Wichita, KS— Former CEO of Spirit AeroSystems Jeffrey “Jeff” L. Turner was announced as the Friends University Keynote Speaker for the Commencement Ceremony on May 9, 2026.
Since June 2005, Turner served as the President and CEO of Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. until the divestiture of the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Wichita Division. As CEO, he successfully led the transition from Boeing Division to an independent company completing the company’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) in November 2006. Mr. Turner was a member of Spirit AeroSystems’ Board of Directors from 2005-2014.
A Kansas native, Turner worked for The Boeing Company for more than 30 years. He started in 1973 as a part-time computer programmer while completing his degree at Wichita State University. During his tenure with The Boeing Company, Turner held key management and director positions at Boeing Computer Services, Boeing Military Airplane Company and Boeing Commercial Airplanes located in Wichita and Seattle, Washington. From 1995 until the divestiture in June 2005, he served as Vice President-General Manager for the Wichita Division.
Turner received a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science in 1973 and a M.S. in Engineering Management Science in 1977, both from Wichita State University. In 1984, he was selected as a Boeing Sloan Fellow to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Sloan School of Management, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Management.
Turner is a partner in the Turner Nichols Williams Group, which focuses on developing small businesses in the Wichita, KS area. He served on the Board of Directors of Rockwell Collins and Spirit AeroSystems and served on the board of INTRUST Bank. He has also been very involved in the local community having served on a number of boards and Co-Chaired the community Leadership Council, as well as the Board of Directors for “Doc’s Friends”, a non-profit organization which owns and flies a WWII vintage B-29 aircraft. Turner and his wife, Rhonda, are active members of their community and have two adult children and six grandchildren.
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Friends University, a Christian University of Quaker heritage, equips students to honor God and serve others by integrating their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives. Friends University offers 60+ undergraduate degree options along with adult online, graduate, and doctoral degrees. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. For more information, visit our site at https://www.friends.edu/