B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1979

After graduating, Mr. Blakely joined Lockheed-California, where he was assigned to the Maritime Patrol and Anti-submarine Warfare business group and was involved with a variety of development programs related to the P-3 Orion and CP 140 Aurora aircraft. He became engineering program manager for P-3C Orion programs before being re-assigned to lead the development of aircraft sub-systems for the P-7 maritime patrol aircraft and later working with the Maritime Patrol Engineering office at Naval Air Systems Command.

In 1991, Mr. Blakely transferred to Lockheed Aeronautics in Marietta, Ga., assuming responsibility for all of the company’s International Maritime Patrol Aircraft Engineering programs. In 1996, he was selected to lead the C-130J Systems Verification and Flight Test Team. He was subsequently promoted to chief systems engineer and ultimately chief engineer for C-130 Programs.

In August 2000, Mr. Blakely was promoted to deputy for engineering, coordinating the consolidation of engineering operations, personnel, processes, and tools at the new company’s three sites into a single organization. His success led to being named vice president for engineering in the spring of 2003.

In January 2004, he joined the JSF Executive Leadership Team on special assignment as the technical director for the Joint Strike Fighter Development Program. He remained in this role until the summer of 2006 when he returned to a full time focus on all of the company’s technical operations as the VP for Engineering.