10 AeroVironment operations leaders
Senior Vice President of Global Operations, Senior Director of Operations, Senior Director of Field Operations and Sr Director of Manufacturing are among the roles held by these ten AeroVironment operations leaders. A reader can learn how operations leaders work at AeroVironment from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Alejandro Villalobos
LinkedInExperience: Sr Director of Manufacturing · AV
Alejandro Villalobos has been Sr Director of Manufacturing at AV since August 2025 and lists Director of Materials at AV from 2022. Alejandro Villalobos was Sr. Material Manager at AV from 2019 to 2022, Supply Chain Manager at Aerospace Dynamics International Inc. from 2016 to 2019 and Supply Chain Manager at Superior Industries from 2014 to 2016.
Andrea Jones
LinkedInExperience: Director of Engineering And Operations · AEROVIRONMENT (AV)
Andrea Jones was Director of Engineering And Operations at AEROVIRONMENT (AV) from 2012 to 2025 and Director, Global Engineering & Program Management Operations / Head of Engineering Services at AV from 2022 to 2025. Andrea Jones has been Senior Director, Enterprise Applications Program Management & Transformation at AV since February 2025, a new enterprise function spanning digital transformation program management.
Beth Kovesdi
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Strategic Operations · BlueHalo, an AV company
Beth Kovesdi has been Vice President, Strategic Operations at BlueHalo, an AV company since March 2024 and was Vice President Talent Operations at Eqlipse Technologies, a BlueHalo Company from 2023 to 2024. Beth Kovesdi was Chief Operating Officer at Resolute Technologies, LLC - Maryland from 2015 to 2023 and worked in Project Management and Planning Operations at Raytheon from 2010 to 2015.
Chad Pettit
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President of Global Operations · AV
Chad Pettit has been Senior Vice President of Global Operations at AV since May 2025, leading teams across manufacturing, procurement, quality and environmental health and safety. At BlueHalo, an AV company Chad Pettit was Senior Vice President of Operations from 2023 to 2025, Vice President of Program Operations from 2021 to 2023 and Vice President of Administration from 2020 to 2021.
Colin Walker
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Fulfillment at AeroVironment · AV
Colin Walker has been Vice President of Fulfillment at AeroVironment at AV since December 2018 and is based in Simi Valley, California. At AV Colin Walker was also Sr. Director of Operational Support from June to December 2018 and Director Corporate Quality from 2015 to 2018.
John Edward Patterson
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Operations, Loitering Munitions Systems · AV
John Edward Patterson has been Vice President of Operations, Loitering Munitions Systems at AV in Simi Valley, California since April 2025. John Edward Patterson was Senior Vice President Operations at CoolerX from 2023 to 2024 and COO / President at Thermoseal Industries, LLC from 2019 to 2023, and at Dover Food Retail was Vice President Business Integration from 2017 to 2019.
Nicholas Binstock
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Field Operations · AV
Nicholas Binstock has been Senior Director of Field Operations at AV since March 2022 and was Deputy Director of Field Operations at AV from 2020 to 2022. At AV Nicholas Binstock was also Chief Standardization Operator from 2019 to 2021 and Site Lead - New Site Setups from 2018 to 2019, and was Senior Flight Crew - Site Lead at Textron Systems from 2015 to 2018.
Rob Smith
LinkedInExperience: Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer · AV
Rob Smith has been Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at AV since April 2026. Rob Smith was Vice President, Radio Frequency Solutions (2024–2026) and Vice President, Mission Suites (2023–2024) at Raytheon, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Defense Solutions at CAES from 2022 to 2023 and President, Government Operations at BWX Technologies (BWXT) from 2021 to 2022.
Sean Butler
LinkedInExperience: Former Sr. Director of Operations · AV
Sean Butler was Sr. Director of Operations at AV from August 2022 to June 2025, and the profile also lists Sr Manager, New Product Introduction (2019–2025), New Product Introduction Manager (2017–2025) and Aerospace Manufacturing and Process Engineer III (2016–2025) roles at AV. Sean Butler has been Chief Executive Officer at Donohue Ventures since June 2025.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's operations area, whether company-wide operations, a business unit such as loitering munitions, field operations, manufacturing or BlueHalo, an AV company, to the decision you face. Check each role's dates to see whether it is current.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on first when you took on your current operations role?
- 02How do you keep production on schedule when defense demand rises quickly?
- 03What have you learned about bringing operations teams with different working practices together?
Reaching AeroVironment operations leaders
How can I contact one of these AeroVironment operations leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 3 companies: AV; AEROVIRONMENT (AV) and BlueHalo, an AV company, based on profile data retrieved on October 19, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
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Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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