Dr. Maria-Cristina Spiak is currently a supplier program manager at Boeing. She was one of ten Special Recognition honorees at the 2013 Women of Color STEM Conference.

Apart from mentoring students at the Des Moines, Washington-based Aviation High School, Spiak also helps support a better quality of life for Hispanics and is a member of the National Community of Latinas.

Spiak is a member of several Boeing affinity groups and is a founding member of the 737-Diversity Council. In 2013, she was selected as president of the South Puget Sound chapter of Boeing Women in Leadership.

Spiak started her career in Panama developing a data system for the operations department of the National Lottery. In the San Antonio, Texas Area, she worked as a data analyst at the Brooke Army Medical Center and helped reduce waste and increase efficiency in a milk processing plant.

In 2004, she became a data architect at the Boeing Company. Since then, her roles have encompassed computing and technical system creation and development. She has also been responsible for process improvement, consulting, training, and software quality assurance.

Spiak has received internal recognition for her work as a quality manager, leading a safety promotion/safety culture/production culture plan for the 737 Program, and led the planning efforts for a Quality leaders’ team-building and networking meeting.

Born to a poor family, Spiak’s home did not have indoor plumbing and electricity. Her parents were sixth graders and labored to feed the family. Later, her father worked his way up to become a local legislator.

Spiak was the first in her family to go to college. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the Universidad Technologica de Panama in computer systems engineering and went on to complete a master’s degree, specializing in quality systems engineering. She moved to America in 1999 and earned her doctorate in business administration in 2012.