FreezePoints eMagazine

On July 14th, 2026, PMI Orange County welcomed Dennis Trujillo as the featured speaker for their July Dinner Meeting  in Irvine, CA. Dennis, a former project and program manager at Boeing who now serves as a Boeing Designated Expert (BDE) in Portfolio and Project Management and instructs Boeing Project Management Fundamentals, was the keynote speaker. He presented "Developing the Next Generation of Project Managers: Project Management Week: A Case Study."

Dennis's presentation told the story of how Boeing has built project and program management into a core organizational asset. He explained that project and program management are deeply interrelated disciplines, and that Boeing team members are trained to identify risks, issues, and opportunities while cultivating a culture of continuous improvement. Within Boeing's technical and complex product lines, the project management career path has been supported by formal training in project management fundamentals and program management best practices.

That development pipeline includes several hands-on programs: a Summer Intern Program, PMP Exam Prep, and the PACE Program (Project Management Available Career Experiences), which allows interns to shadow professionals and participate directly in project work.

Dennis also shared the history behind Boeing's collaboration with the project management community at large. In 2005, Boeing established its Project Management Community of Excellence. By 2015, the company had expanded its network to include PMI Orange County, PMI Los Angeles, and contracted university partners, which laid the foundation for what became Project Management Week, a now internationally recognized opportunity for networking and PMP education.

Today, Boeing's Project Management Community of Excellence coordinates Project Management Week activities with International Project Management Day and PMI, offering employees educational sessions, industry trend briefings, and Professional Development Units (PDUs) in one integrated, engaging experience. It also strengthens ties between Boeing employees and the outside community, such as PMI's Orange County and Los Angeles chapters and colleges and universities.

The result of all that is a program that has successfully introduced the PMP certification and the broader project management career path to the next generation of professionals in project and program management.