NJIT Alumna Norma Clayton, Boeing Vice President, Receives NJIT Award
Norma Clayton, of Wildwood, MO, the Boeing Vice President leading the company’s global sourcing initiative to increase growth and productivity, received New Jersey Institute of Technology’s (NJIT) Outstanding Alumnus Award. Clayton, who graduated from NJIT in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, was honored during NJIT’s annual black-tie benefit dinner, called Celebration, on Nov. 10, 2006, at the Pleasantdale Chateau, West Orange.
Dinner proceeds will endow scholarships for students enrolled in NJIT’s Albert Dorman Honors College and the College of Science and Liberal Arts (CSLA). Many NJIT students are the first in their families to attend college, and most of them rely upon merit and need-based scholarships.
“Norma Clayton is an example of an outstanding alumna who has made major strides in corporate America, while still finding the time to help NJIT,” said Jacquelynn Rhodes, associate vice president for development at NJIT.
Prior to Clayton’s current Boeing assignment, she was vice president of supplier management and procurement for integrated defense systems, responsible for all subcontract and procurement matters, including policymaking and implementation, subcontract oversight, and process improvement. Clayton previously was vice president and general manager of the maintenance and modification centers for integrated defense systems. In that role, she had overall responsibility for the large-aircraft modification center in San Antonio, and tactical-aircraft modification centers in Arizona and Florida.
Clayton joined McDonnell Douglas in 1995 as director of the machining center, and later became division director of fabrication in St. Louis. Before joining McDonnell Douglas, she held a number of increasingly responsible positions in manufacturing, procurement, project management and plant operations at Lockheed Martin, General Electric, RCA and General Motors.
In addition to her NJIT degree, Clayton holds a master’s degree in business management from Webster University.
Clayton participates in community, church and civic activities. She serves on the boards of the St. Louis Academy of Science, the Board of Regents at Linn State Technical College, the NJIT Board of Overseers and Leadership America. She is also a member of the American Society of Industrial Engineers.
Dorman Honors College, founded in 1995, now enrolls more than 500 students who are offered special classes, seminars and colloquia by distinguished professors. Dorman’s mission is to transform its students into leaders in their respective fields.
CSLA was formed in 1982. Today the college consists of six academic departments encompassing chemistry and environmental science, biological sciences, history, humanities, mathematical sciences, and physics.