IRVINE, California, January 31, 2016 – McDermott & Bull, a Southern California-based retained executive search firm, is pleased to announce the successful appointment of John Youkon as Director of Quality with Insitu, a pioneer in the field of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), offering applications to accomplish objectives across a broad spectrum of missions – Defense and Commercial & Civil. Insitu’s portfolio of long-endurance, runway-independent UASs have flown hundreds of thousands of flight hours since 2004 and operated in some of the most punishing environments on the planet. Insitu’s UASs use a no-runway launch process, offer unprecedented stabilized day and night video for ISR, robotic flight control, and no-nets capture, all of which differentiate Insitu from their competition.
This executive recruiting engagement was conducted by Craig Sabina, Principal Consultant, Rod McDermott, Managing Partner, Jared Moriarty, Associate Principal Consultant and Nicole Noonan, Recruiting Manager, at McDermott & Bull. According to Craig, “I have had the good fortune to work with Insitu in different capacities for many years. They are an outstanding organization. This is our third effort for them and we will soon complete a fourth. It is a great pleasure helping them evolve the leadership team to support their ongoing rapid growth.”
After serving in the Gulf War, Mr. Youkon had a choice to make, sign up for another six years or join the private sector. He chose the latter. In 1992, he joined Alden O. Sherman Company where his skills were recognized immediately. Mr. Youkon was quickly promoted to his first Quality leadership role where, among other accomplishments, he led the company’s six-month-long successful ISO 9000 Certification effort in 1994. Throughout his career, Mr. Youkon has broadened his Quality leadership experience, working at well-known aerospace companies such as Pratt & Whitney, PCC Structurals, and most recently, Meggitt OECO. Mr. Youkon has an extensive background in Quality planning, the US Government’s DoD procurement processes, the Continuous Improvement discipline, and building teams in traditional and matrixed environment. These qualities and experiences make him an excellent match for the fast paced, cutting edge world of Unmanned Aircraft Systems development and manufacturing at Insitu.
Mr. Youkon earned his Associates of Applied Science in Aircraft Powerplant Technology at Community College of the Air Force. He then earned his Bachelors of Science in Management at Teikyo Post University. Mr. Youkon holds a Six Sigma Black Belt Certification from Villanova University. He is a Gulf War veteran.
About Insitu
Insitu was founded in 1994 to develop weather reconnaissance technology. The company built the first UAS to cross the Atlantic Ocean and evolved the technology to support further commercial applications. In 2003, due to the onset of the Iraq war, Insitu expanded its technologies to military applications. The company was purchased by Boeing in 2008. It was together with Boeing, under a joint venture, that Insitu developed the ScanEagle™ UAS program which was first deployed in Iraq in 2003. Today, Insitu has a team consisting of nearly 1,100 professionals dedicated to furthering the Company’s mission. The firm maintains a strong network of partners, allowing the Company to provide specialized in-country support for any region in the world. This includes Insitu Pacific, the Company’s Australia-based affiliate, which was established to serve the unique needs of the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, Insitu is fully backed by their parent, The Boeing Company, and its 95+ years of world-renowned innovation, delivery, performance and value.
Today, Insitu offers six main products and services: (1) ScanEagle – single mission UAS; (2) Integrator – multi- mission UAS with customizable payloads; (3) ICOM2 – command and control centers; (4) Training on all UAS applications; (5) Field Operations – in-field operators of Insitu UASs; and (6) Payload Directorate – continued payload technology development, and open source payload development with third party developers. To learn more about Insitu, please visit their website at http://www.insitu.com.
About McDermott & Bull
McDermott & Bull, Inc. (www.mbsearch.com) is a retained executive search firm headquartered in Irvine, California with offices in Oregon and Georgia. The firm serves both public and privately held clients in a variety of industries and functional areas. McDermott & Bull has developed expertise in fields including Aviation, Aerospace & Defense, Technology, Financial Services, Consumer Brands, Industrial Manufacturing, Restaurants/Retail, Entertainment, Food Manufacturing, Healthcare and Life Sciences, the Engineering & Construction / Building Industry, Professional Services, and other areas.
As active, multi-thousand hour, turbine aircraft pilots, Rod McDermott, Managing Partner, and Craig Sabina, Principal Consultant, have a passion for the Aviation & Aerospace industry personally and professionally. Additionally, Jeff Black, Partner, has many years of experience specializing in aerospace, defense, and information systems. Together, Rod, Craig, and Jeff lead the Aviation & Aerospace Practice at McDermott & Bull. They offer a truly unique experience and skill set to clients such as Honeywell, Boeing, Honeywell/Bendix King, Klune Industries, PPG Aerospace, Ducommun, Inc., Arrowhead Products, Meggitt Electronics, Ontic, Moog, Insitu, The Experimental Aircraft Association, Thrush Aircraft, Daher/Socata and many more, placing Director level, C-suite and Board level executives including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer, Vice President, and Director/Manager positions. To learn more about McDermott & Bull’s Aviation & Aerospace Practice, please visit, http://mbsearch.com/industry-expertise/aviation-aerospace.