Puget Sound Engineering Council

Steven Chisholm

The Boeing Company

Steven Chisholm, The Boeing Company, has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 Industry Engineer of the Year Award in recognition of his many contributions to the aviation industry as a mechanical and structural engineer; his leadership in ensuring the structural integrity of Boeing products; and his contributions to the aviation industry in the areas of safety, regulatory activity, advanced composites, and additive manufacturing.

As Vice President and Functional Chief Engineer for Mechanical and Structural Engineering (MSE), he leads the integration of people, practices, and tools for the MSE function across all business units within the company. He dedicated most of the last 36 years contributing to airplane safety. For more than a decade, he assessed the structural integrity of individual airplanes, reviewed and approved structural repairs, and interfaced with airline customers on maintaining the safety of their airplanes. He led the Federal Aviation Administration-sponsored industry group responsible for publication of industry guidance on mandatory actions for service issues, rulemaking on addressing in-service corrosion, and maintenance programs for addressing the potential for widespread fatigue damage. He led efforts in the industry to continue development of advanced composites and expand their use in airplane structures. He collaborated with external partners, both international and domestic, to explore more efficient airplane manufacturing processes to reduce airplane weight and to expand the ability to recycle airplane components.

He has made an indelible impact in the field of engineering. His technical and business leadership have positioned Boeing for success and helped create a pipeline of future talent for the company. His efforts to advance women have significantly amplified their voices within Boeing and in the industry.

Luis Leon

The Boeing Company

Luis Leon, The Boeing Company, has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Industry Engineer of the Year Award in recognition of his many contributions to the aviation industry as a materials and process engineer, his technical expertise in metallurgical alloys and their processes, his numerous patents, and his leadership of multiple engineering professional organizations.

He has primarily worked in research, process and product development, and manufacturing and production fields within the Boeing Company. He participated in the design of the first close-coupled aluminum solution heat treatment facility that is used for heat treating precipitation hardening of aluminum alloys. This process was used to produce hardened aluminum components that were used to replace cracking skin components on the B-747 aircraft. He worked as a member of the engineering team that conducted initial design studies that led to the development of the B-787 aircraft. His knowledge of materials processing led to evaluation of alternatives to the current propulsion system major structure design. He oversaw the Propulsion Technology Portfolio composed of enterprise-wide projects. He was responsible for assessing the materials and processes for each project and determining which best met new and derivative aircraft needs. In this role, he provided leadership for applications designed using titanium matrix composites, ceramic matrix composites, polyimides, and high temperature material systems.

He has been an active member of ASM International and Puget Sound Engineering Council (PSEC). He developed the template for PSEC’s student mentor nights that are conducted annually at local universities and colleges to enable engineers of many disciplines to share their career experiences with the students.

Rod Boyer, RBTi Consulting

2019 Award Recipient

Nominated by the ASM International

Rod Boyer
RBTi Consulting

Rod Boyer, RBTi Consulting, has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 Industry Engineer of the Year Award in recognition of his many contributions to the aviation industry as a titanium specialist investigating the metallurgy of titanium and developing techniques for fabrication of titanium alloy air frame components. He was employed by The Boeing Company from 1965 through 2011 and now operates a consulting practice.

At Boeing, his efforts were focused on increasing the understanding of titanium metallurgy, including the effects of processing variations resulting in microstructural variations and the resultant effect on the properties of titanium alloys.  He conducted research on all product forms used on aircraft and studied almost all of the processes involved in the fabrication of titanium components, from melting to mill processing, secondary processing (forging, extrusions, etc.) to machining.  The result of his work was implementation of several new technologies on Boeing and other aircraft.

He directed the industrial effort on titanium alloy development for the NASA-sponsored High Speed Civil Transport Program and has been involved in several Air Force-sponsored Materials Affordability Initiative Programs involving advancing the understanding of titanium metallurgy.  He focused on powder metallurgy during his last three years at Boeing, both blended and pre-alloyed.  He led the effort in obtaining static design allowables for the blended elemental powder metallurgy product which has been approved by Boeing.  Powder metallurgy ensures very low waste levels compared to most other material commodities, such as forgings and plate, helping Boeing achieve environmental goals.

None

No Industrial Engineer of the Year recipient was awarded this year.

Majid Abab, The Boeing Company

Majid Abab
The Boeing Company

2107 Award Recipient

Nominated by the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers

Majid Abab, The Boeing Company, has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 Industry Engineer of the Year Award in recognition of his many contributions to developing process improvements for Boeing production shops and assembly operations and for his development of simulation procedures to enable optimization of industrial processes.  During his 38-year career with Boeing Commercial Airplanes, he has had numerous organizational responsibilities and special taskforce assignments within all aspect of industrial engineering functions.  As the leader of the Core Industrial Engineering Organization, he was responsible for developing and deploying process improvements as well as developing strategic plans for utilization and career planning of industrial engineering employees.  In addition, he managed the Boeing Industrial Engineering Internship Program for many years.

He created the Industrial Engineering Virtual University at Boeing that supports industrial engineers throughout the company.  This web-based information repository gives company engineers 24-hour access to detailed information about 14 major areas of industrial engineering.  He has used industrial engineering methods to help lead development of new production systems which improve environmental performance both at the factory and in the operation of commercial aircraft.  Under Majid’s coaching and guidance, industrial engineers at Boeing have worked on cross-functional team projects and airplane programs involving alternative fuels, improved navigation systems, cleaner burning engines, and improved aerodynamics. Each new generation of aircraft has reduced carbon dioxide and other emissions per passenger-mile flown.

He is an active member of the industry advisory boards for industrial engineering programs at three major universities, participates in Junior Achievement programs at local high schools, coaches youth soccer, and volunteers with the American Red Cross.