Hi, I'm Don.
Program Manager by profession, endlessly curious by nature. See what I take on — at work and outside of it.
My Professional Philosophy
Effective program management creates the conditions for teams to do their best work.Set the Vision - Clear mission, timeline, and success metrics.Silence the Noise - Drive cross-team alignment, manage complexity, and protect focus.Free the Team - Remove obstacles, enable fast execution, and secure resources.
TESLA
Summary: Led launch recovery of Cybertruck market entry in a key region, unlocking significant revenue through restored cross-functional alignment.
Context
Requested by supply chain manager to assess a suspected engineering-program misalignment impacting the Cybertruck launch in new market.Challenge
Recover engineering and supplier readiness to support planned market release.Approach
Diagnosed critical cross-functional misalignment, aligned stakeholders on a recovery strategy, established ownership and accountability, and drove execution through launch.Impact
- Achieved Q4 2024 launch
- Supported successful market entry through restored program alignment
- Restored alignment across engineering, supply chain, production, and program teamKey Insight
The root cause was not a technical constraint, but a gap in cross-functional understanding. Making downstream impacts visible was more effective than optimizing individual workstreams in isolation.
MAHLE
Summary: Delivered MAHLE’s most profitable battery cooling program through stakeholder alignment on cost, design, and supplier strategy.
Context
First battery cooling plate program for MAHLE North America supporting an OEM's initial EV launch. Originally quoted during my internship and later managed through production launch.Challenge
Maintaining profitability through an extended development cycle with significant engineering and commercial changes.Approach
Aligned engineering, commercial, and supply chain teams around profitability, using forecasting and continuous optimization to improve program margins through changing conditions.Impact
- Delivered MAHLE's most profitable battery cooling program
- Achieved 3x return on sales (ROS) at program launchKey Insight
Profitability is the result of many small decisions, aligned across technical, commercial, and operational dimensions, over time—not a single lever.
I’m happy to share additional projects and discuss them further—please feel free to reach out.
My Learning Philosophy
I think about skill development through the friction–force curve: high initial resistance, a critical threshold, and sustained progress through momentum.
The greatest resistance occurs just before movement begins.
Learned beekeeping as a hobby and harvested several jars of honey with minimal stings.
Built a solid-body electric guitar from scratch using CAD, CNC machining, and self-directed research.
Took up cabinet-making to build a custom floating bathroom vanity.
Ongoing: Restoring a 1992 Toyota 4Runner as an ongoing exercise in patience and problem-solving.
Ongoing: Building a greenhouse from the ground up.
Other side quests I enjoy...
Please send me a note if you'd like to connect!