E-news Online January 2012

Charles (Chip) Blankenship, President and CEO of GE Appliances

Charles (Chip) Blankenship, a 1992 materials science graduate, has been named president and CEO of GE Appliances, a global industry leader in major appliances and home energy management products and services for residential use.

Blankenship will report to GE Home & Business Solutions President and CEO Charlene Begley.
“Chip brings a wealth of business leadership and program and product management expertise to this role,” said Begley. “We see tremendous opportunity to leverage his background and look forward to growth under his leadership.”

Blankenship joins the appliances team from his most recent role as vice president and general manager for the Commercial Engines Operation for GE Aviation. Prior to GE Aviation, Chip was the general manager for Aero Energy, a division of GE Energy.

Blankenship began his GE career in 1992 as a staff scientist at the Global Research Center. He joined aviation in 1996 and held several product and program management positions before taking on the business leadership role in aero energy.

Blankenship earned a bachelor of science degree in materials engineering from Virginia Tech and a doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Virginia.

The Engineering School has a strategic commitment to develop its graduates for leadership. “Chip is certainly an excellent example of that,” says Dean James H. Aylor.