Jon W. Lewis

Degree: 3-2 major at Carroll and graduated in Mechanical Engineering from University of Southern California - 1984

Current Work: Engineer, Parametrix in Sumner, WA

Post-Graduate Degree:: Master's Degree from Seattle University in Business Administration (MBA)

Brief description of responsibilities: Negotiate the sale of all models of Boeing commercial aircraft and related services.

Briefly describe one of your more interesting projects or assignments to date: The most interesting project I participated in was an internal start-up of Boeing Business Jets, a joint venture between The Boeing Company and General Electric (GE). We pioneered a new market for the Boeing 737 airliner as a private jet for ultra-high net worth individuals.

Briefly describe a notable memory from your days at Carroll: I first saw the woman who would become my wife (25 years and counting!) as she dished up peas in the Saga dinner line. She was so good looking, even in her food service uniform, I had to get seconds and thirds of peas that evening…

A piece of advice for prospective Carroll engineering students: Persistence is worth a whole lot of smarts.

Also, recognize that one of the most valuable skills you will take away from the Carroll engineering program, a skill that is not fully develop in other engineering programs, is problem solving; how to critically assess a particular problem or issue, take it apart and solve it in logical, manageable steps.

Repeatedly in my career, in both engineering and business settings, I have encountered teams that were stuck, unable to resolve a dilemma. I have been able to contribute by helping to dismantle it into smaller hurdles; clarifying issues, identifying solutions to get over the hurdles, which then often lead to resolution of the broader issues.

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. 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 problem solving and communication skills are valuable in whatever career path you ultimately pursue.