Alumni Spotlight - August 2021

How long were you a member of miLEAD? What positions did you hold?

I was with miLEAD for 3 years and held roles as a consultant, project manager, and director of finance.

What was the most interesting project you were involved with while part of miLEAD?

I PM'ed a cool project for an engineering company looking at battery systems for electrical vehicles.

How did miLEAD help you obtain your current position?

miLEAD projects introduced me to SBIR grants and other elements of startup needs. The job I am in now has a heavy technology and entrepreneurial component, so it was incredibly helpful to have some baseline understanding of this space in order to talk about it a little during my interviews.

What is your day-to-day life like in your current position?

The program is funded through a University of Michigan internal grant, so there are several initiatives that need to be developed and launched that were in the original proposal. I work with the faculty to understand the priorities of each initiative and then set out to develop them. This includes activities like faculty recruitment, creating presentations for leadership meetings, strategizing mechanisms to foster collaboration and idea sharing (as well as organizing those events). It is a combination of communicating with a wide range of people and doing independent work to meet our deliverables.

What did you learn through miLEAD that you apply to your current position?

In the day-to-day, miLEAD has taught me the importance of branding and consistent formatting, so I have been able to elevate many of our outward facing information, presentations, etc. that help the professionalism of the program. There are also many different components and different stakeholders, so through my experiences in miLEAD, I am well prepared to develop, execute, and manage expectations of our deliverables.

What advice would you give to current or prospective miLEAD consultants?

1) Be consistent in your performance and professionalism - follow through with things you commit to (regardless of what the activity is), be timely in your actions, communicate early and often with those you work with. If you get into this habit early on, and with everything you do leading up a to a career, it is much easier to maintain once you are in a position that requires you to manage many things at once. It sounds simple but it makes a huge difference when people know they can rely on you to be a good team member and leader. 2) Take time to explore many options for careers. Even if it is just attending a career panel or having an informational interview, getting a wide range of input and insight will help you make the best possible decision when it comes to a career that fits your interests and life.