Michelle Somerday, Ph.D., is an executive coach and leadership development consultant and the founder of Neo-Strategic, LLC. She is educated as an engineer and scientist and began her career in academia, where she enjoyed supporting others in their development as a teacher and mentor. She transitioned to the corporate world and understands first-hand what is required to be successful both individually and as part of a team, and how to be an effective leader.
In her 20+ years of experience, Michelle has held senior leadership positions and addressed many organizational needs including program management, strategy planning and implementation, and business development. She has been a technical product manager and has overseen the development of multiple products and projects as a technical program manager. She led a multi-organizational team to develop the technical and business case for the approval of $200M in new federal government operational systems and architecture. She was instrumental in securing new contracts worth over $1.5B.
Michelle’s clients are experienced professionals who are motivated to strengthen the leadership and team-building skills needed to excel in a business environment. She credits her analytical background for her ability to help clients bring structure to nebulous issues, clarify the factors underlying individual behavior and organizational dynamics, and develop goal-oriented development plans that bring about tangible results. Her clients come from organizations such as Amazon, Apple, AstraZeneca, Genentech/Roche, Capital One, Deltek, Hewlett-Packard, the National Institutes of Health, and the Administrative Offices of the U.S. Courts.
She is Adjunct Faculty for the Duke University Master of Engineering Management program and is professor and mentor-coach for the core course Management in High-Tech Industries. She was an executive coach for the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs. She developed and facilitated custom leadership classes and provided executive coaching for the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business Office of Executive Programs.
Michelle’s former life as a researcher gives her a preference for evidence-based approaches to leadership development, and this is a hallmark of her writing and speaking engagements. She creates and facilitates classes on all things related to leadership and is passionate about increasing the number of women leaders in STEM/tech. Her writing has been featured in the Human Capital blog of the Association for Talent Development. She has presented multiple times at the Grace Hopper Celebration, the largest conference in the world for women and non-binary technologists.
Michelle has an Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University and is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation. She has a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Virginia, a M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida, and a B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from Duke University.