Lockheed Martin announced on March 14, 2022 that John Clark has been named Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Development Programs – also known as Skunk Works – succeeding Jeff Babione who will retire at the end of the month. This change takes effect on April 4.
“John’s extensive engineering background and previous assignments at Skunk Works uniquely qualifies and positions him to step in and lead this team as they continue to build on the innovative legacy that Skunk Works is known for” , said Greg Ulmer, executive vice president of Lockheed. Martin Aeronautics. “He is focused on building relationships with customers and collaborating across the business to bring the best of Lockheed Martin to meet the rapidly changing threat environment.”
A Lockheed Martin employee for more than 23 years, Clark most recently served as Vice President of Engineering and Technology, where he ensured the technical integrity of Aerospace products and processes, supported the development of engineering concepts, and led the development and the recruitment of more than 8,000 engineers. . He also served as Vice President of Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ISR & UAS) for Skunk Works. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a master’s degree in business administration from Texas Christian University.
“I would like to congratulate Jeff Babione for his many significant contributions to Lockheed Martin. With nearly 30 years of service with the company, Jeff has had the unique experience of working on our fighter programs supporting the development, production and sustainment of our F-16, F-22 and F- 35,” Ulmer said. “Jeff led with a strong commitment to supporting our fighters, which made him a natural fit for Skunk Works where he demonstrated the fundamentals of the organization – fast, quiet and quality.”
