AIKEN, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 12, 2026--
AGY, the leading U.S. manufacturer of high-performance glass fiber reinforcements, today announced two senior leadership appointments, effective February 1, 2026, bolstering the Company’s commitment to systematic growth, industry-leading innovation, and long-term value creation.
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Patrick Hunter has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer and President of AGY. Since joining the Company in early 2024, Hunter has played a key role in strengthening the commercial organization, expanding strategic customer relationships, and aligning go-to-market execution with AGY’s growing portfolio of advanced products and capacity investments.
In his expanded role, Hunter will continue to lead AGY’s global commercial organization while assuming broader responsibility for enterprise execution and growth initiatives across aerospace, defense, electronics, and advanced industrial markets.
“Patrick has been instrumental in sharpening AGY’s commercial strategy and positioning the Company for its next phase of growth,” said Al Ridilla, Chief Executive Officer of AGY. “His leadership and execution discipline will be critical as we scale the business and pursue long-term opportunities.”
Doug Mann has been appointed Chief Technology Officer of AGY. With more than 30 years at the Company, Mann has been a driving force behind AGY’s technical evolution, product innovation, and process development.
Throughout his career, Mann has led the development of differentiated technologies and new products that underpin AGY’s global competitive position. His technical expertise is widely recognized across North America, Europe, and Asia. As CTO, Mann will continue to lead AGY’s technology and product development efforts, ensuring continued innovation while supporting customers’ evolving performance requirements.
“Doug’s depth of technical knowledge and longstanding leadership have been foundational to AGY’s success,” Ridilla added. “His appointment ensures continuity as we invest in next-generation materials and applications.”
These leadership appointments reflect AGY’s focus on succession planning, leadership continuity, and operational excellence as the Company expands its capabilities to meet growing demand for advanced glass fiber solutions.
About AGY
AGY is a leading innovator and manufacturer of specialty glass fibers enabling high-performance composite solutions for aviation, defense, electronics, artificial intelligence, digital connectivity and architecture applications that are integral to civilian life and critical to the national security supply chain. Headquartered in Aiken, SC, AGY is the singular remaining specialty glass fiber manufacturer in the United States. Flexible production operations, R&D teams, and a product innovation center allow AGY to customize material solutions and develop next-generation products for clients globally.
Doug Mann, CTO, AGY
Patrick Hunter, CCO & President, AGY
PHOENIX (AP) — When Jennifer Rizzotti arrived at UConn as a player in 1992, the expectations around the school, as well as the women's basketball landscape, were much different than they are today.
Geno Auriemma was only in his eighth season coaching the Huskies. UConn hadn't yet hoisted a national championship trophy. There wasn't nearly the same pressure to win that the Huskies face now. And women's basketball as a whole hadn't seen the unprecedented growth in sponsorships and popularity it is experiencing now.
By the 1994-95 season, Rizzotti and fellow UConn standout Rebecca Lobo helped the Huskies go undefeated en route to their first national title. Everything about the program changed, and even as women's basketball has evolved and skyrocketed in exposure, the Huskies have remained the gold standard.
“There was no thought that we were going to be undefeated,” Rizzotti said. “We didn't have that internal pressure. We didn't have external pressure. That's the last time a UConn team could play that way. Think about that: 1995 is the last time a UConn team could play without that kind of pressure.”
The Huskies have since won 12 national titles, reached the Final Four 25 times and won 30 conference titles. They've been ranked 653 weeks in The Associated Press women's basketball poll, and Auriemma is the winningest coach in women's college basketball history.
As conversations around the Final Four in Phoenix center around how the women's game has grown, the Huskies, who are competing for the second straight national title, have been at the forefront.
“You could tell that everything was aligned for this program to reach that pinnacle," said Rizzotti, who is currently the president of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. “I don't think anything of us would have predicted that it would have gone on as it had.”
Rizzotti joined former UConn players Stefanie Dolson, currently with the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and Shea Ralph, now Vanderbilt's coach, on a panel Friday at “The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience,” which is being held at Arizona State’s First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Earlier Friday, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman, former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) commissioner Rich Ensor and AP women’s poll founder Mel Greenberg spoke on a panel moderated by college basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli on the growth of women's basketball at the college and pro levels.
“I think women's basketball has never been more popular,” said Ackerman, who was the first president of the WNBA from 1996-2005. “I think schools that are succeeding are really seeing, feeling and believing in the (return on investment). And UConn's a case in point.”
Ackerman sees the investment that the schools in this year's Final Four — UConn, Texas, South Carolina, and UCLA — have made in their programs to reach back-to-back national semifinals as a reflection of the growing importance of pouring resources into women's hoops.
“And that's done a world of good,” she added. “Programs like South Carolina, UCLA, you see what they're doing for their campuses. The investment is paying off in terms of the brand and engagement with the community and school reputation.”
Even as women's sports are drawing record crowds and WNBA players are set to make more money than ever, Ensor sees much more room to capitalize on this current growth.
“It has been about breaking down barriers, and they still exist,” Ensor said. “We marvel at what's happened, but we still recognize there's a lot more that's to come.”
AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience: https://apnews.com/https:/apnews.com/projects/arizona-state-fan-poll-experience/
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
FILE - Connecticut's Breanna Stewart, left, drives to the basket as Cincinnati's Maya Benham, right, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
From left, Debbie Antonelli, Val Ackerman, Rich Ensor and Mel Greenberg sit on a panel during an event Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Val Ackerman, commissioner of the Big East Conference, listens during an event Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/John Locher)
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reacts after his team defeated Notre Dame in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
