Norma Clayton was vice president for Learning, Training, and Development at The Boeing Company when she received the 2009 Technologist of the Year award at the Women of Color in STEM Conference. In that role, she partnered with Boeing business units and functions to design training and development programs focused on ensuring that employees have the requisite skills to perform their jobs.
Prior, she led the company’s global sourcing initiative, one of four initiatives launched to increase growth and productivity. She also held a number of leadership roles within Boeing Defense, Space, and Security, including vice president of Supplier Management and Procurement, and vice president and general manager of the Maintenance and Modification Centers, with overall responsibility for the large aircraft modification center in San Antonio, and tactical aircraft modification centers in Arizona and Florida.
In 1995, Clayton joined McDonnell Douglas as director of the Machining Center, and later became division director of Fabrication in St. Louis. Before joining McDonnell Douglas, she held leadership roles in manufacturing, supply chain management, program management, and plant operations at Lockheed Martin, General Electric, RCA and General Motors.
Throughout her career, she has participated in many community, church, and civic activities. She has served as 1st Vice-Chair of the Women of Tuskegee University’s Board of Trustees.
She is a board member of the St. Louis Academy of Science, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. She also served as a Boeing executive focal for Michigan State University, a member of Leadership America, a member of the American Society of Industrial Engineers and the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources.
She earned a master’s degree in Business Management and Human Resource Development from Webster University, a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Administration from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and is pursuing a Ph.D.
