Vera Wintink
IT Systems Engineer
I am passionate about manufacturing because it feeds my energy. As I watch a ship move from digital concept to flat steel and work its way up into a self-sustaining city, I am energized everyday knowing that we are producing a safe, reliable product for the future.
Vera has served in numerous roles throughout her tenure with Huntington Ingalls. As a Senior Cost Engineer, she provided training, developed cost estimates, tracked and managed EVM data, and assisted with negotiations on the Virginia Class Submarine program. After transitioning to Systems Engineering, she led and provided technical guidance to those responsible for more than 200 engineering scopes on multiple carrier programs. Today, Vera’s efforts on Integrated Digital Shipyard (iDS) initiatives are helping to steer Ford class aircraft carriers and Columbia class submarines on a new course of digital transformation.
When Vera started in the traditionally male-dominated world of shipbuilding, she was the only female engineer on her entire floor. Thirty years later, she gets to work with women every day, which makes mentoring much easier and closer to home for Vera. From guiding their work to setting up group outings like going to see the movie Hidden Figures, Vera is glad to serve as a resource for women in her industry.
Vera feels strongly about being involved with the community. As a board member of the Newport News Green Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote the creation and preservation of green space throughout the City of Newport News, she participated in the Newport News Task Force 2030 to create a comprehensive plan for growth, transportation, economic development, housing, environment, urban design, historic preservation, community facilities and sustainability. Vera is also a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), supporting many women in STEM fields, and she has held many local Boy Scouts positions, serving on boards, fundraising very successfully, and leading a den of Webelos from which a remarkable 80 percent have risen to the level of Eagle Scout.