Lockheed Martin exec who oversaw Fort Worth’s F-35 program dies after cancer battle
Michele Evans, who as executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics oversaw the F-35 fighter jet program in Fort Worth, died on New Year’s Day after battling cancer for more than a year.
Evans, who was 55 years old, was originally from the Owego, N.Y. area, and more recently had lived in Colleyville.
As head of the company’s aeronautics division, Evans was in charge of several programs supporting the U.S. military and its allies. Most notably, she oversaw the manufacture of the F-35 stealth fighter jet, which is designed and built at the company’s enormous plant in west Fort Worth.
Her business area also oversaw the manufacture of the F-16 fighter aircraft, as well as the company’s secretive Skunk Works program, in which future technologies are developed.
“Throughout her career, Michele led some of the most important programs that ensure the security of our nation and its allies and help make our world a safer place,” James Taiclet, Lockheed Martin president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Evans had more than 34 years of experience in the defense and aerospace industry, company officials said. Prior to taking the helm at the aeronautics division, she was vice president and general manager of the Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors line of business in the company’s Rotary and Mission Systems area.
She also was actively involved in the company’s diversity initiatives, and was executive sponsor for the Women’s Impact Network.
Throughout her career, she was responsible for programs such as the A-10 weapons system, and the avionics programs on the C-130 and F-35.
Evans was raised in a large family in Campville, N.Y. and graduated from Owego Free Academy in 1983. At the academy, she played field hockey and basketball, and ran track and field.
She graduated from Clarkson University in 1987 with a mechanical engineering degree, her family said in an obituary provided by the funeral home.
“She was a stalwart in the industry — shattering the ‘glass ceiling’ and positively impacting all those around her,” Evans’ family wrote. “Her personable nature, her attention to detail, and her unbridled work ethic were all characteristics that prompted her rise to the top.”
She also was a board member for Girls Inc., Cheniere Energy, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Clarkson University Coulter School of Engineering, the family said.
Survivors include husband David, and sons Clark and Parker.
A funeral service for Evans will be live streamed at 10 a.m. Thursday (Jan. 7) at www.emfaheyfuneralhome.com. The service will be followed by an interment at a family mausoleum at Evergreen Cemetery in Owego, N.Y.
