12.12.22

Shocker Executive Series: Eyes to the Sky

Wichita State-educated executives are leading professionals in business, industry, government and nonprofits. Here at The Shocker — and across Shocker Nation — we salute them and their accomplishments and introduce our new executive series with a bird-eye look at Textron Aviation and some of the Shockers in charge there.

By Connie Kachel White

Flight is in Wichita’s DNA. It’s part of our pioneering spirit. A century of aircraft production has made our city the No. 1 manufacturing metro in the United States. Fueled by the high-flying innovations of such industry giants as Boeing, Bombardier, Airbus, Spirit AeroSystems and Textron Aviation with the Hawker, Beechcraft and Cessna brands, ICT is one of five major aerospace clusters in the world.

In addition, a full 35 percent of all general aviation planes built in the United States are delivered from Kansas, and no one is more familiar with that statistic than Ron Draper ’01, president and CEO of Textron Aviation. A fixed-wing multi-engine commercial-rated pilot, Draper is a pro at flying a broad range of Textron Aviation aircraft, including Cessna Citation jets, which gives him at least three things in common with an Air Capital aviation industry pioneer: Dwane Wallace ’33, who guided Cessna Aircraft for more than 40 years.

On top of being pilots and leading executives, Wallace and Draper are Shocker graduates, Wallace having earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering and Draper an MBA. Today, Textron Aviation has a workforce that produces more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide — and an executive crew led by Draper that includes Bradley White ’14, senior vice president, operations; Maggie Topping ’00, senior vice president, HR & Communications; Brian Rohloff ’95, senior vice president, customer support; Chris Hearne ’96, senior vice president, engineering & programs; and these vice presidents: Brian Adams ’02, Jason Hull ’94,  Juan Escalante ’05/20, Ed Berger ’00, Marcelo Moreira ’10 and Mike Shih ’85/88.