WSU Business College Presents Boeing’s Scott Carson with New Leadership Award

PULLMAN, Wash. — Scott Carson, Boeing Corp. vice president of sales of commercial airplanes, received the inaugural Dean’s Distinguished Leadership Award April 1 from the Washington State University College of Business and Economics.

The new award recognizes significant contributions made in the areas of outstanding philanthropy, community service and business leadership.

“Scott was our top choice to be the first recipient of this prestigious award from our college,”  Dean Len Jessup said. “He has long been a champion of forward-thinking initiatives at WSU, especially in the business college, and he has had a long, successful career in leadership positions within Boeing. We are very pleased that Scott accepted this award from us.”

The award was presented at a dinner meeting of the CBE National Board of Advisors celebrating the DeYoung Executive-in-Residence program the same day. Carson chairs the advisory board.

Carson graduated in business administration from WSU in 1972 and joined Boeing in 1973 as a financial analyst on the B-1 bomber avionics program. He moved into management in 1976 and has held a number of diverse leadership roles in the ensuing years. Just prior to his newest assignment in Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, he was president of Connexion by Boeing, which brings high-speed, in-flight Internet service to market with airlines in Europe and Asia.

At WSU, Carson serves as the Boeing executive focal point, working closely with a number of students and connecting them with employees and mentors at his company. He chairs the WSU Foundation’s Corporate and Foundation Relations Committee and is a member of the WSU Foundation Board of Governors, the WSU Foundation Board of Trustees and the College of Engineering and Architecture Advisory Board.

Thanks to a recent gift from the Carson family, a new Professional Development Center will be completed this fall to serve WSU students who wish to enhance their skill sets beyond the classroom. The new facility will feature special rooms and equipment where students can learn to make professional presentations, practice interviewing skills and attend informal classes on a variety of topics.

Carson was also instrumental in designing and equipping the Boeing Wireless Classroom of the Future. Students and faculty who use the facility experience active learning and teaching exercises in an environment that is conducive to collaboration and teamwork.