Harrisville native Michael J. Hawthorne became the president at New York Air Brake in Watertown July 1, following the retirement of J. Paul Morgan.

As the former vice president and general manager for the manufacturer at 748 Starbuck Ave., Mr. Hawthorne was responsible for all technical and operational functions of the company and its five subsidiaries: Knorr Brake Limitedin Kingston, Ontario, Train Dynamic Systems, Irving, Texas, Anchor Brake Shoe, Chicago, Kansas City Service Center, Riverside, Miss., and Premtec in China Grove, N.C.

He joined the company in 1995 and became the director of train dynamic systems, a division of New York Air Brake, in 2001. In January 2012, he was promoted as vice president and general manager.

“Mike brings the energy of a focused leader possessing both technical and business skills to his position, said outgoing president Mr. Morgan in a released statement. “He is an innovator with an established track record of identifying opportunities and converting concepts into profitable product offerings.”

Mr. Hawthorne is an alumnus of Clarkson University, Potsdam, where he earned a bachelor of science degreee in electrical engineering. He also holds a masters of science degree in control systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institue, Troy, and an MBA from Syracuse University.

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