ExpressJet Airlines today announced John Varley has been named Senior Vice President - Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel. In this new role, Varley will be responsible for Human Resources, Information Technology and Legal.

Varley most recently served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at California-based airline Virgin America (VA). During his seven years there, the airline grew from a small startup to an award-winning and profitable public company. He was instrumental in establishing the airline's highly successful initial public offering and later negotiating its merger agreement with Alaska Airlines.

"John is a highly-respected leader who has built high-performing, people-focused organizations," said ExpressJet (XJT) President and CEO Subodh Karnik. "His expertise will ensure ExpressJet has the programs, systems and infrastructure to be successful as we grow the airline with 25 new Embraer E175s and hire more than 600 pilots in 2019."

Prior to Virgin America, Varley enjoyed a more than two-decade career with Delta Air Lines where he last served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Georgetown University and a law degree from the University of Baltimore.