Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: JENNIFER BOYKIN

After receiving her bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and a master’s in engineering management from George Washington University, Boykin began her career at Newport News Shipbuilding in 1987 in the nuclear engineering division, moving up the ranks, before becoming president in 2017. She’s the first woman to lead the state’s top industrial employer, with about 25,000 workers. A division of Fortune 500 military contractor Huntington Ingalls Industries, NNS generates approximately $4 billion in annual revenue.

NNS is the sole manufacturer of nuclear-powered Ford-class aircraft carriers for the Navy, and it also is building 10 submarines for the service under a $22.2 billion deal that was the military branch’s largest-ever shipbuilding contract, under which NNS is set to receive $9.8 billion.

In May, Boykin said in an interview with USNI News that a delay in constructing Virginia-class nuclear attack boats is primarily due to a shortage of parts and materials, and that the shipyard is doing well in terms of workforce.

A staunch believer in empowering women and girls, Boykin sits on the board of Old Dominion University’s Women’s Initiative Network.