Where engineers learn to lead

An engineering manager faces a familiar crisis: The data is solid, the code works and the design passes review — yet the product launch is delayed, the system won’t scale and manufacturing is behind.

Deadlines were missed, and no one caught the budget risk. The team isn’t aligned. The failure isn’t technical — it's management.

In the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, a newly revived student chapter of the American Society for Engineering Management, or ASEM, is betting that the engineers who thrive in the next decade won’t just be the best coders or designers. They’ll be the ones who can both solve problems and rally the room.

Recognized by ASU in late 2024 and nationally chartered in 2025, ASEM at ASU has already grown to roughly 90 members across engineering disciplines. It’s a comeback story, too. The chapter existed before the COVID-19 pandemic but dissolved during that era.

Ali Kucukozyigit, a Fulton Schools associate teaching professor of industrial engineering, says that the lack of a chapter created a gap. ASU has strong academic programs, both in-person and online. But ASEM at ASU adds structured space for engineers to develop the soft skills employers need.

“The school has industry advisory boards, and they tell us the same thing,” Kucukozyigit says. “Engineers can calculate, but not all can communicate. If engineering management were a three-legged stool, technical skills are one leg. The other two are business acumen and leadership. ASEM at ASU helps the stool stay balanced by adding those two skills.”

Alexander Kurz, the chapter’s president, is an undergraduate student in the engineering management program in the Fulton Schools while simultaneously pursuing a master’s degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. But he didn’t start out that way. He began in mechanical engineering before deciding to broaden his scope.

“I wanted to diversify my leadership and management skills and lean into my strengths,” he says. “The nice thing about engineering management is that we work across disciplines — mechanical, civil, electrical engineering — and help bring all of it together. We’re the ones facilitating the entire engineering process.”

When he switched programs, he went looking for an extracurricular outlet that matched his ambitions. He reached out to faculty members, including Kucukozyigit. The timing felt urgent.

“It’s ruthlessly competitive in the job market right now,” Kurz says. “I was looking for opportunities to network and help others network with the goal of creating professional opportunities after graduation.”

Carlos Vasquez, the chapter’s secretary, brings a different but complementary energy. An undergraduate transfer student from Pima Community College who shifted from business to engineering management, he saw ASEM as a launchpad for himself and for others.

As secretary, he focuses on building the chapter from the outside in. He leads outreach efforts, connections with industry speakers, collaborations with other student organizations, finding new ways to expand membership. LinkedIn has become part of his daily routine. So have career fairs, though not in the way most students use them.

“Instead of trying to find a job for myself, I actually meet the employers and see if they are willing to come over and speak at ASEM events,” Vasquez says.

The ability to think beyond his own professional profile mirrors what drew him to engineering management in the first place.

“I really like the idea of being involved in all aspects of a project or engineering enterprise,” Vasquez says.

Vivian Lee, a mechanical engineering undergraduate student in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, and the club’s public relations officer, represents the transdisciplinary future ASEM is trying to build. Students don’t have to major in engineering management to join, and that’s the point.

“I know that I want to get into some sort of management-related role later on in my career,” Lee says. “But I don’t want to wait until that point to start figuring it out.”

For Lee, ASEM is where theory starts to feel real. It’s a place to build fluency in management, plug into the broader engineering community and start defining the kind of leader she wants to become.

Lee has a message for students hovering over the “maybe one day” button when thinking about joining ASEM at ASU.

“If you even get to the ‘maybe I might want to join’ phase, you might as well just do it,” she says. “You don’t lose anything. Just show up and see what you get from it.”

What students get is a steady cadence of monthly meetings, industry panels, workshops and newsletters. One upcoming event focuses on how to build and leverage professional networks, especially for students beginning to understand the professional landscape.

Kurz's dreams for the chapter's future are big. He envisions bringing together faculty, students and industry professionals to nurture future industry leaders, providing a safe space to connect and grow.

“It’s a global professional society,” he says. “So, we have different networking and development events, and there are conferences students can participate in.”

The ASEM at ASU leaders are exploring how to participate more deeply in the ASEM local professional chapter as well as the national one. The team hopes to attend or submit papers to the ASEM national conference held this October in Wisconsin.

In a university as large as ASU, it’s easy to get lost in the sprawl of opportunity. ASEM at ASU offers a proving ground for engineers who want to lead and manage. Because the next time a product stalls or a system fails, someone in the room will need to be able to see the whole strategic picture. ASEM at ASU is training students to be that someone.