The job of a lifetime
Major: Electrical Engineering
Class: 1968
"I'm an MSOE engineer, so I make things happen," laughed James I. Finley '68, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology in the U.S. Department of Defense. It's a position that he considers both a job of a lifetime and an honor to serve the country.
"I came up through industry as a turn-around guy," said Finley, who worked his way up through management at defense contractors General Electric, Singer, Lear Siegler, United Technologies and General Dynamics, where he was president of Information Systems and a corporate vice president. His leadership at those companies resulted in not only career advancement, but also many industry awards. Finley had just begun his own consulting company when he got the call from the White House. He says that although it was unexpected, working for his country at the Pentagon was something he felt compelled to do. He and his wife, Sharon, left Minnesota and headed for D.C. He sees his position as an opportunity to "protect our freedom as well as the quality of life as we know it" from terrorist forces.
Now, as advisor on all matters relating to the department's acquisition, technology integration and protection of technology, he says he plans to be part of a team that creates lasting change for the better, including cutting the time it takes to do business in half, raising the core competencies in engineering, reducing waste in the defense business and supporting programs that protect our national security. Although his longevity at the Pentagon may be influenced by political changes, he plans to build nonpartisan relationships. "I have less than three years and the first year will be focused on accelerating implementation of process improvements, getting buy-in, and demonstrating results. The next year is taking the lessons acquired from the first year and improving from there on a continuous basis," he said.
Finley says his degree in electrical engineering from MSOE was a great beginning to his career. "I graduated from MSOE and felt, from my first job on, that I had five years of experience ahead of graduates from other schools. I had a big jump." After MSOE, he earned an M.B.A. from California State University-Fresno and graduated from the advanced executive program at the Kellogg Business School at Northwestern University.
Last summer he visited his alma mater and was impressed with MSOE students' senior projects as well as the awesome improvements to the campus itself, including the addition of the Man at Work art collection: "Students have the art surrounding them in their daily environments, and every time you look you'll see something different. That's kind of how life is. There are a lot of lessons to be learned in applying that to engineering."
He offered other advice to students at Spring 2006 Commencement, where he received an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering: "follow your passion, and do what really excites you. Dream. Stay close to your roots, but learn to let go. The world changes and you have to be able to adapt."
"Above all," he told the graduates who were sitting where he was nearly 35 years ago, "learn to enjoy life."