NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Jennifer Boykin, the current president of Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), will retire at the end of the year, ending her 37 years at the company. Kari Wilkinson will replace her as the company's Newport News division president on Jan. 1, 2025.
Leading the shipyard's more than 26,000 employees as the yard's 20th president and its first woman president -- since 2017 -- has been Boykin.
Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance Executive Director Rick Dwyer says Boykin deserves much credit for workforce development.
And, Dwyer said, she deserves credit for guiding the shipyard through the pandemic, securing the Virginia and Columbia class submarine partnering arrangements with General Dynamics Electric Boat and for guiding the shipyard through the first two-carrier block buy for Ford Class aircraft carriers.
"She's led the company through a lot of challenges. A tremendous legacy of leadership, not only from the company and the national security side but from the community side as well," Dwyer said, in an interview with 13News Now.
Founded in 1886, Newport News Shipbuilding is the world's only maker of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and is one of the nation's two manufacturers of nuclear-powered submarines.
Wilkinson has served as HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division president since 2021, overseeing the U.S. Navy's amphibious assault and surface combatant ship programs along with the division's 11,000 shipbuilders, making HII the largest industrial employer in Virginia, and Mississippi as well.
“Leading shipbuilders in the critical work we do for the nation has been and will continue to be the greatest honor of my life,” Wilkinson said in a release announcing her new position. “I join the Newport News team with deep respect for its nuclear culture, commitment to safety, and an exceptional legacy further strengthened by Jennifer and the NNS team. I am fully committed to advancing our mission in support of our sailors, their families, and for all of us who depend on them for freedom and security.”
Replacing Wilkinson as executive vice president of HII and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding will be Brian Blanchette, vice president of quality and engineering.
HII CEO and President Chris Kastner applauded Boykin and Wilkinson, the former of which he has asked to remain on board in an advisory capacity until March.
“You will not find a more loyal advocate than Jennifer for her shipbuilders and the Hampton Roads community," Kastner said in the announcement. "Kari’s leadership has steered Ingalls Shipbuilding into its next phase of growth, having secured serial production contracts for both the destroyer and amphibious ship programs. She is a tremendous leader and now brings her great energy and expertise to Newport News.”