Jerry Wheeler is President of Wheeler Business Solutions, providing strategic consulting services for the aerospace and defense industries and bringing more than 38 years of experience in leadership with aerospace industry leader Pratt & Whitney (P&W), the last 15 supporting Army Aviation. Jerry has extensive experience in joint venture and program leadership, development of program win strategies, and leading high-performing teams in program execution. In addition, he is skilled in all areas of interaction with Government and industry customers and is deeply experienced in Government Relations activities with Congressional offices and staff. Jerry retired from P&W on September 1, 2020 as President of the Advanced Turbine Engine Company LLC (ATEC), a joint venture between Honeywell and P&W formed in 2006 to pursue future U.S. military rotorcraft propulsion opportunities. Jerry was in leadership positions with ATEC from its inception in 2006 and served as Vice-President prior to becoming President in September 2019. In these roles, Jerry was responsible for overall company leadership, for the execution of all current programs, and for pursuit of future business. Jerry joined P&W in July 1982 and during his career gained experience in Engineering, Program Management, Manufacturing Operations, Field Office Management, IT Project Management and Finance. Prior to ATEC, Jerry spent 20+ years supporting the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and U.S. Navy (USN) on F-16, F-15, F-22, F-35, and numerous Advanced Technology programs. His one commercial engine experience was the GP7000 engine for the Airbus A-380. He holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee (UT), a MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida, and a MBA from Palm Beach Atlantic University. Jerry resides in Huntsville, AL and is a member of the Army Aviation Association of America, the Vertical Flight Society (VFS), the Association of the United States Army and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. While with ATEC, Jerry served six years on the board of the Vertical Lift Consortium (VLC), three years on the Executive Committee for the Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium (AMTC), and as the P&W representative on the UT Aerospace & Defense Advisory Board. He currently serves on the board of the VFS Redstone Chapter and as a member of the VLC Technology Committee. In early 2024 Jerry was re-elected as an At-Large member to the VLC board and was reappointed as a VLC representative to the AMTC Executive Committee.