About Edward H. Gerding P.E.

BSME 1984, UMR
MBA 1994, Maryville University
MSME 1997, Washington University (St. Louis)

Edward (Ed) Gerding is a retired former employee of The Boeing Company in St. Louis, MO.  Ed retired in September of 2026 after a 42-year career as an engineer and engineering leader.

In his last assignment, Ed served as the vice president and chief engineer for Government Services Engineering within Boeing Global Services (BGS).  His responsibilities included providing engineering support for all defense maintenance, modifications, upgrades, retrofit and support equipment across U.S. and international Air Force, Navy, Army and Space programs, as well as having responsibility for the engineering teams within Boeing Defence United Kingdom and Boeing Defence Australia.  In this role, Ed had assigned or matrixed responsibility for all engineering disciplines, leading a team of over 4,000 engineers.  His responsibilities consisted of engineering execution on these programs, including safety, technical and management issue mitigation and resolution, establishing engineering performance and affordability, development and curation of design practices, overseeing research and development investment and planning, advancing model-based engineering, and driving engineering first time quality.

Previously, Ed was the vice president and senior chief engineer for Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS) Engineering Structures and Mechanical Systems, where he was responsible for the technical integrity and success of BDS development and production programs.  Additionally, he served as the BDS Structures and Build engineering capability leader with oversight of all BDS structures and production engineers.

Ed began his career with McDonnell Douglas in 1984 as an associate structural design engineer on the AV-8B Harrier II program.  He has had assignments on many other programs, including the C-17, F-15, F/A 18, A-10, and 787, as well as assignments on proprietary programs, and supporting nearly all defense and space related programs over the past several years.  His tenure included a long-term expatriate onsite assignment at Israel Aircraft Industries in support of F-15 co-production, and a relocation to Boeing South Carolina to lead affordability for the 787 commercial airplane in a program management role.  Ed is experienced across all of Boeing’s business units, as well as the full product lifecycle of early development, development, production, and sustainment.  In addition, Ed’s experience consists of working nearly equal amounts of time as an engineer, engineering manager, and engineering executive.

Ed holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri Rolla, a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Maryville University.  In 2011, he was inducted into the Academy of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers (AMAE) for the Missouri University of Science & Technology, is a past AMAE president, and currently serves on the board of directors.  Ed has agreed to serve a second term as AMAE president for 2026-2027.

Ed served as the Boeing executive focal for Tennessee State University from 2017-2026.  He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Missouri, and a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.  Ed currently serves on the board of directors for the National Museum of Transportation and enjoys volunteering at Boeing Women in Leadership events.

Ed resides in St. Charles, MO, where he enjoys spending time with family and friends, including his two daughters and five grandsons.