Most Promising Engineer or Scientist in Industry

Tonya M. Cunningham
Embedded Software Engineer
The Boeing Company

By Garland L. Thompson

Tonya M. Cunningham probably surprised some at her alma mater, Western Michigan University, when she joined Boeing as a senior engineer instead of beginning at the entry level. But she had prepared for that with internships at Ford Motor Company, excelling in the Engine Systems Department, working on 4.6-liter overhead-cam engines, power transmission systems, and a transmission encyclopedia, adding mechanical schematics for previously entered work, and doubling the database of information. 

As her supervisor said in a performance review, "Tonya [who majored in electrical/computer engineering] has demonstrated good patience in learning new concepts -- especially those that may not come naturally for her -- such as the mechanical schematic and what it represents. She has worked hard to understand the information she is inputting, and has been very willing to ask for direction when needed...she is friendly, creative and self-confident."
The next year, another manager put it this way: "I would definitely hire Tonya as a permanent employee if given the opportunity."

That didn't happen, however. Cunningham, whose exposure, growing up in Detroit, had been to the auto industry, kept finding references to Boeing in her Internet job research. So she decided on aerospace.

McDonnell Douglas, now part of Boeing, put her to work on computerized flight simulators. Her work on a cockpit Host Input Simulator allowed Boeing St. Louis' product to be built and tested without actual installation in a cockpit, cutting costs and cycle time. Her tool enabled engineers to quickly develop enhancements to the Visual Integrated Display System, used to train fighter pilots, and Boeing decided to embed the software into the system.

What's more remarkable is that Cunningham was working her way through night school at the same time. In addition to an on-the-job course in software management, she earned a certificate in open systems technology from Washington University and followed that with a master's degree in computer science from Webster University, carrying a 4.0 G.P.A.

Boeing supervisors say she even coaches engineers in software techniques who have years' more experience, She was one of a very few junior engineers to win their coveted Teammate of Distinction Award, marking her as a comer. Ebony magazine profiled her as one of six young, Black executives to emulate, in January 1999.

That was her first four years' experience. Now for the next 20....

Garland L. Thompson is assistant managing editor of The Philadelphia Tribune and a member of the Black Engineer of the Year Awards Selection Panel. He can be reached at GThompson@ccgmag.com.