Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE:AJRD) today announced that Jim Simpson will join the company on Sept. 21 as senior vice president, Strategy and Business Development. Simpson will report directly to CEO and President Eileen Drake and will serve as one of the officers of the company.

Simpson previously spent 35 years with The Boeing Company in a variety of leadership roles, most recently serving as vice president of Business Development and Strategy for Network and Space Systems. In his new role with Aerojet Rocketdyne, Simpson will lead the company’s new business capture and strategic alignment initiatives.

“I’m thrilled to have someone with Jim’s caliber of business development expertise join my leadership team,” said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. “As the aerospace and defense industry evolves, our efforts to sustain healthy growth must include the aggressive and strategic identification of development opportunities that capitalize on our unique capabilities and strengths. I’m confident that Jim and his team will succeed in addressing that challenge.”

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.