Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. announced that William A. Fitzgerald and Patrick M. Shanahan have been named to the company?s Board of Directors, effective November 12, 2021. Fitzgerald will serve on the Audit Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committee. Shanahan will serve on the Audit and Compensation Committees. Both Fitzgerald and Shanahan have decades of executive leadership experience in the aerospace industry. Fitzgerald joins Spirit?s Board with a broad understanding of commercial aviation, including extensive experience working with airlines around the world on their aftermarket requirements. Fitzgerald retired in 2021 as Vice President and General Manager of Commercial Engine Operations for GE Aviation. He was responsible for all commercial jet engine products and global support. Other assignments for Fitzgerald at GE included Vice President and General Manager of the GEnx product line, which was the fastest selling jet engine in GE?s history and powered the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 aircraft. Previously, he was Vice President and General Manager of Assembly, Test and Overhaul, working to bring manufacturing and services sites together into a single organization to share best practices and processes. Shanahan?s background spans both commercial and military programs following a 31-year career with Boeing, and as a former Deputy Secretary of Defense and Acting Secretary of Defense. Shanahan was appointed in 2017 as the 33rd Deputy Secretary of Defense, the second-highest ranking civilian position at the Pentagon. He served as Acting Secretary of Defense from January 2019 to June 2019. Shanahan retired from The Boeing Company in 2017 as Senior Vice President of Supply Chain & Operations and a member of the Boeing Executive Council. Shanahan served in Boeing?s defense business as Vice President and General Manager of Missile Defense Systems, and Vice President and General Manager of Rotorcraft Systems, with oversight of the Apache, Chinook and Osprey programs.