Mastering Engineering Leadership

About Mastering Engineering Leadership

Are you an engineer looking to go beyond your technical expertise to become an impactful leader? Join Dr. Angelique Adams each week as she features engineers in leadership roles. They discuss their career journeys, dissect real-life leadership challenges they've tackled, and share actionable advice on how to achieve success as a leader with an engineering background. Whether you’re an aspiring leader or a seasoned engineer looking to grow, join us. Mastering Engineering Leadership—your journey to becoming an exceptional engineer leader starts here.

Publisher

Angelique Adams

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Dec 2024

Latest episode

3 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

68 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Oct 2026

   MEL #067 | From Engineering Student to Emerging Disaster Relief Leader through Purposeful Choices with Caroline Czarnecki

   In this episode, I speak with Caroline Czarnecki, the Tickle College of Engineering’s 2026 recipient of the Student Leadership Excellence Award, now an Engineering Specialist at Strata G, a team of engineers, scientists, safety professionals, and project managers dedicated to the responsible care of client-entrusted resources in the environmental, energy, defense, utilities, and infrastructure sectors. Caroline’s path into engineering started with curiosity. In high school, physics and engineering classes brought out a kind of creativity she wanted to keep exploring. Her experience with the Civil Air Patrol added a hands-on connection to aviation, search and rescue, and emergency response. She entered the University of Tennessee in aerospace engineering, then shifted to industrial and systems engineering when she realized it better matched her interest in disaster relief and complex systems involving both people and technology. That same intentionality shaped her decision to pursue a one-year master’s degree. Caroline used the opportunity to gain research experience and study wildfire spread using systems engineering, modeling, simulation, and geographic information systems. Those choices helped position her for a full-time engineering role where she can work on engineering projects while also helping her company build new disaster relief capabilities. In our leadership segment, Caroline talks about how when she leads a project, she starts by getting clear on what she wants and why it matters. But clarity does not mean controlling every step. Through trial and error, she learned that doing everything yourself leads to burnout, while giving a team complete free rein can create confusion. Her approach is to provide structure and resources, then give people room to determine how they will accomplish the work. That balance creates space for engineering creativity. Caroline even looks outside engineering, including to art and gardening, for new ways to think about systems and solutions. She takes a similar approach to leadership confidence. Leaders do not need to be flawless. They need to remember why they are at the table, learn from mistakes, and keep building confidence through experience. Caroline’s advice to aspiring engineering leaders centers on a simple idea: leadership should advance other people. That means understanding the people you work with and recognizing that they may have different needs and priorities. It also means using the team’s time wisely. Technical capability matters, but the most complex solution is not always the best one. Caroline also emphasized the leader’s role in shaping team culture. Leaders model the behaviors they expect, communicate clearly, and pay attention to what their own actions may unintentionally reinforce. Her approach is practical and people-centered: set clear expectations, use resources wisely, and create an environment where people can do strong work and grow. Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at  www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast (http://www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast)

2. 

   12 Sept 2026

   MEL #066 | From Materials Research to Startup Leadership through Adaptability and Intentional Structure with Dr. Brian Iezzi

   In this episode, I speak with Dr. Brian Iezzi, founder and CEO of Fibarcode, a company that provides permanent textile labels for trust, traceability, and sustainable life cycle management. Brian's path into engineering started with curiosity exposure and a series of people who helped him see what engineering could make possible. His father introduced him to engineering ideas early, but chemistry, research, and an energy audit project in high school helped the field click for him. That path eventually led him to textile engineering at NC State and then to graduate school. After a mentor at WL Gore recognized his curiosity for research and encouraged him to pursue a PhD, Brian carried that curiosity into entrepreneurship. Experiences with a hard tech startup and a student venture capital fund gave him exposure to both developing and evaluating new technologies. In our leadership segment, Brian talks about how he discovered that leading a team required more intentional structure than he naturally preferred. He has a high tolerance for ambiguity, but he learned that not everyone works best that way. One-on-one meetings became an important leadership tool, creating space for team members to surface challenges, exchange feedback, and clarify expectations. Brian also learned that adapting to his team did not mean he had to personally design every process. Instead, he could give team members the tools and authority to help create the structure they needed. It allowed him to respond to different working styles without trying to become a fundamentally different kind of leader. Finally, in our advice and resources segment, Brian connects his approach to leadership with the continuous improvement mindset he saw through his father's work in lean manufacturing. Putting a system in place does not mean the work is finished. Leaders need to keep asking what is working, what is not, and how they can make it better. For engineers who want to build leadership skills, Brian recommends looking beyond formal coursework for opportunities to work with others, take initiative, and build something without a clear playbook. He also reminds us that leadership experience is not just about being the person in charge. Being able to explain how you contributed to a team and helped it succeed can be just as valuable. Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at  www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast (http://www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast)

3. 

   4 Aug 2026

   MEL #065 | From Technical Expertise to Meaningful Impact Through Strategic Thinking and Asking Why with Dr. Bharat Madan

   In this episode, I speak with Dr. Bharat Madan, Founder and Managing Partner of D-Journey Advisory, a decision-stage advisory for leaders driving AI, Transformation, and value creation in complex transitions. Bharat describes growing up in India with a civil engineer father who inspired his love of mathematics and problem-solving. That early exposure made engineering an obvious career choice, while his curiosity about computers led him toward information technology. After graduation, he quickly discovered that engineering was about much more than programming. Early assignments in strategy and healthcare technology taught him that connecting ideas, understanding business problems, and applying engineering thinking across domains were just as valuable as technical expertise. In our leadership segment, Bharat shares the story of introducing innovation into a traditional manufacturing company. Instead of relying on executive mandates, he built momentum from the shop floor by encouraging frontline employees to identify problems and develop solutions. His advice to engineers interested in leadership? Focus on becoming outstanding people and problem solvers rather than chasing leadership titles. Leadership grows naturally when engineers combine technical excellence, patience, empathy, and continuous learning. Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at  www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast (http://www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast)

Who has been a guest on Mastering Engineering Leadership

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Cathy Toth
• Sherry Browder
• Dr Andria Yates
• James Hanley
• Sears Merritt

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 20 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

28

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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