Executive Ed Clark No Longer Working for Boeing

(RepublicanPress.org) – Boeing General Manager Ed Clark started heading up the company’s MAX program in 2021 after multiple fatal crashes grounded the jet for nearly two years. As vice president of the program, Clark was charged with 737 engineering, manufacturing, supply chain issues, and other related jobs. But his 18-year career with Boeing has come to an abrupt end.

On February 21, the Seattle Times reported that Boeing ousted Clark from his leadership position and the company entirely. Someone familiar with the situation confirmed that Clark did not choose to leave the company but was fired. The sudden move happened just over a month after the fuselage panel on a MAX 9 blew out in mid-air. That Alaska Airlines plane was reportedly assembled at the Renton plant where Clark was general manager. The investigation following the harrowing incident found that multiple bolts were missing from the aircraft, shining a light on quality control.

The head of Boeing’s 737 jetliner program is out of a job, weeks after Alaska Airlines panel blows out mid-flight.

"The company’s problems are cultural, with the tone being set from the top."https://t.co/upW94hoViK

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 22, 2024

According to Reuters, Clark’s departure was effective immediately. Boeing replaced him with Katie Ringgold, who stepped in as both vice president and general manager of the program. The memo communicating the change was sent by Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal to the staff. It reportedly listed other management changes as well and announced the creation of a new executive position aimed at quality and safety.

Ringgold isn’t new to the company. She is a business professional who reportedly began her career in the Air Force, joining Boeing in 2011. The executive has been vice president in charge of 737 delivery operations from Seattle and pre-delivery flights in Renton, so it appears she’s familiar with the plant. Deal has not determined who will replace Ringgold in her previous position.

According to the New York Daily News, the managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory said Clark’s firing was “likely a matter of time.” However, he said it wouldn’t make much of a difference at Boeing, telling Reuters that the company’s issues are “cultural.”