LYNN ? A GE aircraft-engine manufacturing expert currently based in Durham, N.C. has been selected to oversee the company’s aviation operations in Lynn.Maria Deacon has accepted the post of Lynn Site Executive and will be responsible for all operations at the GE facility in Lynn.Richard Gorham, a spokesman for GE in Lynn, said Deacon has begun transitioning from her current role as plant manager in North Carolina and aims to assume her new duties full time by the end of the year.Deacon joined GE in 1998 with its Engine Services division in Wales, United Kingdom, primarily in finance and operations roles. She was soon recognized for her productivity accomplishments as well, which in GE parlance means she “served as the Delivery/Lean Manufacturing Black Belt for Supply Chain, leading the Lean Six Sigma transformation across manufacturing, assembly and test.”Deacon was born in Wales where attended the University of Cardiff, graduating with a masters degree in finance and economics. Prior to joining GE, she began her career in finance and held various roles within multi-national commercial companies.After working at the GE facility in Wales she accepted a new position in January 2004 in Cincinnati, Ohio, as Master Black Belt Delivery/Lean, where she was responsible for driving inventory reduction and delivery improvements utilizing the company’s Lean concepts across the entire Aviation Supply Chain.Subsequently appointed plant leader at the Durham Aircraft Engine Facility in May 2006, Deacon oversaw the assembly of GE’s largest volume of commercial aircraft, with more than 1,000 engines shipped last year.According to Aviation Week magazine, GE is engaged in the largest commercial engine production build-up in its history, with deliveries approaching 3,000 a year by 2009. That’s more than double the annual deliveries of four years ago.The Durham facility where Deacon has been plant manager is at the forefront of this ramp-up. It builds the widest range of jet engines from CF34-10, which powers regional jets, to the GE90, the largest thrust engine designed for the Boeing 777.The Durham facility is currently expanding to produce the GEnx-1B/-2B engines for both the Boeing 787 and 747-8 n with about 1,150 engines already on order between the two airplanes.Deacon has been described in the aviation press as “a charismatic Welshwoman who joined the company’s engine-servicing operation in Nantgar, Wales, to oversee the massive expansion.”The GE executive and her husband, Mark, have two daughters ? ages 6 and 9. She enjoys spending time with her family, running, swimming and skiing.Deacon will report to Scott Ernest, vice president of the company’s supply chain. She replaces the late Corinne Johnson, former Lynn Site Executive, who died of cancer at age 49 last March.