William Harkness serves as the Inclusive Systems Engineering Leader and Head of Accessibility Engineering at Boeing Commercial Airplane (BCA), a role in which he champions the integration of accessibility into product development, workforce practices, and toolsets. His extensive career at Boeing includes directing the globally recognized Engineering Career Foundation Program, which significantly reduced attrition rates, and orchestrating enterprise-level strategies across various engineering domains. A Sacramento native, Harkness holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Strategy & Innovation with a focus on accessibility in aircraft cabins. His commitment to innovation is evidenced by over a dozen patents and his distinction as Boeing’s inaugural Systems Engineering Research Council (SERC) fellow. Recipient of the 2016 M. Atkins Ability and Achievement in Science, Engineering, and Technology Award, he also co-founded the Boeing Employee Awareness Association (BEAAA), which later partnered with Disability: IN, and established the Boeing Deaf Employees and Friends (BDEAF) initiative, earning him multiple Boeing Change Agent awards. Beyond Boeing, Harkness is President of the Board of Directors at the Hearing Speech & Deaf Center and recently advised the governor of Washington on accessibility, all while balancing his professional life with his roles as a husband and father.