“It counterbalanced the technical side of how I’d grown up, focusing on chemistry, physics and calculus.” — Jenette Ramos, Senior VP, Boeing
Jenette Ramos has been on the move since childhood.
Born in the Philippines, she grew up in South Carolina, Connecticut, Oregon and Washington — following her father in the U.S. Air Force, and then her mother through medical school. Early memories include sitting in the back of a station wagon, listening to 8-track tapes while on family road trips.
Today, Ramos travels the globe for Boeing Co. A 30-year veteran of the aerospace giant, Ramos is senior vice president of Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Operations and a member of the Boeing Executive Council. In her role, she oversees the global supply chain and operations. It’s a complex chain: According to the company, in 2017, Boeing spent nearly $60 billion with suppliers from all 50 U.S. states and from 57 countries.
Ramos began working full time for Boeing right after graduating from Washington State University with a BS in physical sciences. She eventually became project manager of Boeing’s first environmental lab. The youngest member of her team in a male-dominated industry, as well as an ethnic minority, she focused on production outcomes and team building.
But Ramos also knew she needed to add business skills to her repertoire. A few months into her job, she decided to enroll in SPU’s MBA program.
Boeing employees have been getting MBAs from Seattle Pacific University since the program began in 1983. Gary Karns, professor of marketing and associate dean for SPU graduate programs — and one of Ramos’ professors — said that the MBA program was developed to train leaders in a whole-organizational perspective.
“I was hungry for a lot of that learning,” said Ramos. “It counterbalanced the technical side of how I’d grown up, focusing on chemistry, physics and calculus.”
Today, Ramos has a reputation for philanthropy and excellence. She was named the 2017 Asian American Executive of the Year by the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, and she’s on the board of trustees for the Nature Conservancy of Washington. She mentors young multiethnic professionals and was named SPU’s 2019 Alumna of the Year.
As Ramos moved up the corporate ladder, she never forgot her roots, either as the daughter of parents committed to service or as an MBA graduate trained in “another way of doing business.” In fact, her operations management textbook from SPU still sits on her office bookshelf.
“I feel really blessed,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of help along the way.”
Learn more at SPU.edu/mba