Kriya Shortt is president and chief executive officer of Textron eAviation, a business segment that is pursuing Textron’s long-term strategy to offer a family of sustainable aircraft for urban air mobility, general aviation, cargo and special mission roles.

In this role, Shortt oversees the development and expansion of Pipistrel as a Textron eAviation business. Shortt leverages the work across Textron’s aerospace and defense businesses in developing new opportunities to take advantage of fixed wing and rotorcraft expertise in emerging aerospace technologies and markets.

She is responsible for building external partnerships and creating a path for the further development and utilization of aircraft electrification and connected mobility technologies in the global market.

Most recently, Kriya served as Textron Aviation’s senior vice president of Global Parts and Distribution as well as president of Able Aerospace, a component repair and overhaul business for rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft, and McCauley Propeller Systems.

Kriya began her career with Cessna in 1996 as part of the customer service organization and has held various roles of increasing responsibility throughout her career including contract account management and aircraft sales.  In 2012, Kriya joined the Cessna Senior Leadership Team as vice president of Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa, before joining the company’s executive leadership team as senior vice president of Sales and Marketing, overseeing global sales initiatives for Citation, turboprop and piston products. Kriya then led Textron Aviation’s global aftermarket service and support for the installed base of Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker aircraft. In that role, she oversaw general aviation’s largest worldwide customer service network as well as the product support teams and partnerships with authorized service facilities.

Kriya has a bachelor’s degree in French from the College of the Ozarks and an MBA from Webster University. She is a graduate of the Textron Executive Leadership Program at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and of the Senior Executive Leadership program at Duke University. Kriya currently serves as a member of the NBAA Leadership Advisory Council, which offers the NBAA Board of Directors guidance on business member interests, government representation, industry programs, communication efforts and educational initiatives. She resides in Wichita, Kansas, with her family and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Wichita Children’s Home.