Dean’s Seminar Series Welcomes Boeing Chief Technology Officer John J. Tracy
The aerospace industry has provided some of modern history's greatest engineering achievements, enabling everyday conveniences and feats such as long-distance air transport, satellite-based communications, and human space exploration.
For a look at how one leader in this industry is working to design and deliver tomorrow's engineering marvels, the McCormick School of Engineering Dean’s Seminar Series is pleased to welcome John J. Tracy, chief technology officer and senior vice president of Engineering, Operations & Technology of The Boeing Company.
Tracy will present a lecture, “Aerospace Challenges for the 21st Century,” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 29, in the ITW classroom at the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center at Northwestern University.
In his talk, Tracy will provide insight into Boeing's approach for creating future products, touching on topics such as the customer requirements that drive technology characteristics, key areas of technology development, and the importance of a diverse, talented workforce.
At Boeing, Tracy is responsible for defining and implementing corporate strategies for attaining and maintaining technical and functional excellence across the company. In addition to serving on the company's Executive Council, he oversees the development and implementation of the enterprise technology investment strategy and provides strategic direction to organizations comprising more than 100,000 employees.
Tracy has held numerous leadership roles throughout his 30-year Boeing career, including serving as vice president of Engineering & Mission Assurance for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems and vice president of Structural Technologies, Prototyping, and Quality for the Boeing Phantom Works advanced R&D unit.
Tracy is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He has authored more than 30 publications in the areas of composite structural mechanics, launch vehicle structures, smart structures, and aging aircraft. He also currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Illinois Institute of Technology and Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
Tracy received a PhD in engineering (1987) from the University of California-Irvine and a master's degree and a bachelor's degree in physics from California State University-Los Angeles (1981) and California State University-Dominguez Hills (1976), respectively.