Michelle Carey is a 777-9 chief engineer for The Boeing Company, where she leads critical projects across engineering to accelerate technical resolution, testing, and certification. 

Most recently, Carey served as the engineering executive site director for Boeing at the University of Washington, or UW, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the future of engineering education and research. In the highly visible position, Carey was responsible for managing the largest university research portfolio for Boeing and driving the largest Boeing-sponsored curriculum development initiative at any university. She collaborated with executives to integrate strategy across engineering and business departments, ensuring alignment with Boeing’s broader strategy. 

Carey joined Boeing in 2001 as a payload design engineer for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, or BCA. During her Boeing career, she has held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility, including structures stress engineer lead/analyst, structures engineering manager, product development engineering leader, liaison stress engineering leader, production leader, engineering design practice leader, acting BCA structures chief engineer, and 777 deputy chief project engineer. She was promoted to engineering director in 2023. 

She serves on the University of Washington College of Engineering advisory board, the University of Washington Tacoma School of Engineering and Technology board, and the University of Washington Bothell mechanical engineering board.

Carey grew up in the small town of Poulsbo, Washington. Her mother, who was almost deaf, was an elementary school teacher. Watching her mother face barriers in her career and life, she became determined to help others thrive in the face of bias and obstacles. 

Throughout her career, Carey has championed diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has led and sponsored diversity councils for more than 17 years. Carey was a founding leader of the Women in Structures Engineering, or WiSE, council, and led the strategy and implementation of the new Technical Development program. WiSE continued to expand to enterprisewide organizations. 

In high school, Carey received the scholar-athlete award for the student with the highest GPA and the most varsity sports letters. Soccer was her main sport, and as a mother, she has coached her two sons’ soccer teams for many years. She relishes the opportunity to enable the boys on the teams to grow under a woman leader who inspires them to be their best and encourages them to open doors for women leaders throughout their lives.

Carey holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington. Outside her professional career, she is married and, with her husband and two sons, enjoys traveling and home and boat improvement projects, and is a passionate UW football fan along with her mom, who is also a UW alumna.