Before joining Textron, Donnelly was the CEO for General Electric Aviation, a producer of jet engines for commercial and military aircraft.
He went on to serve in a variety of leadership roles for the company, including engineering management positions with then-GE division of Martin Marietta in both Australia and the United States.
In 1995, he moved to GE's Industrial Control Systems business, where he held various management positions.
[1] Donnelly joined Textron in July 2008 as executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) as part of a multi-year succession plan.
[2] Donnelly serves on several Engineering advisory committees including that of Cornell and Stanford Universities.