The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today named Doug Kight vice president of Human Resources for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, reporting jointly to Scott Carson, president and CEO of Commercial Airplanes, and Rick Stephens, senior vice president of Human Resources and Administration for the corporation.
A 19-year Boeing veteran, Kight will move into his new role in December. Kight replaces Jerry Calhoun, 63, who will work to ensure a smooth transition before retiring in the first quarter of 2007 following a 36-year career with the company.
Kight, 50, will be responsible for leading the organization that provides Human Resources services for the 55,000 Boeing employees who market, design, assemble and support commercial airplanes worldwide. In addition, he will manage Commercial Airplanes' relationship with its two largest labor unions -- the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers -- which, combined, represent 40,000 Boeing employees in Washington and Oregon.
"Doug knows our business well, having worked closely with Commercial Airplanes throughout his career. He will be a great addition to our team," said Carson. "We also want to thank Jerry Calhoun for all his contributions to Boeing during his distinguished career, and for working closely with Doug to enable a successful transition during the coming months."
Currently, Kight serves as vice president and assistant general counsel at Boeing's corporate headquarters in Chicago, leading a team of attorneys specializing in union relations, employee relations, staffing, compensation and employee benefits.
"Doug has a strong background in all aspects of Human Resources and labor relations, and we're confident of a smooth transition as he steps into his position," said Stephens.
Kight joined Boeing in 1987 in Seattle after practicing with the Davis, Arneil, Dorsey, Kight and Parlette law firm in Wenatchee, Wash., starting in 1985. Between 1981 and 1985, he practiced with the San Francisco firm of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson and Bridges.
He graduated from the University of California-Hastings College of Law in San Francisco in 1981, and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Whitman College in Washington state in 1978. Kight was born on Sept. 12, 1956.