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THE WEBB SCHOOLS webb.org
FALL / WINTER 2021 WEBB MAGA ZINE
newsnotes THE WEBB SCHOOLS
�2&
A HALF MINUTES
with Nadia Del Grande ’02
by Jessica Rice ’12
When you fly, have you ever considered how much time and preparation goes into your airplane seat? Nadia (Gomez) Del Grande ’02 leads a team of engineers that integrates and certifies commercial airplane seats — ranging from economy class seats to luxurious first class suites. Although Del Grande cannot give you more legroom or make your seat more comfortable, her team works with airlines and seat suppliers to ensure seats are safe for passengers through rigorous testing and evaluation. Before joining Boeing, where she has worked for the last 13 years, she studied mechanical engineering at Stony Brook University in Long Island New York, and later earned her master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington. When she reflects on her time at Webb, Del Grande remembers how a teacher helped her value authenticity and find her confidence — lessons she now shares with mentees of her own. Here, she reflects on her career and some of those lessons.
Q&A
How did you discover this career path? If I’m being honest, I discovered this career path by chance. When I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to be back on the West Coast. Boeing was attractive to me because of its location in the Puget Sound, because airplanes are fascinating, and because I’ve always liked a good challenge.
Good mentors helped guide my career. About five years after I started working, I felt restless and reached out to a mentor of mine. That mentor said, “You should try seats. It’s exciting, it’s challenging, there’s travel, and you will learn a lot.” They were not wrong. My work in seats has kept me intrigued and has given me countless opportunities to grow technically and lead people ever since.
What does working in seats involve at Boeing? The engineers on my team work closely with engineers at seat suppliers to validate detailed design and collect test data to show seats are compliant with all regulatory and integration requirements. Every inch of the seat is meticulously evaluated to ensure that it does not harm a passenger in flight, or in the rare case of an emergency. Most
