Gary D. Mercer is vice president and chief engineer for GE Aviation. In this role, he is responsible for leading the chief consultants and a network of more than 600 controlled title engineers focused on the evolution of the design process, flight/product safety and engine certification. The Chief Engineer's office provides consultation and oversight for technology, component and engine system level designs across the global engineering team over the product's life cycle. This office is also the primary technical interface with regulatory agencies around the globe, ensuring safety and compliance for the engines produced by GE and its partners.

Mercer began his engineering career at Dresser Industries where he worked for four years designing equipment for the oil & gas markets. In 1985, he started his GE career at Aircraft Engines in Evendale, Ohio. For the next eight years, Mercer built his core competency as a design engineer assigned to the structures team for Military and then Commercial engines.

In 1993, Mercer relocated to Schenectady, New York and became part of GE Energy where he brought his aviation experience to the industrial gas turbine development team. While there, he was promoted to general manager for the H product, a steam cooled gas turbine that today remains one of Energy's most advanced design undertakings.

The Gas Turbine development organization was re-located in 1999 to the Greenville, South Carolina where Mercer spent two years as the Power Generation Programs Manager, reporting to the VP of Energy's engineering division. In 2002, he was promoted to senior general manager engineering for GE Oil & Gas in Florence, Italy. After four years in this role, Mercer returned to GE Energy in Greenville to lead the component design teams for Gas and Wind Turbine products.

Most recently, Mercer led the global engineering team for GE's renewable energy business where he continued his passion for engineering excellence, innovating processes and products to make GE the preferred supplier to our customers.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Mercer completed his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the State University of New York.

GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.

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