Ray Conner is the former president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He graduated from CWU in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in education. He worked for Boeing for more than 40 years, starting out as a mechanic and steadily climbing through the ranks of company leadership. He retired from Boeing in December 2017.

In addition to attending CWU, Conner’s ties to the Ellensburg community include student teaching at Ellensburg High School, where he also coached football. In 2015, Conner and his wife, Katie, donated $300,000 to establish the Ray and Katie Conner Endowed Scholarship Fund at CWU. The endowment funds annual scholarships for students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines.

Conner recently joined the board of directors of Alaska Airlines and is also on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue and Adient, a global supplier of seats to the automotive and aerospace industries.

His six-year term on the CWU BOT will continue through September 2023.