BS 1996, Mechanical Engineering
MBA 2010, Seattle University
Kim Smith is vice president and general manager of Boeing Fabrication, overseeing the global operation of 12 manufacturing sites and more than 15,000 employees who produce components for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. She is also Boeing’s business leader for additive manufacturing, overseeing the company’s implementation strategy for 3D-printing capabilities.
She received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University in 1996, and an Executive MBA and Leadership Certificate from Seattle University in 2010.
She joined Boeing in 1997 as a production engineer, then spent two years as plant manager at GKN Sinter Metals. Returning to Boeing in 2002, she next held key positions in Fabrication, Airplane Programs, Quality, and Manufacturing Research and Development for the 737 and 757 programs.
Named to her current role in June 2017, Smith has also held leadership positions in Boeing’s Corporate and Defense, Space & Security organizations as well in Commercial Airplanes.
From 2014 to 2017, she served as vice president of Attack Helicopter Programs and Boeing’s senior site executive in Mesa, Ariz. There, she led more than 3,800 employees who design, produce and support AH-64 Apache and AH-6 Little Bird helicopters for U.S. Army and defense forces from several countries.
In 2015, she led development of Tata Boeing Aerospace (TBAL), a joint venture in India between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems that will become the sole global producer of fuselages for the AH-64 Apache.
She previously served as vice president of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS). Under her leadership, EHS launched “Go for Zero,” a program that has significantly improved Boeing’s workplace safety performance. Smith also served as a director in the Commercial Airplanes’ supply chain organization, responsible for contracting, performance and strategy development with Boeing’s largest external supplier, Spirit AeroSystems.
In 2017, she received the Army Aviation Association of America’s (AAAA) Knight of the Honorable Order of St. Michael Award. Smith also serves on the MSU Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board.
