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Westar Leadership Team
J. Garrett Martz, President
Garrett Martz was appointed President of Westar Aerospace & Defense
Group, Inc. in Feb. 2007. Martz was previously Westar’s Chief Operating
Officer, responsible for the operational management of the company.
Martz joined Westar in 2003, following the company’s acquisition of
ELMCO Inc., where he was President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to
ELMCO, Martz was a Project Engineer at TRW. Martz holds a BS in
Electrical Engineering from Auburn University and a MS in Electrical
Engineering from the Southeastern Institute of Technology.
Randall Tieszen, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating
Officer
Randy Tieszen was appointed Westar’s Chief Operating Officer in Feb.
2007. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President of Aviation
Programs, responsible for delivering systems engineering, software
solutions, logistics information management and IT technical support to
aviation customers. Tieszen joined Westar in 2003, after retiring from
the U.S. Army as a Brigadier General. During his Army career, he
commanded aviation units from company to brigade, and served as the
Deputy Commanding General of the Army Aviation Warfighting Center.
Tieszen earned a BS in Biology from the University of South Dakota and a
MS in Organizational Management from Webster University.
William Goss, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Bill Goss joined Westar in 2006 and is responsible for directing the
company’s accounting, finance, IT and legal departments, as well as
managing its merger and acquisition activities. Goss came to Westar with
more than 20 years of experience in leading corporate financial
strategies, including contract management and pricing. He previously
served as Senior Vice President and CFO of Affiliated Computer Systems’
IT Outsourcing Group and, prior to that, as CFO of Honeywell
International’s Hardware Product Group. Goss earned a BS in Business
Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. He is a Certified
Public Accountant and Black Belt trained in Six Sigma.
James H. Williford, Executive Vice President, Business Development
Jim Williford has been Westar’s Executive Vice President of Business
Development since joining the company in 2002. Prior to Westar,
Williford was Executive Director of Marketing at Lear Siegler Services;
Vice President of Business Development at BAE Systems; Program Manager
of Advanced Technology Programs at Boeing/Rockwell; and Manager of
Strategic Product Marketing at Honeywell. Williford also spent eight
years of active duty as an USAF combat fighter pilot, completing 125
missions in Southeast Asia and earning eight air medals, including the
distinguished Flying Cross. Williford holds a BS in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of Tennessee and a MBA from Golden State
University.
John Irby, Executive Vice President, Proposal Operations
John Irby was appointed Executive Vice President of Proposal Operations
in Feb. 2007. Prior to this appointment, Irby was Executive Vice
President of the company’s Space & Missile Systems business. In addition
to Proposal Operations, Irby also manages Westar’s Special Projects
Business Unit, focusing on entrepreneurial activities related to
advanced technology. Irby joined Westar in 2003, following Westar’s
acquisition of ELMCO. Prior to ELMCO, Irby was Vice President for
Advanced Programs at Teledyne Brown Engineering, and had previously
worked for TRW. Irby holds a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from
the University of Tennessee.
William Braddy, Senior Vice President, Business Performance
Bill Braddy was appointed Senior Vice President of Business Performance
in Feb. 2007. Previously, Braddy was Senior Vice President of the
company’s Transformation programs business. Prior to joining Westar in
March 2004, Braddy was Director of Recall Corporation and, before that,
Vice President of Engineering and Product Development for Schneider
National. In 1998, Braddy completed a 26-year Army career that included
armor and aviation command from company through brigade. He served as
the Division Chief of Staff and Aviation Brigade Commander in the 101st
Airborne Division, and on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon. Braddy earned
a BS in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M and a MS in Operations
Research from Kansas State University.