Emerging Leader

Kristin Murray is chief of staff for nuclear weapon programs for Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies, which manages and operates the U.S. Department of Energy’s Kansas City National Security Campus. With more than 6,800 employees in Kansas City, Missouri, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, the security campus provides national security through its diverse engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain management activities.

As chief of staff, Murray supports the vice president of nuclear weapon programs across the entire weapon program portfolio. She is tasked with leading multi-organizational teams, ensuring effective cross-program coordination and communication, and driving strategic initiatives for the program management organization and mission execution.

Since joining Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies in 2009, Murray has held ascending roles across the organization. She began her career in the Integrated Supply Chain organization supporting multiple manufacturing departments. From that role, she was selected to be a Kansas City representative in the Sandia Weapon Intern Program (WIP). On her return from WIP, she moved into product engineering and project lead roles supporting several major components on multiple programs. Now, as part of the nuclear weapons program, she has held roles of increasing responsibility, overseeing areas such as plant-directed research and development, technology transfer, and weapons modernization programs.

Murray was promoted to program management manager in 2019 to oversee a more than $1 billion modernization program. Her leadership of this program in the last four years has been pivotal in its continuing success, and the team she assembled is widely recognized as highly effective, both within the organization and with customers. The program continues to encounter technical and production challenges requiring her to partner with leaders across the organization to quickly resolve issues and continue to meet monthly production requirements. Her leadership is such that there was no dissent within the executive leadership team when she was chosen to serve as interim director of program management. In that role — which she held for 11 months — Murray managed two major nuclear weapon modernization programs comprising a multibillion-dollar portfolio. She was responsible for overall program performance in terms of cost, scope, and schedule execution, in addition to interfacing with key customers.

Murray is active in community outreach, particularly in STEM-related areas. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers Kansas City Section, through which she co-founded its premier annual outreach event, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, which she still co-chairs 13 years later. She is a graduate of the Emerging Leaders Program through the Kansas City Central Exchange and is a recipient of both a Rising Trendsetter STEMMy Award in recognition of professional achievements, and the Girl Scouts’ Pearl Award in recognition of leadership and outstanding service in STEM outreach.

Murray holds a B.S. in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Missouri. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and three daughters.