Growing up, my parents taught me to use mnemonics or rhyming as a technique for memorization and mindful actions. Even in college, Dad taught me “Twinkle, twinkle little star, Power equals I squared R. An easy rhyme until my friend said “are you sure it’s not “Little star up in the sky, Power equals R square I?!!!” An old joke, I know, but it proves my point…mnemonics and rhyming help us remember little important things that are useful bits of information! I am sure you also remember “i before e, except after c…” Let’s not forget how they tried to train soldiers during WWIto “Sh!t, Shower and Shave” as to not be interrupted with such tasks during combat. Whether it’s training, marketing, or good old fashioned memory joggers, mnemonics aid us in making connections to things that matter.

This month, I am focusing on my three “P’s.” There are quite a few out there: “People Process, Product,” “Predict, Prepare, Prevent,” however my P’s are “Purpose, Passion and Perseverance.” And those have stuck with me for over 35 years. Let’s dig a bit deeper.

Purpose: There is nothing more satisfying than fulfilling a purpose. Whether you’re a parent, doctor, lawyer, ditch digger, or CEO , having a purpose and advancing your mission everyday is what makes the world go around. Serving as a civilian in the Air Force led me to a strong sense of purpose early in my career. Knowing that I was helping the warfighter go that extra distance with confidence and protection was fulfilling. Not much has changed with MMEC. Our core purpose is serving the warfighter…accelerating innovative technology, collaborating with our partners to develop state of the art products and executing the transition of these innovative products into the hands of the warfighter. This past quarter, we have been reviewing potential investments that will serve YOU as our hub member. We are researching how we can best leverage our current infrastructure, projects, tools, partnerships and resources to accelerate building both a regional and national microelectronics ecosystem in support of the warfighter to maintain battlefield superiority and enhance national security.

Passion: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life” is a quote attributed to Mark Twain. The enthusiasm you bring to the workplace results in increased motivation, productivity and a sense of…PURPOSE!!! Team MMEC has grown over the last 18 months with team members with lots of experience and true passion for the mission. Case in point, I recently watched Mr. Tony Vengel’s podcast on Leadership, Innovation and Driving Success. Tony is our VP for business development and a true patriot. During the podcast, Tony submits “…MMEC is focused on connecting semiconductor fab and microelectronics to warfighter requirement…it’s essential…anything that isn’t this, is a waste.” And, he’s right! We are focused and committed to serving the warfighter and leveraging cutting edge technology to meet their requirements and in addition, grow into commercial innovations. Our working groups and steering groups are built to get to the solution faster and accelerate state-of-the-art technology in overarching solutions. Keep in mind, when Microelectronics Commons released their six technical areas (Commercial Leap Ahead, 5G/6G, EW, AI, Secure Edge and Quantum),

MMEC did their own assessment and added a few more areas that needed attention from a warfighter perspective. We have added additional technical areas based on warfighter requirements to include: Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), EO/IR and advanced packaging. MMEC will continue to keep a pulse on warfighter needs as serving the warfighter is our passion!

Perseverance: When my kids were growing up, they couldn’t say “perseverance” let alone understand the meaning. So, I changed it to “Stick-to-it-ivity.” That may sound more difficult, but it was more transferable. They could visualize setting a goal and “sticking” to it until it was complete. MMEC has the vision and perseverance to serve…from building creative solutions to future core offerings, MMEC understands their member’s needs. We look forward to this year’s Commons Call for Projects (CFP), coming in the Fall of 2025, and look forward to working with our members on first class submissions. In addition, we have built a robust pipeline of R&D with 10 shovel ready projects, 80+ topics that can span the FY 26 Commons CFP and cover the need whenever we find the right place for funding. We continue to submit proposals beyond ME Commons to grow YOUR hub and expand on opportunities for you!

So, there you have my three “P’s.” I look at these each time I make a decision, consider an opportunity or reach out to partners. They are critical to our bottom line, our mission and our vision. I hope you can join us for the next MMEC Quarterly Hub Meeting to learn more about our exciting new ventures and how we best serve our number one customer….the warfighter!!!

Find out more at our next quarterly meeting update….