Jonna Gerken is a manager in manufacturing engineering for Pratt & Whitney. She oversees the program chief manufacturing engineers ensure all engine components meet manufacturing readiness levels appropriate to their life-cycle stage.
Gerken has worked for Pratt & Whitney since 2000, holding numerous positions of increasing responsibility within both operations and engineering. Prior roles include deputy engineering program manager for A320neo hot section, leading a multidisciplinary team of engineers in the design, development, and validation of module hardware; manager of the Quality, Delivery, and Cost Group in Hot Section Engineering, providing leadership and mentoring in the areas of quality improvement, process certification, cost reduction, and continuous improvement; and cost reduction manager for the Combustors, Augmentors, and Nozzles Module Center, where she oversaw the funding and execution of all activities impacting product cost for various hardware.
Before joining Pratt & Whitney, Gerken worked for Colt’s Manufacturing Co., a rotation program covering industrial engineering and manufacturing, purchasing, metallurgy, and project management.
Gerken holds a B.S. in industrial and management engineering and an MBA in technology development from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is a life member of SWE, a senior member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, and an associate value specialist with SAVE International. She received the 2016 Petit Family Foundation Women in Science Leadership Award from the Connecticut Science Center, the 2014 STEP Award from the Manufacturing Institute, the 2011 Pratt & Whitney Diversity and Inclusion Award, the 2006 SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award, and was a 2004 New Faces of Engineering Finalist for IIE.
