Current Responsibilities
Michele is the Manager of Supplier Quality for John Deere Dubuque and Davenport operations. In this position, Michele leads the effort with her teams to work with the C&F supply base to improve the quality, reliability, and performance of our purchased components in conjunction with Distinctive Product Quality efforts. She leads efforts to support C&F supplier quality related activities on a Divisional basis and ensures alignment with the Enterprise on common processes and activities.

Work Experience
Michele joined Deere in 2011 as Sr. Engineer responsible EGR cooler development for iT4 and FT4 engines, as well as 6.8L air system development. In June 2013, she was appointed CI Engineering Manager for S350 T4 Engines, responsible for leadership of warranty issue resolution. In December of 2014, she accepted the position of Backhoe Program Manager, which she held until accepting her current position in April 2017. Prior to John Deere, Michele worked in product engineering at Behr (now Mahle). In her six years with Behr, 3.5 years were spent in new product development and advanced engineering in Stuttgart, Germany. Michele also worked in engineering for Cummins, Inc. She holds a BS degree in Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Masters of Engineering Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has co-authored three technical papers and holds one international patent. Michele is fluent in German.

Special Interest
Michele resides in Dubuque, Iowa with her husband Jim. She enjoys volunteering as a test cook for America's Test Kitchen, is active with the United Way as a member of the Board of Directors, and is a member of the SAE Commercial Vehicle executive council.

Favorite Development Quote
Never ask that standards be lowered to meet where you are; rather, beg that they remain high and through stubborn determination meet them. ~Lindsey Smith