Brian Stitt is the Executive Director of the Sustainment and Readiness Sector at the University of Dayton Research Institute where he is responsible for leading a cross functional team of technicians, product design, materials, and manufacturing engineering professionals as well as business, training, facilities, program management, and graphic art specialists. Brian’s focus is in addressing the challenges associated with developing and scaling advanced manufacturing processes including additive manufacturing (3D printing), subtractive manufacturing, spray powder repair technologies, corrosion mitigation and new coatings, and automation/robotics and laser technologies.
Brian has over twenty-nine years of experience in product design, testing and validation, manufacturing, quality, LEAN and operations leadership in both the automotive and aerospace industries. He started his career with a short stint at Honda, followed by a quick transition to General Motors/Delphi Automotive. At GM/Delphi, he designed, validated and transitioned many chassis products into production, including powertrain isolation systems and magneto-rheological (MR) active suspension systems.
Looking for a new challenge, Brian left the automotive industry, joining GE Aviation as a manufacturing black belt. Through his time with GE, he was fortunate enough to lead various supply chain improvement efforts, start a “green-field” composites manufacturing facility, and lead the operations for the global Product Engineering Center, focused on turbo-machinery design, validation and transition to manufacturing.