Research Symposium Program - Individual Details

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5th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 17, 2025

Michael Finley

Michael's Professional Picture_1.JPG

BIO

Michael Finley is an experienced Technology and Systems Engineering leader with over a decade of success delivering mission-critical solutions across complex engineering and business environments. He currently serves as a Staff Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, where he leads high-performing teams supporting F-35 integration, test, and simulation labs. Michael is known for aligning technical execution with strategic objectives, driving operational excellence, and improving system performance in high-stakes, security-focused environments. Throughout his career, Michael has progressed through increasing levels of technical and leadership responsibility, contributing to major defense programs including the F-35, F-22, and F-16. His work spans system requirements development, verification and validation, integration and test leadership, lab operations, and cross-functional coordination with customers, vendors, and program stakeholders. He has led and mentored engineers, reduced certification timelines, improved onboarding efficiency, and strengthened communication across multidisciplinary teams. Michael holds an MBA in Security Management, a Bachelor’s degree in Technical Management, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Systems Engineering. His strengths include analytical thinking, leadership, and problem solving, along with a strong commitment to continuous learning and sharing knowledge to develop others and strengthen the organization.

Colin Powell: From the Battlefield to the Boardroom

Authors: Michael Finley, Dr. Georgiadis
Student Major: MS Systems Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Georgiadis
Mentor's Department: IME
Mentor's College: College of Engineering
Co-Presenters:

Abstract

Colin Powell was a renowned military and political leader who rose from being poor to becoming a four-star General in the U.S. Army and then U.S. Secretary of State. Powell's leadership skills and actions were examined throughout his life, from when he was a child to when he was a top military and diplomatic leader. It examines Powell's leadership through the lens of various leadership theories, employing significant events from his career as a timeline to illustrate the evolution of his character, decision-making, and people-oriented approach over time. He puts a lot of emphasis on being honest, responsible, working as a team, thinking strategically, and staying calm as a leader when things get tough. This research seeks to identify the characteristics that contributed to Powell's effectiveness across various contexts by comparing his actual behaviors with established leadership concepts. The results reveal leadership practices that consistently yielded positive outcomes, alongside aspects requiring additional consideration. In the end, this study is a personal commitment to becoming a better leader through gaining knowledge from Powell's experiences to find qualities that are good and those that require caution. The goal is to make a leader who is more self-aware, moral, and effective.

Keywords: Leadership, theory, attributes, practice, United States, Army, Colin Powell, General, Secretary of State