Program: Rich White, The Boeing Company, “Boeing in Washington,” July 18, 2024

Join the University Sunrise Rotary Club for a program featuring Rich White of The Boeing Company.

The program will be presented in person and on Zoom on Thursday morning with the Zoom line opening at 7:00 a.m.  The formal meeting including the program runs from 7:30-8:30 a.m.  No registration is required, and the program is free.

The in-person meeting will be at the Wedgwood Community Church at 8201 30th Ave NE, Seattle. Doors open at 7:00 a.m. and the program begins at 7:30 a.m. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.  Click here to join the meeting Thursday morning.  The Zoom line will open shortly after 7:00 a.m.


Rich White, Senior Manager, State & Local Government Operations will speak with members about the exciting work happening within Boeing’s facilities, along with growth opportunities in the aerospace industry and Boeing’s current hiring initiatives. In his presentation, Rich will share the latest market outlook and update members about Boeing’s ongoing partnerships and investments in the Puget Sound region.

Rich is a Senior Government Relations manager for The Boeing Company. In this position, he is responsible for representing the company before elected and appointed public officials and their staffs, industry and business association executives and political community-based organizations in the Central Puget Sound region, Oregon and Montana. He acts as the primary company focal for negotiating and influencing government relations’ policy on external issues and he provides political strategy and advice to company management. White also develops and implements legislative and regulatory programs to ensure that the business interests of the company are reflected to the best advantage.

Prior to joining The Boeing Company, Rich was the director of government affairs for the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, where he oversaw the development and implementation of the chamber’s policy positions. He also acted as the chamber’s lobbyist both regionally and in Olympia, WA. Rich also has worked in Olympia for the state Senate Republican caucus and as the Washington field director for the Dole/Kemp Presidential Campaign. He previously worked for former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton in both Washington D.C. and the state of Washington.

Rich is a graduate of the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the Evans School of Public Affairs. He was a 2005 Marshall Memorial Fellow and is a 2000 graduate of Leadership Tomorrow. He earned his Eagle Scout in 1986.

Rich’s current activities and volunteer experiences include serving on the Board of Directors for the Schack Art Center, Everett Public Schools Foundation, Tacoma Chamber of Commerce, Oregon Business & Industry and nearly a dozen other groups, chambers and agencies.

Program Summary: Bill McSherry and Ryan Tomasich, Boeing, January 28, 2021

Bill McSherry

Our program for January 28, 2021, featured Bill McSherry and Ryan Tomasich of Boeing. Bill and Ryan updated us on what has been happening at Boeing, during some truly turbulent times.

William McSherry is Vice President, State & Local and Global Corporate Citizenship, Boeing Commercial. He has worked at the regional, state and federal levels of government on economic and aerospace issues. He has a BA in political science and an MBA, both from the University of Washington.

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Ryan Tomasich

Ryan Tomasich is a Government Operations manager for The Boeing Company. In this position, he is responsible for representing the company before elected and appointed public officials and their staffs, industry and business association executives and political community-based organizations in the Puget Sound region. He acts as a company focal for negotiating and influencing government relations’ policy on external issues and he provides political strategy and advice to company management. Tomasich graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

The hardships that the company has faced in the past eighteen months were striking. This includes both the 737-MAX difficulties and COVID-19. In one of the more striking slides, Bill and Ryan talked about the decline in air travel in the past year. In April, passengers were down over ninety percent–four to five times less than the periods following 9/11 and the Great Recession.

Some more of their presentation is incorporated in the following: