Philanthropist. Recruiter. Award-winning Engineer. Meet Debra Curry.

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The Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) is hosted at an annual STEM conference where students and industry professionals can come to together to network, learn and celebrate all the possibilities in the STEM fields. Basically, it’s the "Oscars of the STEM industry." This year, one of our extremely talented Bell 360 Invictus engineers, Debra Curry, will accept the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Community Service in the Industry.

"I've been doing community service my entire life. It's an innate part of who I am. And it's nice to be recognized because you want to make an impact on the less fortunate and showcase what we do for others to emulate," Debra says. As a leader in community service, Debra has gone from volunteering in the soup kitchens back in her home state of Washington to running the Bell African Ancestry Networking Group (BAANG), Bell's longest-standing employee resource group, for over a decade. Her motivation to serve the community started with her own personal role models.

"I'm from Everett, Washington. My dad is a retired Boeing mechanical engineer who worked on the 737, 747, 757, and lastly, the 777. My mom taught high school and middle school math. Both are retired." Not that it’s stopping them from changing the world. "Mom volunteers her time to drive patients for the American Cancer Society and Dad volunteers at the senior center. That example of giving and helping others has always been a part of who we were. We've had it in our DNA."

In Debra's personal life, she's been a foster parent since 2012. She was a major proponent in getting Texas State Bill 355 passed, a critical initiative that allocated more funds for foster and adoptive parent resources. She’s also very passionate about engaging with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to tap into their talent. "Last year, Bell hosted the career fair booth at BEYA and had several of the deans from many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to visit our Advanced Vertical Lift Center to network with Bell employees. Lots of relationships developed from this event," Debra says. "And it’s only the beginning of new partnerships and opportunities for Bell, Textron and the bright engineers at these HBCUs.”

Check out the video below to get to know Debra on a personal level!

About Bell

Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 85 years, we’ve been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us.

We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. We were a part of NASA’s first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we’re defining the future of advanced air mobility.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours.

Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront.

About Textron

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations or deferrals of orders; our ability to keep pace with our competitors in the introduction of new products and upgrades with features and technologies desired by our customers; changes in government regulations or policies on the export and import of our products; volatility in the global economy or changes in worldwide political conditions that adversely impact demand for our products; volatility in interest rates or foreign exchange rates; and risks related to our international business, including establishing and maintaining facilities in locations around the world and relying on joint venture partners, subcontractors, suppliers, representatives, consultants and other business partners in connection with international business, including in emerging market countries.

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