Embry-Riddle Prescott Alumna Peg Billson Returns to Address Fall 2010 Graduates
Prescott, AZ, December 6, 2010
Peg Billson
Aerospace industry leader Margaret S. (Peg) Billson returns to her alma mater, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, as commencement speaker for the fall semester 2010 graduating class on Saturday, December 18, announced Dr. Frank Ayers, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer.
“We’re always thrilled to welcome back one of our own to inspire our new graduates. Peg Billson’s exemplary career in aerospace engineering is a perfect launching pad for a commencement address,” said Dr. Ayers. “She serves as an outstanding role model for our students, especially to our growing female student population.”
Billson graduated in 1984 with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering. Currently, she is the President of BBA Aviation’s Legacy Support Division, where she oversees four businesses that provide component spare and repaired parts for older, out-of-production aircraft. Previously, she was Chief Operating Office at Eclipse Aviation, where she led the organization through certification and rapid production of the Eclipse 500, a small six-seat business jet aircraft that was the first of a class of Very Light Jets (VLJs).
Billson had an eight-year career with Honeywell that included the roles of Vice President/General Manager Airframe Systems and also Aircraft Landing Systems. She served as Vice President of Engineering for Engines, Systems and Services with responsibility for 4000 engineers located worldwide across five business enterprises. Prior to Honeywell, Billson spent 13 years with McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach, Calif., where she worked her way to Vice President of the MD-11, MD-80 and MD-90 programs.
Billson is an instrument and multi-engine rated private pilot and serves on the Board of Directors of SkyWest, Inc. She also holds an M.S. Degree in Engineering-Aerospace from California State University at Long Beach. She is an active member of the Board of Visitors of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott campus.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 40 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada and the Middle East. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.
