Mackenzie Mason
Mackenzie Mason began her career at Boeing in 2014 as a Structural Dynamics Engineer. Her early contributions to the company were pivotal to the development of the 702MP/MP+ spacecraft, as she provided crucial recommendations to program management offices and customers and led numerous innovations in dynamic loads analysis and testing. Mackenzie spearheaded the dynamic shaker table move at Boeing’s El Segundo site, a project in which she had to overcome numerous challenges, including excavation of the structural test floor, removal of a vacuum chamber and reduction of the structural test lab footprint while adhering to an accelerated schedule. Her strategic planning and oversight ensured that multiple satellites completed testing on the new dynamic shaker table with 100% success, completing a $5 million investment. While working at Boeing, Mackenzie also authored a white paper documenting updated NASA methodologies for predicting shock on composite honeycomb structures based on Boeing’s actual spacecraft-level shock measurements. Her white paper is now a critical reference for resolving requirement and verification disagreements in new satellite programs.
Mackenzie was instrumental in the successful vibration, shock and acoustic qualification of hardware for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, which ensured the successful launches of Orbital Flight Tests 1 and 2 (OFTs). She developed a validation tool that significantly reduced cycle time and errors, enhancing the effectiveness of spacecraft environmental validation efforts. Mackenzie’s work has been reviewed and approved by NASA, contributing to the success of both OFT2 in 2022 and the anticipated Crew Flight Test in 2024. In 2021, Mackenzie was promoted to Engineering Manager for the Space Mission Systems Structural Dynamics department in 2021, where she now leads a team of 16 high-performing engineers. Under her leadership, the team has constantly exceeded expectations, optimizing processes to reduce testing schedules, including a 30% acceleration in the sine vibration test for the Viasat3 F3 spacecraft. Mackenzie has earned multiple accolades for her leadership, including the Satellite World Class Engineer Award in 2019 and 2023. Mackenzie is a key contributor to the 702MP product line, a medium-power variation of the Boeing 702 high-power satellite that offers an affordable and technically adaptable design for the medium-sized satellite market. She was appointed the management focal by Integrated Design Engineering Director to lead the 1000+ engineer large organization on knowledge transfer across multiple sites and programs. In this role, Mackenzie establishes lunch and learn meetings and leads management discussions on skill development and knowledge capture.
Outside of working hours, Mackenzie has served as a Senior Design Project Industry mentor for the California State University, Los Angeles College of Engineering for over six years. She guides students through their capstone projects and helps them develop technical and professional skills. She also serves as a mentor for Boeing’s Mentoring on Rotation Experience (MORE) and as a new hire mentor for engineers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Mackenzie also participates in multiple community service activities, including beach clean-ups, assisting at the LA Food Bank and contributing to park beautifications efforts.
