Graney to retire as Electric Boat chief at end of year

Groton ― Kevin Graney, president of General Dynamics' Electric Boat division since October 2019, has informed the company he will retire at the end of the year, General Dynamics announced in a news release.Mark Rayha, EB's senior vice president and chief operating officer, will succeed Graney, effective Dec. 1, the company said.U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, hailed Graney's nearly 30-year career in Navy shipbuilding, saying in a statement he "is deserving of the highest honor.""Shortly after being named president of Electric boat in 2019, Kevin led Electric Boat through a once-in-a-century pandemic that required tremendous leadership to keep the shipyard open in the face of a deadly airborne pathogen," Courtney said. "In addition, he presided over the start of full-rate production of the Columbia class submarines in tandem with two-per-year Virginia attack subs."Last year," Courtney continued, "Electric Boat shattered its 120-year-old hiring record by bringing on 5,300 new employees, and is continuing that clip in 2024. Kevin Graney's footprint in Southern New England's economy and community will live on for decades to come."In a statement, Phebe Novakovic, General Dynamics' chairman and chief executive officer, said of Graney:"Kevin has served General Dynamics with distinction for nearly 30 years, including tenures as president of both NASSCO (National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., another General Dynamics' division) and Electric Boat. "His shipbuilding expertise and strong leadership have been instrumental to the performance and continuous improvement of both NASSCO and Electric Boat."Graney joined General Dynamics in 1995 and served in a variety of leadership roles at Electric Boat and NASSCO before becoming a general manager and then president of NASSCO from 2013 to 2019 and then president of Electric Boat.Rayha joined General Dynamics in 1989 at Land Systems. He became CFO of General Dynamics' Mission Systems in 2015. He joined Electric Boat in 2020 and served as chief financial officer from 2021 to 2023 before becoming chief operating officer."Mark (Rayha) is a 35-year veteran of General Dynamics and is a proven and capable leader," Novakovic said. "His experience as CFO and COO of Electric Boat will ensure that we continue to grow to support our nation's need for submarines."b.hallenbeck@theday.com