Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of The Boeing Company.
Citron received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with distinction from Purdue University (1979) and a master’s degree (1980) and doctorate in electrical engineering (1986) from Stanford University. In addition, Cintron received his executive MBA certificate from the UCLA Anderson School of Management (1993).
Citron, in addition to being senior vice president and chief technology officer of The Boeing Company, is a member of the company’s Executive Council. Citron is responsible for developing and executing Boeing’s global technology strategy, which includes running a 5000-person organization comprised of Boeing Research & Technology (BR&T), AvionX and Aurora Flight Sciences. These global teams work in five U.S. and seven international research centers. Citron also has engineering oversight over Boeing subsidiary Wisk and joint venture SkyGrid. In addition, Citron is responsible for co-leading Boeing’s venture capital partnership with AEI, HorizonX.
Prior to his current position, Citron was vice president of engineering for Boeing Defense, Space & Security, where he was responsible for ensuring world- class technical integrity for all Defense, Space & Security products and services. He led a 20,000-person global engineering organization that included teams across each division of the business.
Before Boeing, Citron was vice president of Mission Assurance and the senior chief engineer of Systems Engineering for Defense, Space & Security Engineering. As senior chief engineer for Systems Engineering, he focused on technical risks, issues and opportunities, strengthening technical decisions that achieve the “right engineering” the first time.
Earlier in his career, Citron served in a number of businesses, program management and engineering leadership roles, which included developing advanced space systems such as a small satellite product line (702SP) that has won awards from both Aviation Week and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He also created innovative architecture for satellite-based IP data systems and designed the company’s first digital payload, later serving as program manager.
Citron has published numerous technical papers and has three patents in the areas of error correction, signal processing and adaptive antennas. He was also chosen to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s Frontiers of Engineering.
While a West Lafayette High School student, Citron was on the debate team and participated in several musicals. He lists math, chemistry, and debate as his favorite classes. He shared that Mr. Deutsch inspired and drove his students to excel, and that Mr. Guy made chemistry “interesting and fun.” He also has fond memories of playing flag football, participating in Boy Scouts, and canoeing with his friends. He added that his West Side education gave him “a passion for learning.”