Kari Wilkinson is executive vice president of HII and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. Named to this position in April 2021, she is responsible for all programs and operations at Ingalls, including the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault and surface combatant ship programs and the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter program.
Wilkinson most recently served as the vice president of Program Management at Ingalls where she had profit and loss responsibility for all elements of program execution and served as the principal liaison to the Navy and Coast Guard for all platforms in the Ingalls portfolio.
Wilkinson began her career with Ingalls as an associate naval architect in 1996. Since then, she has supported major shipbuilding production events and milestones from positions in Engineering, has worked closely with Business Development on requirements and preliminary ship designs for both domestic and international customers, and also coordinated the prioritization of equipment and processes in Operations during the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort. In 2007, she moved into the Program Office as a ship program manager within the San Antonio-class LPD program.
Originally from Jenison, Michigan, Wilkinson earned a bachelor of science in naval architecture and marine engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Temple University.
Wilkinson serves on the Boards of Directors for the Gulf Coast Business Council, Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, Mississippi Economic Council and Mississippi Power.
Employing more than 11,000 employees, HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division is the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi and a major contributor to the economic growth of Alabama. For nearly 85 years, Ingalls has designed, built and maintained amphibious ships, destroyers, and cutters for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. The largest supplier of U.S. Navy surface combatants, Ingalls is simultaneously building four classes of ships and has pioneered the development and production of technologically advanced, highly capable ships for the surface Navy fleet for decades. Our shipbuilders are honored to build tomorrow’s fleet today.
Updated November 21, 2022
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