Momentum - The Magazine for Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Vol. 3 No. 2 Summer 2018 | Page 29

Michele M. Grieshaber John F. Sparks
Grieshaber holds a PhD in mechanical
engineering from Virginia Tech and was a
Fulbright Scholar to France. She recently
served as Adjunct Professor of Global
Business Ethics at St. Edward’s University
in Austin, Texas, and is a frequent guest
lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin,
McCombs School of Business. Spark's initial assignment was in engi-
neering design where he rose to a position
director with time spent as chief engineer
on key programs. For the last several years,
he has led a team exploring novel technol-
ogies for advanced air-launched missile
systems and currently heads an engineering
and development program which will
qualify and produce the propulsion system
for a new advanced missile.
BSME ’85, MSME ’86 and PhD ’91. Grie-
shaber is a senior vice president and chief
marketing officer at Silicon Labs, a leading
provider of silicon, software, and solutions
for the internet of things. Michele came
to Silicon Labs from IBM where she held
executive and strategic positions in IBM’s
software, hardware, financing and services
businesses, including positions based in
Europe and Asia spanning over 20 years.
She is a member of the Board of Advisors
for the College of Engineering at Virginia
Tech, and for the Munday School of Busi-
ness at St. Edward’s University. She is also
an active board member for Communities
in Schools of Central Texas.
Grieshaber is shown with Bob Mahan, profes-
sor emeritus of mechanical engineering.
MOMENTUM
BSME ’74, MSME ’76, PhD ’81. A senior
program director at Aerojet Rocketdyne,
Sparks has program management respon-
sibility for development and advanced
technology programs. His career has been
focused on propulsion starting with his
graduate work in gas turbines and his sub-
sequent 37-year career in solid propellant
rocket design.
In addition to his Virginia Tech degrees,
Sparks is a graduate of the Wharton School
Advanced Management Program. He serves
on the department's advisory board, has
been a member and chair of the College of
Engineering Advisory Board, and continues
to head the College of Engineering Adviso-
ry Board Legislative Committee.
SUMMER 2018
PAGE 29