Christina Haub, GMLC Class of 2023, recently ascended to Senior Avionics Integrator at Boeing. In light of this recent promotion, we asked Christina to share with us more about her journey. The story she shared with us is included below.

Congratulations, Christina!

Tell us about your career journey.
I graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins in 2010 with a degree in Engineering with an Aerospace Concentration. I started with The Boeing Company in Everett, Washington as a Manufacturing Engineer on the first 747-8 Intercontinental supporting the production installation of Water, Oxygen and Waste systems. In my time with Commercial Airplanes I was an integrator for new customers to the 777 ensuring their aircraft were design, built and delivered meeting expectations. One of my favorite roles was as an Avionics Engineer on the Flight Management Systems supporting the 777 and 747. A “dream come true moment” was when supporting flight test on a 777 with both engines out. The lights went out, the engines fell quiet and the plane glided beautifully. I’ll never forget that feeling, or sitting in the flight deck as we came in to land at Paine Field.

Another highlight of my career at Boeing was during an international assignment as a Production Engineering Manager at Boeing Aerostructures Australia in Melbourne, VIC. Being part of a global company brought international opportunities I never would have dreamed participating in.

I became a mother in 2014 and shortly after my daughter’s 1st birthday, we received an epilepsy diagnosis for her. I made the decision to dedicate my full time and attention to her care and ensuring all her needs were met and left my career. Our family moved to Missouri, where my husband, Nick, is from. I took three years off from engineering and served on the board for our Home Owners Association and focused on family. I returned to Boeing in 2018 with Boeing Defense where I supported MQ-25 and B-52 Radar Modernization Program as an interim manager and proposal lead.

Most recently I am the lead engineer for the F-15EX Eagle II sustainment in Boeing Global Services. It was in this role that I was nominated by Boeing to be a challenger in the Class of 2023 Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge.

This month, I recently accepted an opportunity to move to the F/A-18 as a Senior Avionics Integrator working with another cohort, Christine Luer. One of my 100 goals I set during GMLC was to be a graduate of a highly competitive leadership development program through Boeing for the highest potential and highest performing non-managers around the globe. I applied for the two-year program while in GMLC and was notified of my selection to participate in the Leadership NeXt (LX) Class of 2025!

What inspired you most about your GMLC year?

That’s a tough one! #1 what inspired me the most is the people that I was surrounded by. Education, medical, corporate, non-profit, entrepreneurs; a group of women who likely would have never met, all coming together.

Our classmates supported one another through job changes, losses of loved ones, weddings, and more. You often hear of women being in competition with another, being the harshest critics. This program proved that to be so incredibly wrong. Individually we are all great leaders, employees, mothers, wives, friends…collectively we can change our communities for the better.

Overall participating in the program inspired me the most to continue to dream big. My dream growing up was to fly fighter aircraft, I was too short, so I became an engineer. I work my dream job. I have my family. I “made it”.

That doesn’t mean that I can’t continue to be inspired, dream big and go after more. I have always wanted to get my pilots license and volunteer with Wings of Hope ensuring families are able to get medical treatments and access to care. Learning about non-profits and the passion of the people behind them, inspired me to go after that dream, set the goal and don’t give up on it.

Inspiring others has also been important to me, and outreach in the community. Our foodbank experience hit home. While growing up, we relied on food pantries and community programs to ensure we had school supplies, clothes and food. I reached out to our local foodbank after that session and organized a group volunteer event and will continue to do so. Through GMLC I realized how much women can empower others and the need for female sponsors to ensure future opportunities are provided to others. While attending sessions, I got the feeling that I needed to try to do more as a board member on the Society of Women Engineers. I proposed and have been coordinating Power Hours around the St. Louis area for women in STEM fields to continue to learn, develop, network and grow together. The connections I have made through GMLC have significantly helped that be successful. I would love to plan a “Day of Science”. That is another goal!