NEWPORT NEWS – Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) recently announced the promotions of two of its employees.
Edmond Hughes has been promoted to executive vice president and chief human resources officer following the upcoming retirement of Bill R. Ermatinger. Ermatinger will retire on April 1 after 35 years of service. Hughes has been the vice president of human resources and administration at HII Shipbuilding division and at Northrop Grumman since 2006. Susan Jacobs, meanwhile, will replace Hughes in his former capacity. Both Hughes and Jacobs hold MBA degrees.
“Bill’s leadership has been critical to the evolution and growth of HII. It is a testament to his success that we have a deep bench of talent to fill his shoes,” said Mike Petters, president, and CEO of HII. “I thank Bill for his leadership and dedication, and I am confident that those who directly supported him, Edmond and Susan, will follow his strong example as they too make their marks on this great company.”
Hughes responsibilities will include human resources strategy; executive and employee compensation; health and welfare; benefits; employee and labor relations; learning and development; talent management and succession planning; talent acquisition; equal employment opportunity; diversity and inclusion; organizational effectiveness; and change management.
Jacobs will be responsible for leading all aspects of the human resources function related to the attraction, development, and retention of the workforce. She has held the position of vice president of human resources at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division since 2016, and director of human resources and administration for more than nine years at Ingalls.

