Fastening Systems and Fluid and Power businesses. Most recently, Kelley held the position of Performance Solutions manager for Textron University, where she led the development and deployment of new courses for Textron Six Sigma, Lean and Integrated Supply Chain in support of Textron’s heightened focus on talent development.

Bohlen continued, “Kelley’s appointment also underscores Textron’s priority to develop its people to the fullest potential by providing a diverse career experience, rich with opportunity that allow Textron employees to exchange ideas with colleagues, take risks and develop their leadership skills.”

Prior to joining Textron, Kelley was professor, department chair, and director of the Master’s Degree in Quality and Operations Management at Madonna University, School of Business, in Livonia, Michigan. She also served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Doctors Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

Kelley holds a Ph.D. from Wayne State University, an MBA from Michigan State University Executive MBA Program, and a BBA, Business Management from University of Detroit-Mercy. She also has published several books in the fields of statistics and operational excellence, served as an examiner for the Malcolm Bridge National Quality Award, a judge for the Michigan Quality Leadership Award, and an executive committee member for both the Michigan Quality Council and Caucus for Women in Statistics.