Mr. Manuel joined Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, in 2019 as a Senior Business Development Manager for Defense Aftermarket after nearly thirty years of active-duty service in the US Marine Corps. A graduate of the University of Louisville School of Business. Mr. Manuel began his military career in 1990 as a 2^nd Lieutenant aviation supply officer.  Mr. Manuel later commanded two Marine Aviation Logistics Squadrons, deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and oversaw the stand up of the initial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter training center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.  Mr. Manuel also obtained his Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III acquisition professional certifications in Life Cycle Logistics.  His defense acquisition experience includes Director, F-35 Academic Training Center, US Navy Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV N43), Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS), and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Aviation in Richmond, Virginia.        

His military operational experience includes commanding Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS-14), Cherry Point, North Carolina, and MALS-40 Forward, Marine Aircraft Group–40, 2^nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) Afghanistan; Deputy, Aviation Logistics Department (ALD), 2^nd Marine Aircraft Wing; and Supply & Operations Officer at MALS-31 (Beaufort, SC) and MALS-36 (Okinawa, Japan) respectively.

Mr. Manuel’s professional / military memberships include -

• National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)
• Tailhook Association (Lifetime member)
• Marine Corps Aviation Association (MCAA)
• Marine Corps Association (MCA)
• Association of Marine Corps Logisticians (AMCL)
• Association of Naval Aviation (ANA)
• Toastmasters International