PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Mr. Horowitz was named Elbit Systems of America’s President and CEO in 2007, after serving as Executive Vice President and General Manager of EFW, Inc. In his current role, he leads the strategic and operational direction of the company, and he serves as a member of its Board of Directors. In 2014, 2015 and 2018, The Ethisphere Institute named Elbit Systems of America one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies,” one of only two Aerospace and Defense companies worldwide to earn this distinction.
Mr. Horowitz has been instrumental in leading Elbit Systems of America’s organic growth and strategic acquisitions, resulting in its evolution as a leader in enhancing lethality, survivability and combat readiness for the defense industry. Its commercial aviation division is pioneering global changes in aviation safety by providing low visibility solutions for commercial airlines, cargo carriers, and business jet operators. The company’s advanced security solutions are helping secure America’s borders with 24/7 surveillance coverage. And, for more than 35 years, its medical instrumentation division has been providing engineering and design services and advanced manufacturing capabilities to bring life science instruments to the market. Today, Elbit Systems of America operates in six geographical locations in the U.S., including Texas, New Hampshire, Virginia, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi.
Mr. Horowitz is active in the defense and aerospace industry, serving on the Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industries Association, the Board of Directors for the National Defense Industrial Association, as a member of Business Executives for National Security, and as a member of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council. Previously, he served on the U.S. Army Science Board and the National Board of Directors for one of the nation’s largest volunteer health organizations, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Texas Israel Science and Education Foundation.
Mr. Horowitz earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Seidman School of Business at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. He was also awarded a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tel-Aviv University in Israel.
VICE PRESIDENT, GROWTH & STRATEGY
Jeffery “Scott” Baum joined Elbit America in 2020 as Vice President of Strategy and Growth. He has extensive experience in the defense industry and is responsible for leading the development of multi-year strategic growth plans for the company across both the Defense and Commercial portfolios.
Prior to joining Elbit America, Scott served as the Principal Director, Office of Industrial Policy for the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment. In this role, he led multiple initiatives to expand industrial capacity and secure critical technology supporting current and future warfighting requirements. Scott played a critical role across the interagency as a Defense Senior Executive detailed to Health and Human Services to scale the US Industrial Base in response to COVID. During his time in government he led multiple campaigns that expanded manufacturing capacity in the United States and with close U.S. partners and allies.
Scott continues to drive innovation and thinking in the Industrial Base as an advisor to MITRE Corporation’s Center for Strategic Competition and DARPA’s Commercial Strategy Office. He also is very active in academia and research as an independent director on Rice University’s Data Standards Development Board, and as a board member on Texas Christian University’s Energy Institute. He actively contributes to Reagan Defense Forum studies on the Industrial Base focused on resiliency of supply chains required to develop, field, and sustain next generation technologies.
Scott is a former U.S. Army officer with operational experience in Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, and Tanzania. He has received numerous commendations for his service, including the Bronze Star Medal, and Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Mr. Baum earned a Master’s Degree in Strategy and National Resourcing from the National Defense University. He also holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from Texas Christian University.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
Sandor Becz joined Elbit America in 2022 as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology. He is responsible for the guidance, vision and strategic impact of Elbit America’s Engineering and Technology organizations. His far-ranging experience in the aerospace and defense industry includes developing new products, engineering functions, platform strategies, and product portfolios.
Prior to joining Elbit America, Sandor was Vice President of Engineering for Unmanned Systems at Huntington Ingalls Industries. Previously, he was Vice President of Engineering & Programs at Hydroid, Inc. Sandor has also held leadership positions at United Technologies Aerospace Systems and United Technologies Research Center. In addition, Sandor served four years in the U.S. Air Force.
Sandor holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and has performed original research in fluid mechanics and hydrodynamics, complex systems design and modeling, robotics and automation, and hybrid power systems.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, AIRBORNE SOLUTIONS
Sean Bond joined Elbit Systems of America in 2020 and is responsible for setting the strategic and operational direction of the company’s Airborne Solutions business unit.
With more than 25 years in the aerospace and defense industry, Mr. Bond brings a range of diverse executive and technical experiences to Elbit America, including various avionics solutions and numerous aerospace electronic and control systems. His prior experience includes that of Program Manager for the V-22 Osprey at Bell and, at Pratt & Whitney, he was the Program Manager for the Joint Strike Fighter engine program.
More recently, Mr. Bond served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of HDT Global, the largest expeditionary infrastructure provider to the U.S. Department of Defense. During his tenure at the helm, the overall performance of HDT Global realized marked improvements in several key areas, including revenue, new business, on-time-delivery, and backlog.
Mr. Bond earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland. He also holds certificates from the Aerospace Engineering Program at the U.S. Naval Academy and the Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, among others.
VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Craig Collins joined Elbit Systems of America in 2021 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s controllership and treasury operations.
Prior to joining Elbit America, Craig was the Senior Vice President of Finance and CFO of the Electronic Systems Segment of L3Harris. Previously, he was Vice President of Finance and CFO of L3Harris’ Precision Engagement and Training Sector and, earlier, the Interstate Electronics Division. Prior to joining L3Harris, Craig worked for Honeywell and AlliedSignal where he provided business and financial leadership as a divisional Controller, among other positions. Before entering the aerospace and defense industry, Craig was a Plant and Manufacturing Engineer at Ford Motor Company.
Craig earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering from Kettering University’s GMI Engineering and Management Institute.
Brig. Gen. Bob Edmonds (U.S. Air Force, retired) leads all marketing activities, which includes integrating and aligning business development, strategy, corporate development, and strategic communications. His team works closely with the lines of business supporting growth and development.
Prior to joining Elbit Systems of America, Gen. Edmonds was a Vice President at Exelis, Inc., where he led business development and government relations functions as well as the Air Force programs for the $3.5 billion aerospace and defense company.
Gen. Edmonds had a successful career in the U.S. Air Force. He was a command pilot with over 2,500 flight hours and 300 combat hours, having led 42 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm. During his career, Gen. Edmonds commanded at the F-15 flight, squadron, and wing level; and also served in multiple senior operations and policy positions in the Pentagon. In addition, he has worked as a White House Fellow and as the lead for Air Force congressional affairs for both the House and the Senate as Deputy Director for Legislative Liaison.
After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Gen. Edmonds earned a Master of Science of Civil Engineering as a Guggenheim Fellow from Columbia University. He also holds a master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College, and completed an executive education program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Gen. Edmonds is a Falcon Foundation Trustee and a past president and board member of the White House Fellows Foundation and Association.
Mr. Fordyce leads Elbit Systems of America’s Washington, DC office and serves as the company’s liaison to the White House, U.S. Congress, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and other executive and legislative offices. He maintains close working relationships with the leadership and government relations staffs of Elbit Systems of America’s industry partners. Additionally, Mr. Fordyce is active in numerous industry, military and government organizations.
Mr. Fordyce is a United States Air Force veteran with over 27 years of service, most recently serving as the Director, Legislative Affairs for the United States Special Operations Command. He also served as Vice Wing Commander for the 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, FL where he led, organized, trained and equipped the Air Force’s largest and most diverse Wing.
Previous military assignments include Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-intensity Conflict and also Chief of the Commander's Action Group for Air Force Special Operations Command. Mr. Fordyce also served as Commander, 16th Special Operations Squadron where he accomplished global special operations as part of the Air Force component of United States Special Operations Command.
Mr. Fordyce has numerous combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world. He also served as Senate Liaison Officer for the Secretary of the United States Air Force and Chief of Staff. In this role he directly supported the Secretary of the Air Force, Senior Civilian and military officials and other governmental and non-governmental agencies on legislative budget affairs and congressional relations.
Mr. Fordyce earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from the Citadel and a master degrees from both Troy University and the Naval War College.
VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER,
ELBIT SYSTEMS OF AMERICA - NIGHT VISION
Erik L. Fox joined Elbit Systems of America in 2019 as Vice President and General Manager of the Elbit Systems of America – Night Vision business unit. Mr. Fox is responsible for expanding the company’s position as a supplier of critical defense systems and core technologies for the United States and allied militaries, security forces, federal homeland security and law enforcement markets.
Prior to joining Elbit Systems of America, Mr. Fox had been with Harris Corporation for 15 years and served as Harris Night Vision Vice President and General Manager since 2014. In this role, he was responsible for the profit and loss of the business, as well as customer relationship management, business development and execution of the strategic plan. During his time as Vice President and General Manager, Mr. Fox played a critical role in leading the organization from a declining state to the profitable business it is today, including two significant production ramps to support 34% revenue growth since 2015.
Also at Harris, Mr. Fox served as the Vice President of Strategy and Marketing and held the position of Program Director, where he managed various strategic programs, including the ENVG II development program for the U.S. Army.
Before joining Harris (formerly ITT/Exelis), Mr. Fox worked in ITT’s Fluid Technology group as a marketing and product manager. Prior to this, he served for six years in the U.S. Navy submarine force.
Mr. Fox is very active in the community and is passionate about supporting both veteran and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives. Night Vision is the primary sponsor of the Virginia’s Veterans Parade, where Mr. Fox and his family volunteer. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Trustees for the Science Museum of Western Virginia, where he helps make science and technology accessible to all people by supporting events that ignite and nurture life-long learning.
Mr. Fox earned a master’s degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University and also holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Naval Academy.
VICE PRESIDENT, C4I & HOMELAND SECURITY SOLUTIONS
Mr. Friederich has more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace, defense and homeland security industries. In his current role, he is responsible for the strategic and operational direction in the key areas of Public Safety, Homeland Security and C4ISystems and Solutions.
Among his current responsibilities, Mr. Friederich leads the Integrated Fixed Towers Program. Elbit Systems of America has installed and connected Command and Control Centers to 55 fixed towers along the Southern Arizona Border, providing U.S. Customs and Border Protection 24/7 surveillance across 2,000 square miles.
Mr. Friederich previously served as Vice President, Program Management. In this role, he established common program management best practices and tolls across the enterprise that yielded positive performance metrics in finance, program execution, quality, and customer satisfaction.
Mr. Friederich was the President of Talla-Com Industries when it was acquired by Elbit Systems in 2006 and oversaw the integration of Talla-Com into the Elbit Systems of America organization. He also served in the 1st Special Operations Wing of the U.S. Air Force.
Mr. Friederich earned a Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of Phoenix.
VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT AND MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Mr. Fruzzetti joined Elbit Systems of America in 2019 and is responsible for leading corporate development and portfolio expansion efforts in support of Elbit America’s continued business growth in the U.S. market.
Mr. Fruzzetti has more than 23 years of experience leading and executing corporate growth strategies, as an executive at private equity firms and global technology, defense, and engineering companies.
Before joining Elbit Systems of America, Mr. Fruzzetti served as Senior Director, Corporate Development for Cobham PLC, a UK-based global aerospace, defense and space technology company with over 11,000 employees worldwide. In this role he led numerous strategic M&A transactions and other corporate development initiatives.
Prior to Cobham, Mr. Fruzzetti held executive positions with private equity investment firms MCG Capital Corporation and Perseus LLC. While there he established a successful track record for originating, negotiating, structuring, executing, and managing numerous successful equity and debt investment transactions.
Mr. Fruzzetti was previously employed by ST Engineering Ltd., which operated companies in sectors including electronics, simulation & training, aerospace, marine and land-based systems. In this capacity, Mr. Fruzzetti was Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions, where he led merger and acquisition strategy for the U.S. operations. Mr. Fruzzetti began his career providing M&A advisory services with Alex. Brown & Sons, an investment banking firm that specialized in growth-oriented companies.
Mr. Fruzzetti earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from the Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. He has served on a number of private company boards and professional organizations.
Mr. Hickey has more than 25 years of experience in the aerospace and technology industries including a diverse background in defense, civil, and international markets with a record of high impact successes in profit and loss management, business development, mergers and acquisitions, corporate integration, and government relations.
He previously held the position of Executive Vice President, Operations for QinetiQ North America. Mr. Hickey served as Executive Vice President, International Operations and President of QinetiQ, Inc. where he was responsible for international business operations with particular focus on realizing the synergies within the global enterprise of the QinetiQ Group.
Mr. Hickey joined QinetiQ as Executive Vice President, Business Development before assuming the same role at the QinetiQ North America operations.
Prior to the QinetiQ Group, Mr. Hickey served as Vice President, Homeland Security for Honeywell International. While at Honeywell, he led multi-million dollar civil and military turbine engine business units in domestic and international markets. He also held a number of positions in engineering, finance, government relations, sales, and marketing.
Mr. Hickey holds a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He completed the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University and the Program Management Course at the Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Mr. Hickey is active in several associations; he served on the Board of the Washington Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association and was the chapter president in 2012.
Tracy L. Howard is President and CEO of Sparton Corporation, an Elbit Systems of America company.
Tracy has more than 30 years of experience in the defense industry and U.S. Navy. Prior to joining Sparton in 2021, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Leonardo DRS Naval Electronics Business where he led more than 1,000 employees across eight geographically dispersed sites to achieve $400 million in revenue. Previously, he served as Vice President and General Manager of L3 Technologies’ Maritime Power Systems (2019), Adaptive Methods (2018-2019) and Autonomous Undersea Systems (2017-2018).
Tracy served in the U.S. Navy for over 27 years as a Navy Submarine Officer, which included command of the Navy’s East Coast guided missile and ballistic missile submarines as Commodore of Submarine Squadron Sixteen and Commander of the nuclear-powered attack submarine the USS Salt Lake City (SSN 716). He was also Deputy Squadron Commander for Submarine Squadron Fifteen in Guam where he supported Submarine Group Seven in Yokosuka, Japan to conduct deployed operations throughout the Pacific region. His final assignment was in the Pentagon as the Director of Submarine Tactical Systems Integration and Future Capabilities in the Undersea Warfare Directorate (N97) of the Chief of Naval Operations Staff.
Tracy earned a bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1986 and a master’s degree in Operations Analysis from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1993.
Ms. Ivanier has been at Elbit Systems for over 10 years and prior to becoming Vice President, Elbit Commercial Aviation Solutions, was Program Director of Commercial Aviation in Elbit Systems Ltd. in Israel, responsible for programs in the United States, Europe, and Brazil.
She has 15 years of management experience in the military and civilian industry.
Her previous experience at Elbit Systems also includes engineering management of large software and system development groups. She was responsible for the overall development in parallel to roadmap and development strategy definition.
Before joining Elbit Systems, she worked for Rafael Advanced Defense System Ltd. as a manager in the engineering department responsible for embedded software development.
She holds a Master of Business Administration with distinction from Open University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Haifa University.
Mr. Landau is responsible for all foreign military financing activities in the company. He brings extensive defense and aerospace management experience to the position.
Prior to being named the Vice President of FMF, Mr. Landau was a Senior Director of Business Development and Marketing at Elbit Systems Land & C4I division in Israel, responsible among other duties, for the company’s strategic process.
Prior to joining Elbit Systems, Mr. Landau worked at Soltam Systems as a Marketing Director leading some of the company’s major marketing efforts.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Landau was a project manager at the LR group, running a turnkey UAS squadron as a Personnel Force Innovation program. Mr. Landau holds Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in History, Management and Security studies from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and Master of Business Administration from the Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
Mr. Landau is a Major in the Israeli Defense Force Artillery Core, serving as an Artillery Battery commander in his last active role, and as Brigade Operations officer in reserve. Mr. Landau is also a graduate of the Israeli Military Academy.
VICE PRESIDENT, GROUND COMBAT AND PRECISION TARGETING SOLUTIONS
Mr. Sower has more than 20 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry, providing capabilities in the areas of Thermal Imaging, Aircraft Survivability, Electro-Optics, Advance Ground Munitions, and Precision Targeting.
He has a range of experience leading teams and executing successful program performance. Previously, he held diverse leadership positions at BAE Systems in operations, business development, and program management. Mr. Sower held full profit and loss responsibility for portfolios up to $150 million per year, including a wide range of specialized technologies for the warfighter, including thermal weapons systems, handheld thermal devices, and precision targeting systems. Also at BAE Systems, he served Business Development and Growth Strategy roles for the company’s Survivability and Targeting Solutions business unit.
Mr. Sower came to Elbit Systems of America in February 2017 as Program Director for the Electro-Optics and Precision Targeting business segment. In this role, he was responsible for the business growth and execution.
Mr. Sower holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from MIT and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University.
VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES & EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT
Lisa Northup joined Elbit Systems of America in 2015 as Director of Human Resources, and was named Vice President of Human Resources in 2021. In this role, Lisa provides insight into the organizational performance for the company. Her expertise in talent development and management enables her to develop strategies that attract and retain key talent, from recruitment and development to succession planning.
Lisa began her career in Human Resources with AmeriCredit, an auto finance company that later become GM Financial. In her roles at AmeriCredit and GM Financial, Lisa gained exposure to every area of Human Resources. Her final position there was vice president human resources. She then spent two years at Associa serving as senior vice president of human resources. In her previous role within Elbit America, Lisa led recruiting and executive and leadership development.
Lisa holds a Bachelors Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas at Arlington and is an International Coaching Federation certified executive coach.
From February 2007 until his current appointment, Chris Puffer has served as General Counsel for Elbit Systems of America’s Airborne and Land Solutions business units. Immediately prior to joining Elbit Systems of America, Mr. Puffer served as Assistant General Counsel for McAfee, Inc. from 2002 until 2007. In 1993, Mr. Puffer joined Hughes Training, Inc. and became its Vice President for Contracts and Legal Affairs. Prior to Hughes Training, Inc., Mr. Puffer joined Doke & Riley in 1987, a private law practice in Dallas, Texas, where he specialized in government procurement matters.
Mr. Puffer began his legal career in 1980 with the U.S. Army JAG Corps, specializing in government procurement matters while serving at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals and as a Trial Attorney for the Army Contract Appeals Division.
Mr. Puffer received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Eastern Kentucky University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kentucky Law School. Mr. Puffer also serves as a volunteer mediator for Dispute Mediation Services, Inc. in Dallas, Texas.
