The American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) Women in Safety Engineering (WISE) Common Interest Group has honored 100 women from around the world for making a difference in the safety, health and environmental (SH&E) field as part of the WISE ‘100 Women, Making a Difference in Safety’ project. Mary Armstrong, who is based in the Seattle area, was honored for her dedication to protecting people, property and the environment.
Armstrong is the vice president of Environment, Health and Safety at Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company. She joined the company in 1984 as a process engineer for manufacturing research and development, and steadily ascended the chain of command during the last two decades. Armstrong earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, and a Master of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester, NY.
Since she began her current position with Boeing in 2007, the company established aggressive environmental performance targets for 25 percent improvements in energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions intensity, hazardous waste generation, water consumption and recycling rates by 2012. Armstrong has also spearheaded efforts to help Boeing establish a target to improve workplace safety by 25 percent between 2009 and 2013.
In addition to her many professional accomplishments, Armstrong also serves on The Nature Conservancy’s International Leadership Council, the board of governors for Argonne National Laboratory, the executive committee for The Conference Board Chief EH&S Officers’ Council and as vice chair of the board of directors for the World Environment Center. She also serves on the board of directors for IslandWood, a Bainbridge Island, WA, school inspiring environmental and community stewardship, as well as on the University of Washington Chemical Engineering advisory board.