Rockwell Promotes 3rd Executive to Senior Position : Management: Don H. Davis’ ascension may set him up as one of the possible successors to the chief executive job.

SEAL BEACH —  Rockwell International Corp. on Tuesday promoted a third executive to a senior post with overall responsibility for running the $11-billion company’s diverse technology businesses.

Donald Beall, chairman and chief executive, said that Don H. Davis, 54, a subsidiary president, has been promoted. He becomes the second person to jointly hold the titles of executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“We’ve operated with multiple COOs for some time (in the past) and this move is simply a matter of timing,” Beall said. “We’re fortunate to have a talented, diverse management team and Don Davis is a very talented executive.”

Kent Black, 54, retains his titles as executive vice president and chief operating officer. That means the three, along with an established seven-member corporate strategy committee, will guide the future of Rockwell, which produces defense electronics, aerospace components, avionics gear, automation systems, telecommunications, auto parts and printing presses.

Beall, who was overseeing two divisions, will now return to a position as overall strategist for the entire corporation, spokesman Bill Mellon said. The changes will help the company diversify its management team, he said.

Beall, 55, does not have any immediate plans to retire, Mellon said. But Davis’ promotion may set him up as one of the possible successors to the chief executive job. Black and Davis will report to Beall.

Davis was formerly a Rockwell corporate vice president and president of Rockwell’s Allen-Bradley factory automation division in Milwaukee. He will now move to the company’s headquarters in Seal Beach and oversee the company’s automotive parts and factory automation businesses, which account for nearly 45% of total sales.

Meanwhile, Black will oversee the company’s space systems, Rocketdyne rocket engine unit, defense electronics, Collins commercial aircraft components businesses, telecommunications and newspaper printing press businesses.

Succeeding Davis as president of Allen-Bradley will be Jodie Glore, 46, who has been senior vice president of the unit’s automation group in Highland Heights, Ohio.

The management shuffle returns the Rockwell suite to a structure it had until June, 1993, when Sam Iacobellis gave up the title of chief operating officer to become executive vice president and deputy chairman for major programs.

Iacobellis, 64, in effect became Rockwell’s primary executive dealing with the federal government on major programs such as the space shuttle.