Peter Schumacher, a board member at Firefly Aerospace, has been appointed as interim CEO of the Cedar Park, Texas-based space transportation services provider.
He replaces Bill Weber, who assumed the chief executive role in 2022, and will lead the company’s team of more than 700 employees as the board conducts its search for a permanent lead, the company said Wednesday.
Chris Emerson, a board member at Firefly Aerospace and an aerospace industry veteran, will lead a transition committee that will support Schumacher as he oversees the company on an acting capacity.
Schumacher, a partner at private equity firm AE Industrial Partners, previously served as interim CEO of Firefly Aerospace.
As an AEI partner, he manages the firm’s investment strategy, due diligence, deal origination and portfolio growth initiatives.
Schumacher spent a decade at General Electric‘s (NYSE: GE) aviation segment and served as a mechanical engineer at Orbital Sciences, where he was involved in the U.S. Navy’s GQM-163A rocket program.
The acting CEO sits on the boards of AEI’s portfolio companies, including AIM, Applied Composites, Atlas and UAV Factory.
