Overview

During the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja competition, college teams design, CAD, fabricate, test, and race small off-road vehicles that can survive punishing terrain and water conditions. The cars are designed from the ground up and teams must work to address many design, manufacturing, management, and sponsorship issues.

As Co-General Manager for two years and later Leadership Advisor for Olin College’s Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja team, I managed the design and fabrication of small off-road vehicles for the national competition. This work required resolving systems engineering and sub-system interface challenges, along with team dynamics, resource management, and stakeholder communication.

Key Contributions

• Led a team that grew to 30 members through strategic recruitment and effective leadership
• Designed multimedia materials for corporate sponsorship outreach, securing funding and material support
• Managed material and personnel resources across multiple sub-teams, developing skills in project planning and coordination
• Served as principal interface between the team, college administration, and safety officials
• Initiated leadership training for the succeeding 5-person management group, to transfer essential team management skills and enable long-term team sustainability

Leadership Development

As the team grew, I developed a structured approach to leadership development:

• Created mini-workshops for the management team focusing on delegation, communication, and conflict resolution
• Implemented a system for knowledge transfer between graduating and incoming team members
• Established documentation practices to maintain continuity across competition years
• Developed strategies for interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together students from mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering

Technologies & Methods

• SolidWorks
• Metal Fabrication (including CNC Mill, Manual Mill, Manual Lathe, and GMAW Welding)
• Team coordination and leadership methodologies
• Project management tools and approaches