About
Class of 1983 in Mathematics
Bachelor of Science - Mechanical Engineering - 1984
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
President of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Student Chapter
Student Officer of Sigma Phi Delta, an International Engineering Fraternity
Member of Engineering Student Council
Post-Graduate Degrees:
Master of Legal Studies-Compliance & Risk Management, Seattle University School of Law (2022)
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Seattle University Albers School of Business & Economics (1995)
Current Work:
JLewis Business Consulting
Brief Description of responsibilities:
I currently work with companies as a board member or advisor/consultant to senior management to help achieve goals and strategic objectives.
One of my more interesting assignments to date:
With only a 6-month window, I was assigned to lead negotiations to sell 3 Boeing aircraft to the Government of Poland for their head-of-state and top government and military officials (essentially, their version of Air Force One). Due to international and internal politics and legal hurdles, the Polish government had been unable to purchase new VIP aircraft since a 2011 airplane crash which killed the whole top tier of their government and military. The pressure on my team was tremendous and it was a physically and mentally intense 6-month effort. However, we ultimately signed a $523 million dollar deal with literally only a couple hours to spare before the Polish government funding expired. A Polish Air Force officer actually ran from the office in the Ministry of Defense where I signed the actual contract, so he could get to the Ministry of Finance in time to have the money transferred before the deadline. If we had missed that window, the whole budgeting and political process would need to start over, which would have led to years of delay and likely would have killed the deal altogether. It was a really difficult assignment, but also one of the high points of my career.
Briefly describe a notable memory from your days at Carroll:
Going through winter workouts and spring practices on the football team during my freshman year is a notable memory. I ultimately opted-out of the following season because I would not have played much (if at all) and I needed to buckle down in the classroom. This process was not only physically challenging, but also a difficult maturing process in deciding to give up football. I grew a lot during that time and made some great friends in the process.
A piece of advice for prospective Carroll engineering students:
Persistence is worth a whole lot of smarts.
Also, recognize that the critical thinking, communication, and language skills that you get in the liberal arts curriculum, combined with the objective engineering and scientific analysis skills that you get in the engineering curriculum, is a potent and valuable combination of tools that sets the Carroll grad apart from most other engineers.
Repeatedly in my career, in both engineering and business settings, I have encountered teams that were stuck and unable to resolve a dilemma. I have been able to contribute by helping to dismantle the dilemma into smaller hurdles; working with the team to clarify issues and identify solutions to get over the hurdles, which then lead to resolution of the broader dilemma.
Many engineers have great ideas, but not all have the ability to creatively communicate those ideas or to inspire others in their own creativity. These critical thinking and communication skills are valuable in whatever career path you ultimately pursue.