Cynthia M. Cole
SPEEA President

SPEEA’s members elected Cynthia M. Cole as president, in March, 2006. Cole currently works as an IDS System Engineer on the MMA Program in Renton.

A SPEEA member since being hired by The Boeing Company in 1978, her previous work experience includes test engineering on the F-22, Joint Strike Fighter, B-1A, B-1B, B-52, B-2, and C-32A programs, and systems engineering on the C-40B and C-40C programs.  Before joining Boeing, she worked for Rockwell International on the Space Shuttle Program in Palmdale, California.

Born in Georgia, Cole grew up in Lancaster, California near Edwards Air Force Base. Cole earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics, from California State Polytechnic University, and her masters in business administration in technology and engineering management, from City University.

Cole served as a SPEEA Area Rep for 14 years before becoming a Council Rep in 2001. She was then elected to SPEEA’s Executive Board, as a NW vice president, from 2002 through 2006. Cole was also a member of the 2002 and 2005 Puget Sound Contract Negotiation Teams and continues to be a member of the Joint Benefits Committee and the Partnership Leadership Team.

Jimmie Mathis
Treasurer

Jimmie Mathis joined SPEEA shortly after starting at The Boeing Company in 1978. He was first elected as a SPEEA Council officer more than 20 years ago and has been elected to almost every Council office. Mathis became more involved in the financial aspects of SPEEA in the past decade.

Mathis wanted to get involved in SPEEA to help support members. He believes in the power of the union to help improve working conditions and protect workers in the bargaining units from unjust discipline and harassment.

At Boeing, Mathis is a bearing engineer supporting commercial programs and many non-commercial programs. As chairman of the SAE Bearing Standards Group (ACBG), he supports standard parts for commercial, industrial and defense applications. He mentors employees in Boeing and other groups.

Mathis has worked in aluminum alloy development, providing new alloys used on the 757 and 767, as well as upgrading and automating test laboratories. He has also been a principle lead engineer for IT and computing groups in addition to specifying bearing applications and developing new bearings and alloys.

He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in metallurgical engineering and has a background in mining engineering.

Mathis also likes to be involved in SPEEA’s legislative activities in Washington state and Washington D.C.  His outside interests include aviation design and flying, as well as back-country recreation.

Bill Hartig
Secretary

Bill Hartig’s work at Spirit AeroSystems is serious, but he keeps a sense of humor. When asked why he first became involved in SPEEA, he said: “I was the ‘minister of propaganda’ for the ‘Organizing Oz’ drive.” In other words, he believed he and his co-workers needed a voice for their issues.

He moved to Wichita in 1980 to start working at The Boeing Company. He currently works as a staff analyst for organizational strategic planning and visibility in Operations Computing. Previous jobs at Boeing include B-52 lab tech (1980-90) and tech writer (1990-1995). Hartig, who grew up in Syracuse, NY, also has military experience at Minot Air Force Base as an electronic warfare systems specialist. He lives with his two cats, Yoko and Hillary.

With SPEEA, Hartig has been a Council Rep, a member of the WTPU Joint Oversight Committee and a member of the WTPU Negotiation Team.

Hartig said he applied for the Executive Board to be a strong voice for the members. “I believe I can articulate members’ needs and desires.” That coincides with his goals for SPEEA which are: “better contracts for an increasing membership.”

He’s not shy about his advice for non-members – “join early and often – membership is our strength.”

His hobbies range from reading and writing to “coaching the strangest softball team you’ve ever seen.”

Earl Carter
MW Regional VP

Earl Carter knows the value of a union. “With SPEEA, we have an opportunity to create great careers and make Spirit and Boeing the best companies in the world. Without SPEEA, we can only accept what they’d like to give us.”

Carter joined SPEEA in 2000, after working on the organizing drive for the Wichita Technical and Professional Unit (WTPU) at The Boeing Company. He’s served as an Area Rep for SPEEA, a Council Rep and secretary of the WTPU Council.

Carter started at Boeing in 1980. He worked as a systems analyst, master scheduler, change board analyst, military operations system analyst, engineering labs manager and production development shop manager. He’s now a business systems analyst at Spirit AeroSystems.

Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Carter grew up in Wichita. He went to Kansas State University and Friends University. He earned a BA in business management.

He wanted to become regional vice president because of what’s at stake with negotiations.  “With the contract opener for the two Spirit AeroSystems units, I wanted to be in a position to ensure that everything SPEEA can do to assist the negotiating teams will be done.”

Carter likes to play guitar in his spare time, spend time in the garden and coach Little League football. He and his wife, Diane, have two children and a grandchild.

Walt Ditlefsen
NW Regional VP

Walt Ditlefsen joined the Executive Board in November 2007. He is a second-generation union member and employee at The Boeing Company.

His father, a member of the International Association of Machinists (IAM), retired from Boeing in 1982. Both Walt and his father worked on the YC-14 project. When Walt started at Boeing in 1978, he worked with Military Airplane Weights staff at the end of the YC-14 project.

Ditlefsen is an Information Technology engineer for structural engineering analysis applications, primarily in Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) Loads and Dynamics.

He joined SPEEA right after he started at Boeing, and became more involved in 1991, when he was recruited to become an Area Rep.

In 2005, Ditlefsen ran for a Renton Council Rep seat and served on the Renton Partnership Forum from 2005 to 2007. “The desires, needs and best interests of the members have always been the most important consideration for me.”

After working through YC-14, the CX competition and the B-2 from 1978 to 1988, he moved to support Boeing Materials Technology, where he developed and maintained a system for tracking laboratory work until 1996.

He graduated from Washington State University with a B.S. in biochemistry and a B.S. in computer science.

Ditlefsen was born in Tacoma, but lived in Germany, Wisconsin and Virginia before returning to the Puget Sound. His father spent 23 years in the U.S. Army before retiring as a sergeant first class.

Ditlefsen and his wife, Lori, have five children and a granddaughter. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and home-improvement projects.

Ryan Rule
NW Regional VP

Ryan Rule, a former Council Rep elected to the Executive Board in 2008, follows his own advice when it comes to SPEEA.

“Get involved! Whenever something doesn’t make sense or you don’t like the way things are going, find a way to fix it or a committee to join that can make decisions which will have an impact on your issue or concern,” he said.

In Rule’s case, his colleagues were interested in SPEEA but weren’t up-to-date on the issues. “By becoming a Council Rep, I gained exposure to what’s going on in the union and was better able to provide useful information to the members with whom I work on a daily basis.”

His goals for SPEEA include getting more members involved, particularly newer employees, and keeping waste and excess to a minimum. “I want to make sure members get high value for their dues.”

Since starting at Boeing in 2001, Rule has worked in many areas, including Phantom Works, Connexion by Boeing and Integrated Defense Systems. He’s currently a design and analysis engineer at Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) Commercial Aviation Services.

Rule earned three Bachelor of Science degrees from Missouri University of Science and Technology in physics, applied mathematics and computer science. He holds two Master of Science degrees from the University of Washington in physics and computer science/engineering.

He was born and raised in California’s central valley. For hobbies, Rule enjoys traveling and scuba diving. His family includes his wife, Carrie, SPEEA NW Council secretary, and her son, who attends Aviation High School.

Larry Marrell
NW Regional VP

Larry Marrell began his career at The Boeing Company in 1978 in Electrical Mock-Up. In 1980 Larry left Boeing for Reno, Nevada where he spent several years working for Lear Fan Ltd. on the all-composite 2100, which today hangs in the Museum of Flight. After leaving Lear Fan he spent time as a Manufacturing Engineer at General Dynamics Convair and Space Systems as well as Northrop on the B-2.

Returning to Boeing in 1990, Marrell became a SPEEA Area Rep and then served as a Council Rep from 1992 to 2005. He has served on the Ombudsman Committee as member, vice chair and chair. Larry was elected to and served on the Puget Sound Technical Unit Negotiation Team in 2002, 2005 and 2008. In 2009, he was elected to serve as a Northwest Region IFPTE Vice President. Elected to the Executive Board in 2005, he was appointed to serve in 2007 and reelected for a third term in 2009.
 
Born in Chicago, Marrell was raised in Fremont, California. He served four years in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician. He holds a Liberal Arts degree from Ohlone College and studied Manufacturing Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Larry works at Boeing Everett in Manufacturing Engineering in support of Buyer Furnished Equipment.

Marrell, and his wife Sharon, a former SPEEA Council Rep and currently retired, have three grown children, and six grandchildren.