Navy veteran finds success through MEM program

When Michael Taylor traded his Navy uniform for a project manager role in the private sector, he needed more than operational experience; he needed the skills to lead engineering teams in a complex environment.

That’s what led him to Auburn’s Master of Engineering Management program, where systems thinking met real-world leadership. Taylor earned a Master of Engineering Management with a focus on systems from Auburn University’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management in 2024.

He is currently a project manager at ThayerMahan, leading offshore acoustic programs that integrate sensors, equipment, data and maritime operations to support defense, energy and environmental missions.

Taylor received an undergraduate degree in physics from Auburn in 2018 and was already familiar with the university’s highly ranked engineering program. He discovered the MEM program while serving as an instructor in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps.

“I learned about the MEM program through my fellow instructors who were also in the program and highly recommended it,” he said.

Taylor chose the MEM program to strengthen his ability to lead engineering teams and solve complex problems.

“Having a strong technical background and 12 years in the Navy gave me a solid foundation in operations, but management of civilian projects has a lot more hurdles, and this gave me a great opportunity to learn how to blend management and engineering,” he said. “Everything is a system, and I was not yet sure exactly the field I wanted to get into. The systems option I felt gave me the most versatility but was still technical enough to keep me involved on the engineering side.”

He described the program as practical, flexible and directly applicable to his work.

“The courses and faculty were highly supportive of me with all of the extra responsibilities that came with being an active-duty member and simultaneously trying to obtain a degree,” he said. “It was challenging enough to be interesting but flexible enough for me to have a full-time job training the future of the Navy.”

Taylor added that the MEM program helped him transition from military service into an industry leadership role and strengthened his ability to manage technical projects, risk and highly diverse teams.

“Following my time in the Navy and transitioning to the civilian side was eased by having the experiences I went through earning this degree and the discussions with professors and guest speakers alike,” he said.

At ThayerMahan, Taylor continues to build on his Auburn experience.

“Leading offshore programs at ThayerMahan, they really put you into the mix immediately,” he said. “Fortunately, I have a lot of great mentors here and a few other Auburn graduates that have taken me under their wing. It’s great to see that when they need something, I can deliver it and be confident with it based on my Auburn Engineering background.”