In December 2017, Don Ruhmann was named the Director of Engineering (DOE) for the 777 and 777X airplane teams. Ruhmann has the overall responsibility for both program’s engineering performance and execution and will lead the eventual integration of the 777 and 777X engineering teams.
In May 2013, Don Ruhmann was named the director of Airplane Engineering & Connectivity Integration for the 777X Program. Ruhmann is responsible for leading Airplane Level Integration and Test, Engineering Operations, Airplane Safety, Flight Sciences, Systems Engineering, Electromagnetic Effects (EME), Connectivity and Customer Engineering.
Prior to this assignment Ruhmann was the vice president, Commercial Aviation Services for Middle East, Russia, Central Asia, and Africa. In this role, Don was the senior Boeing counterpart to airline technical and operations executives for post delivery technical and business issues.
Don’s previous assignments varied from in-service technical support, Aircraft On Ground (AOG) engineering support, and the 777 Program. He led Extended Operations (ETOPS) strategy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes Programs as part of the Commercial Aviation Services (CAS) Regulatory Affairs organization. In this position, he also led the initial ETOPS certification program for the 787.
Prior to that Don was the 777 Fleet Support Chief where he was responsible for 777 fleet support strategy, including all 777 technical issues after the airplane is delivered.
Following Don’s 777 Fleet Support Chief position, he was Director, 787 Propulsion Systems. In this position Don was responsible for Engineering, Supply Chain and Manufacturing for the 787-8 and 787-9 Propulsion Systems.
Ruhmann joined Boeing in 1989 as a liaison engineer. From 1989 until 1994, Don worked in Liaison Engineering with responsibilities ranging from wing line, body join, final assembly and flight line operations.
Ruhmann has a Master of Science in Applications of Physics from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University. Don completed Executive Education at Columbia University in May of 2012. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife and daughter.