Hi, everyone! Angelique here.

As we wrap up the year, I want to look back at some of the conversations that shaped the first season of the Mastering Engineering Leadership podcast. The themes were powerful on their own, but they become even richer when we anchor them in the voices of the leaders who shared their stories. Let me walk you through some of the patterns that stood out and the episodes that brought them to life.

If you want to revisit any of the conversations I mentioned today, you can find episode links and other resources in the show notes at drangeligadams.com/podcast.

In this episode, I speak with Sherry Browder, CEO and president of Pro2Serve, an employee-owned company founded in 1995 with the primary purpose of providing critical mission support services to strengthen our nation's defensive posture.

Sherry shares how a simple eighth-grade declaration that she wanted to be an engineer, plus parents who were lifelong educators, set her on a winding path to civil engineering. She describes struggling academically at Tennessee Tech, switching majors several times, and needing five and a half years to graduate, but using that adversity to build grit and determination. From her first role at the Department of Energy to long tenure at SAIC/Leidos and now as president and CEO of Pro2Serve, her through line is program and people leadership rather than design engineering.

In our leadership segment, Sherry's example story centers on emotional regulation and how leaders respond when people bring them problems, frustration, and bad news. She describes intentionally remaining calm, giving people a safe space to vent behind closed doors and modeling steady behavior so her teams continue to bring her information. Over time, this approach allowed her to build what one supervisor called fiercely loyal teams that trust her with both the work and the hard conversations.

Finally, Sherry encourages engineers to play to their strengths, even if that means stepping away from traditional design roles into project program or organizational leadership. She emphasizes that you do not have to be the smartest technical expert in the room, but you must be dependable, approachable, honest, and consistent so people are not afraid to talk to you. Her closing message is that leadership is not all easy or glamorous, but if you surround yourself with smart people, keep learning from everyone, and let emotional intelligence guide you, you can have an impact over decades.

Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Andria Yates, a leadership coach in the executive MBA programs at the Haslam College of Business and startup coach for the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 

Andria started as a first-generation college student from a small West Tennessee high school, drawn into materials engineering by her love of math and science and her father's belief that engineering was the best path to opportunity. She began her career as an aluminum metallurgist at Alcoa. She moved rapidly into early management roles, then pivoted into industrial, organizational psychology and technology startups, eventually serving as an executive vice president of product development in the Bay Area. She later returned to Knoxville to build a portfolio career in consulting and teaching while still proudly identifying as an engineer. 

Andria gave us two examples in our leadership segment. In her first management role, Andria inherited two senior engineers and learned the hard way that equal and equitable are not the same when it comes to development opportunities. Later, as a product leader in a fast-moving tech startup, she had to slow an enthusiastic leadership team that wanted to chase every possible customer request, pushing them to ask whether they should build something simply because they could. Across both stories, she frames leadership as the courage to understand people deeply, to ask unpopular questions, and to protect mission focus. 

Andria's advice to aspiring engineering leaders? Build emotional agility and self-awareness, understand organizational environments, and lead from a place of authenticity. She recommends the work of Susan David, Adam Grant, and Brene Brown as practical anchors for engineers who want to grow as leaders in any context. Her closing message is that engineers should know themselves, seek at least a 75 % person environment fit, and stand on strong ground as authentic leaders rather than putting on a mask.

Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast

In this episode, I speak with James Hanley, Senior Director at CBRE, where he leads a global team of engineers and program managers shaping the future of real estate through strategic innovation, talent development, and technology integration. A love of roller coasters inspired James to study mechanical engineering at Loyola University, where he then went, as he calls it, full nerd by adding math and physics minors.

His early career zigzagged from selling pumps and boilers to multiple engineering roles that were heavily impacted by the recession. Through perseverance and networking, he eventually landed a turning point role that led to his current position at CBRE. 

In our leadership segment, James describes two crucible leadership moments. First, he took over a massive project when both the lead engineer and project manager left, only to have no one show up to his carefully organized kickoff meeting because he had not included them early. Second, he was told he could not have any senior engineers for a critical deadline and instead received seven interns, which forced him to rethink his plan and leverage their strengths to deliver ahead of schedule. 

James encourages aspiring engineering leaders to look beyond technical depth and invest in communication, people skills, and the ability to get things done. He shares how networking helped him navigate a tough economy and how a manager's question about his two, five, and 10-year plans pushed him to pursue an MBA and executive communication skills. For James, leadership growth means using setbacks as teachers and deliberately developing non-technical skills that unlock the impact of technical expertise.

Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast

In this episode, I speak with Sears Merritt, Head of Enterprise Technology and Experience at MassMutual, where he is responsible for the company's technology, cybersecurity, data, and artificial intelligence strategy and vision. Sears started as a curious kid who loved building radios, Lego creations, and computers, which led him to study electrical engineering. His early career moved from telecom networks to healthcare IT, then into data science and AI. Along the way, he continued his education, earning a master's degree in telecommunications and a PhD in computer science from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and an MBA from MIT Sloan.

In our leadership segment, Sears talks about how one of his biggest leadership challenges was bringing data science to life inside a large insurance company at a time when few people understood what it was or why it mattered. He had to educate stakeholders, separate hype from reality, and lead a broad change effort across the policyholder value chain. That work required constant communication, storytelling, and influence to turn abstract models into tangible business impact.

Sears encourages engineers who want to lead to embrace ambiguity rather than chase perfect static answers. He reframes leadership as applied scientific method in a changing world where hypotheses, experiments, and learning loops are more valuable than certainty. His core message is to develop agility, comfort with change, and a mindset that treats leadership decisions like iterative experiments rather than one-time bets.

Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast

In this episode, I speak with Greivin Chavarria, Global Quality Strategy and Innovation Director at Medtronic.

Greivin grew up in Costa Rica, where he discovered chemical engineering by asking questions at a sugar mill. He launched his career in process optimization through a rotational program at CEMEX where he built global experience and led major manufacturing operations. After completing an executive MBA at MIT, he transitioned into the medical device industry.

In our leadership segment, Greivin discussed how, mere weeks into a new role, he inherited a 60 % capacity ramp project for a multi-shift production line. He combined strategic actions with political and cultural lenses, aligning cross-functional teams, protecting quality, and connecting the work to patient impact.

Greivin's advice to engineering leaders? Try small experiments in people leadership, study enduring operations principles like the Toyota Way, and pursue continuous learning. Embrace discomfort by raising your hand before you feel fully ready.

Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast

In this episode, I speak with Mel Kirk, an award-winning business leader who is renowned for re-engineering or transforming business operations at some of America's most admired corporations. 

Mel discovered engineering through a summer STEM enrichment program and chose industrial engineering for its blend of people, process, and performance. Early co-ops and a cohort-based engineering program at the University of Tennessee shaped his Listen First leadership and opened doors to Merck GE, Rider, and other top firms where he led large scale transformation across multiple industries. 

In our leadership segment, Mel shares how again and again he was asked to re-engineer processes and cultures often without formal authority. He learned to convene diverse voices, amplify technical talent, and make tough calls with integrity while shouldering real career risk.

Mel's advice to aspiring leaders: master the fundamentals, practice active listening for understanding, show consistency of character and say yes to stretch opportunities. Follow up on access moments and build one-to-one relationships with senior leaders.

Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Claus Daniel, Associate Director for Advanced Energy Technologies at Argonne National Laboratory.

Born into a family of carpenters in Germany, Claus was the first in his family to finish high school and attend college. Encouraged by an observant elementary teacher, he pursued material science after discovering a passion for physics and chemistry and a childhood encounter with an astronaut who was also a material scientist. He later moved to the United States to improve his English and earned a Wigner Fellowship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he helped build an influential battery program. After spending time in industry at Carrier, he returned to the US National Lab System at Argonne, where he leads an organization of scientists, engineers, and analysts working to develop breakthrough solutions to grow the economy through a reliable and secure energy system and a strong workforce.

In our leadership segment, Claus talks about how he repeatedly chose harder paths from changing countries to starting battery work where it was not expected. Through those challenges, he learned to balance influence with listening so teams can diverge before converging on decisions. Strategic focus, reflection, and resisting reactive communication became central to his approach to leadership.

Claus's advice to engineering leaders? When communicating about your work, don't talk only about gadgets. Frame engineering as solving societal problems.
Schedule reflection, know what you can influence, and practice the discipline captured in the Serenity Prayer to lead with focus and impact.

Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast

In this episode, I speak with Barbie Bigelow, CEO of Emerald Growth Partners and an independent board director, strategist, and digital expert. Barbie is a first-generation college student who pivoted from pre-med to chemical engineering, then discovered a love for computing during an internship at a paper mill. During her internship, she saved the company millions of dollars and was offered a full-time position, but decided to pursue graduate school instead.

After graduate school, Barbie started at IBM and kept saying yes to stretch roles that led to system architect, integrator, business leader, and CIO and CTO positions across multiple industries.

In our leadership segment, Barbie talks about how in her first CIO role, a unified platform proposal was rejected by the top leader. After a hard reset, she coached her team to relearn the business unit by unit, delivered targeted wins, and converted a skeptic into a champion who later endorsed the broader platform. 

Barbie's advice to engineering leaders: be relentlessly curious, practice the now what mindset, and triangulate for the truth by aligning strategy, actions, and data. Lead with authenticity, personalize your coaching like Pat Summitt, and always do what you say. 

Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Zach Sims with Small Business Consulting Corporation. He is a Technical Director of Laboratory Capability Integration and Transition with Air Force Global Strike Command. Zach followed an early inspiration from his engineer father, studied physics, then pivoted to applied materials and energy engineering. He worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, completed a PhD through the University of Tennessee's Bredesen Center, became a Lawrence Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Lab, and moved into joint faculty at the University of Tennessee. He now serves as a technology and stakeholder advocate linking Air Force needs with national lab capabilities.

In our leadership segment, Zach talks about how while at the University of Tennessee, he organized idea days to match Tennessee Valley Authority program leaders with university researchers. He aligned two very different stakeholder groups by setting a clear objective, curating the right presenters, enforcing audience-appropriate depth, and giving direct feedback to ensure outcomes.

Zach's advice to engineering leaders? Grow by taking progressively larger risks and building the resilience to recover from mistakes. Tailor your story to the audience, deliberately practice your communication skills, and use listening and reflection to convert stakeholder needs into actionable steps.

Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at https://drangeliqueadams.com/podcast/.