Blue Bird Appoints Top Executive for Global Supply Chain Management

Macon, Ga. (March 31, 2022) — Blue Bird Corporation, a technology leader and innovator in electric and low-emission school buses, announced the appointment of Jim Nelles as senior vice president, global supply chain management, with immediate effect.

In his current role, Nelles is responsible for optimizing Blue Bird’s global supply chain, ensuring best-in-class cost, quality, and throughput, and forging long-term strategic partnerships to secure critical components.

Nelles has more than 20 years of international leadership experience in supply chain management and operations. Most recently, he advised Fortune 500 industrial companies on procurement, supply chain, distribution, due diligence and negotiations. Before then, Nelles served as director of supply chain for private equity company American Securities from 2015-2019. Leading up to his role at American Securities, he held executive leadership positions at SteelSeries, LG Electronics, Roland Berger, and McKinsey & Company, among others.

“Jim is a strategic, creative and results-driven global supply chain leader,” said Matthew Stevenson, president and CEO, Blue Bird Corporation. “The COVID-19 pandemic now in its third year, the semiconductor shortage, general labor availability, inflation, and now the war in Ukraine have put considerable strain on the global economy and supporting supply chains. Jim will be instrumental in building a robust supplier network which safeguards a stable, high-quality production environment for Blue Bird, our customers and our dealers.”

Nelles holds a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in Economics and French from the same university.