From a small farm
to global organizations.
I grew up on a small farm, where I overhauled engines, repaired farm machinery, and learned how to make or repair just about anything. I don’t remember making a conscious decision to choose Mechanical Engineering as my major, but I graduated with my Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering at the University of Michigan Flint before starting a job in the automotive industry, designing electromechanical mechanisms.
I only pursued my MBA at Central Michigan because it seemed like a good way to round out my technical experience. But when I finished, I realized that business is a lot more interesting than I initially thought. Instead of the gears and timing belts of mechanisms, people and processes work together in organizations in similarly complex and elegant ways to conduct business.
But when I finished my MBA studies, I couldn’t escape the feeling that there was still a lot more to learn. That’s when I signed up for the Business Doctorate program at Northwood University. I chose to study organizational crisis in the wine industry to challenge myself and was rewarded with key insights into the interplay between market forces and organizational strategy.
Today I work on global programs – coordinating teams across the company. Every day, I interact with R&D, Engineering, Sales, Purchasing, Quality, Manufacturing, and Logistics departments. The programs I work on take complex electromechanical products from concept to industrialization on a global scale. In my spare time I seek out improvement areas, ranging from organizational process improvements to exploring new ways to use AI to enhance organizational capabilities.
How I got here
Where the attention to detail started
On a small farm, the work finds you — there’s always something to build, fix, or finish before dark, and no one else is going to do it. That upbringing taught me the value of hard work and of doing a job right the first time, and it trained my eye for the small details that decide whether something lasts.
Take it apart, understand it, make it better
Overhauling engines, fixing machinery, and restoring classic tractors with my father — with a woodworking bench filling every spare hour — taught me to respect how things are actually built. Restoration is a habit of mind before it’s a hobby: knowing exactly how something works, and why, is still how I approach every organization I work with.
First taste of applied research
Two summers in Axalta’s automotive coatings R&D lab, investigating pigment dispersion and paint degradation in solvent-borne base coats — running spectrophotometry and impact, gravel, adhesion, and chemical-rub tests on painted coupons. I built procedures that turned subjective evaluations into measurable data, and learned early to let evidence settle the question.
From concept to finished hardware
I designed automotive window regulators and door modules, taking them from concept through to production. It taught me to think rigorously, solve problems at the source, and build the tools and standards that make good engineering repeatable.
Leading complex, global programs
I moved from the technical work to running programs end to end. That meant coordinating teams across countries and time zones, and bringing the same problem-solving approach to budgets, negotiations, and customer relationships.
Finding solutions to real-world problems
My doctoral dissertation focused on increasing understanding of a real-world business problem: how a crisis at one company can spread to others. The research uncovered new approaches and tools that organizations can use to understand these complex situations, and form strategies to resolve them.
What I bring
A toolkit built across program leadership, operations, and applied research.
Strategy & Business Development
- Business strategy & planning
- Negotiation & high-stakes communication
- Contract & specification review
- SWOT, PESTLE & value-chain analysis
Program & Project Leadership
- Program & portfolio management
- Risk, budget & timeline control
- Agile & predictive planning
- Global, cross-functional coordination
Operations & Improvement
- Lean Six Sigma
- Root-cause analysis (Ishikawa, 5-Why, 8D)
- Change management
- Quality auditing (ISO & IATF)
Applied Research & Analytics
- Qualitative methods: interviews, focus groups, coding
- Quantitative methods: regression, SAS
- Means-ends & decision analysis
- Data visualization & reporting
Tools & platforms
Education & credentials
Education
Doctor of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering
Certifications & training
- PMP® — Project Management Professional
- CAPM® — Certified Associate in Project Management
- Lean Six Sigma (Yellow Belt)
- Leadership Development Program
- IATF 16949 Lead Auditor
- ISO 9001 Internal Auditor
Notes & essays
From time to time I write up ideas worth sharing — problem-solving methods, strategy, and the craft of breaking complex challenges into manageable pieces.