Diverse education Before Robert “Chili” Hicks joined Boeing, he spent 21 years in the U.S. Navy, and finished his military career helping sailors in the Pacific Northwest learn about programs that could help their own careers. Hicks is still helping veterans, only from inside Boeing. “One of the things that drives me is helping veterans connect to what we do at Boeing,” said Hicks, who came to Boeing in 2006 and today is a Commercial Airplanes Quality Core Business Intelligence manager in Everett, Wash. Not only do veterans bring many different and important skills to Boeing’s workforce, but they are part of the company’s rich history of diversity— 30 BOEING FRONTIERS one that began when Bill Boeing hired Chinese-born Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate Wong Tsoo as the company’s first chief engineer in 1916. Creating and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion is essential for Boeing’s continued success as it enters its second century of operation, according to Michael Ford, vice president of Boeing’s Global Diversity and Inclusion organization. “Having a commitment to diversity means creating an environment for all our employees and customers that is welcoming, respectful and engaging, and it means that all employees have opportunities for personal and professional development,” Ford explained. Boeing employees around the world are helping create that kind of environment, Ford said. Hicks is one. Van Vaidya is another. Vaidya is based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where she works for Shared Services Group’s International Business Support organization. Originally from India, she has extensive knowledge and experience in global cultures outside the U.S. That’s a good thing, she noted, “because we have employees from 21 nations here in the Dubai office.” Vaidya has helped create presentations with insights and practical advice on how to work more effectively across the globe. “I try to be available to present information to groups who are in Employees help foster a culture of diversity and inclusion by len vraniak
Frontiers April 2015 Issue
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