Russell R. Stokes led GE's Commercial Engines and Services business from 2022 into 2026, following executive assignments in aviation services, transportation and power. In January 2026, GE Aerospace announced that Mohamed Ali would take over an expanded commercial engines organization effective February 1, and Stokes moved into an advisory role for the transition, with retirement planned for July 31. UPS now identifies him as the former head of that GE Aerospace business.
Stokes earned a finance degree at Cleveland State University and completed GE's Financial Management Program. He joined GE in 1997 and worked across finance, operations and services. His aviation assignments included sourcing general manager, services chief risk officer and finance leader for customized service agreements: different parts of an engine business, from purchasing to the financial terms and risks of servicing equipment over time.
In 2013, he became president and chief executive officer of GE Transportation, whose businesses served rail, mining and marine customers. He moved to GE Energy Connections in 2015, leading an organization focused on electrification, grid equipment and controls. His next assignments were GE Power from 2017 to 2019 and GE Power Portfolio from 2019 to 2020, the latter following a restructuring of GE's power operations into separate groups serving different customers and markets.
GE appointed Stokes president and chief executive officer of Aviation Services in October 2020. The new role combined the commercial and operations teams of Aviation's services organization with repair and overhaul sites around the world. He also became chairman of GE Power Portfolio, while Dan Janki took over its chief executive role. Stokes's return to aviation preceded his leadership of Commercial Engines and Services. In 2026, that business was expanded again as GE combined it with technology and operations under Ali, bringing engineering, manufacturing and aftermarket services into the same organization.
Outside GE, Stokes joined the UPS board as an independent director in 2020. His earlier community work included the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Committee for Progress. An older GE biography also records his service as a Morehouse School of Medicine trustee and his involvement with 3DE by Junior Achievement, which works on high school education. UPS describes his operating and technology experience as relevant to its board's oversight of fleet electrification and energy transition strategy. His current UPS board assignments include its Compensation and Human Capital Committee and its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
