A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

The task ahead for Gina DeSimone is huge and complex, and to hear her tell it, that is precisely the appeal.

DeSimone, vice president of Engineering and Programs for Boeing Air Traffic Management, is responsible for developing the next-generation air traffic management system. Current practices have evolved from a system established in the 1950s. Boeing is developing the architecture to modernize that system, and her job is to lead the effort.

"It's a long-range project, but when we're finished, the system will be completely transformed," said DeSimone, who joined ATM in February. "It's a big undertaking, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

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'Good morning, I'm Rick Edel'

Rick Edel is one of the newer employees at Connexion by Boeing. He's so new that he still says, "Good morning, I'm Rick Edel," at team meetings, as he did at a recent system readiness meeting.

On that day, Edel reinforced the need to sort out the sometimes conflicting requests made of the engineering team as it prepares the Connexion by Boeing service for full-system readiness by Jan. 9, 2004, and full-scale commercial service with Lufthansa by March 17. It was a serious subject, but Edel reinforced his point with a light touch, opening his remarks with a quote from Woody Allen: "It is clear the future holds great opportunities. It also holds pitfalls. The trick will be to avoid the pitfalls, seize the opportunities and get back home by six o'clock."

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Steady amid transformation

The environment during the past several years has been anything but calm for Hank Queen, Commercial Airplanes vice president of Engineering and Product Integrity.

In February 2000, only three days after being made responsible for BCA engineering skills and capacity, almost 14,000 Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace-represented engineers and technical workers in his organization went on strike. The largest white-collar strike in U.S. history, it would go on to last 40 days and mark a low point for morale and productivity.

In September 2001, terrorism threw an already slumping market for commercial airplanes into a steep decline. Queen has seen employment in his organization reduced to 16,000 from 23,000 since the events of Sept. 11, in large part because of the tough market conditions.

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Designing architecture

It might come as a surprise to those who don't know what network architecture is, but CEOs around the world are suddenly paying attention to network architects. Business leaders are hoping to position their companies for the strategic advantages promised by business-to-business e-commerce, the virtual workplace and collaborative teaming between geographically separated sites.

As the chief technology officer at Shared Services Group, Vaho Rebassoo leads the team developing the computing and network architecture plan for Boeing. This plan provides the foundation for expanding and enhancing the services delivered to all the business units via the Boeing network.

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'How do you know you’re right?'

Thad Sandford's passion for making a difference was born of Cold War urgency and never waned, even after the superpower standoff faded. Propelled into engineering at the dawn of the Space Age, Sandford devoted himself to strengthening the nation's rocket, satellite and aircraft capabilities. Four decades later, Sandford retains a youthful enthusiasm for his work. "I'm a kid in a candy store," he said, pointing to the vast array of Integrated Defense Systems products and programs. "Look at all this. What else could a kid want?"

Sandford, vice president of Engineering at Integrated Defense Systems, is responsible for providing engineering support to a multitude of space and defense systems. Among his priorities: ensuring the technical integrity of the $27 billion organization's products by deploying the right people and the right processes, making sure all risk issues are fully understood, and fostering continuous improvement.

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