UVA Engineering's new Engineering Character Strength Initiative will kick off its Moments of Strength speaker series with its inaugural speaker, Ed Pierson.
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UVA Engineering's new Engineering Character Strength Initiative will kick off its Moments of Strength speaker series with its inaugural speaker, Ed Pierson.
Ed Pierson, Executive Director of The Foundation for Aviation Safety and Boeing whistleblower, will share a remarkable insider story detailing what led up to the tragedies, how one of America's iconic companies lost its way, the present state of airplane manufacturing and aviation safety and insights about the role that character strength played in his story.
A former Boeing 737 Program Senior Manager, Ed will speak about his experience at Boeing’s 737 Factory in Renton, Washington. There, he raised concerns to his supervisors about the dangerously unstable production environment and risks to the safety of airplanes. Ed recommended Boeing leadership shut down production operations before both crashes but was ignored. After the crashes he implored the leaders of the NTSB, FAA, and DOT to conduct a thorough investigation and shared his story with U.S. Congress. When he did not receive satisfactory answers, Ed conducted his own investigation and linked factory conditions to both crashes.
Ed is determined to shine a light on the truth to help avoid future tragedies. In his talk, "The Unthinkable: Sacrificing Safety for Profit," he will share insights about character, engineering ethics and what it takes to "do the right thing."