Author: sHq_LoGiNz

After more than two decades with Leidos and its predecessor company, SAIC, Mike Sapp had built an impressive career leading large, complex software programs. But like many professionals, there came a point where he wanted something different.

Today, he’s back at Leidos as the Director of Product Delivery for the Air Traffic team, helping pursue one of the company’s most significant opportunities: modernizing the nation’s aging air traffic control system.

For him, returning wasn’t simply about coming back, it was about finding the right role at the right time.

A career that started with curiosity

When Mike first joined the company in 2002, he was looking for an opportunity to expand his technical skills.

“I wanted to update my software development knowledge by learning Java,” he says. “The company was willing to invest in teaching me while I used my management experience to help lead a project.”

That willingness to learn set the stage for a career that would span more than 20 years, primarily leading large-scale software programs and eventually overseeing a portfolio of more than 400 employees as a vice president.

Stepping away to gain perspective

After years in senior leadership, he found himself ready for a change.

Following a challenging program transition, he began exploring new leadership opportunities. When the right fit didn’t materialize internally, he decided to take his career in a different direction.

“I wanted to experience working for a smaller company and have a more manageable schedule,” he says. “While I didn’t end up loving the role itself, I did enjoy working a true 40-hour week with less stress.”

That experience ultimately gave him something even more valuable: clarity. “It helped me figure out who I wanted to be at this point in my career and how I wanted to finish it.”

Finding the right opportunity to return

When his small company lost the contract he supported, he began exploring options once again. A conversation with a former Leidos colleague changed everything.

“He told me about a role that checked nearly every box,” he says. “It was mostly remote, outside the cleared community, and had a completely different pace and focus.”

Returning to Leidos suddenly felt like the perfect next step. “I finally felt like I was working the way I’d always wanted to, even if I hadn’t previously had the words to describe it.”

His second chapter at Leidos has been very different from the first. Instead of the demanding schedule that often comes with executive leadership, he has found the balance he had been seeking. “I work a much more natural schedule now and have the work-life balance I wanted.”

The experience also reinforced something many returning employees discover: a large organization offers the flexibility to reinvent your career without starting over somewhere else.

Turning a passion into a profession

Earlier this year, Mike transitioned to the Air Traffic Management team. Now he’s helping capture the next-generation FAA air traffic management program, work that feels especially meaningful because it aligns with a lifelong personal passion.

“I’ve been a private pilot since 1996,” he says. “Working on the future of air traffic management feels like I’m working on my hobby every day.”

One of the biggest surprises of this stage in his career has been rediscovering software development. Although he spent most of his career managing software teams rather than writing code himself, advances in AI have opened new possibilities.

“I had long ago accepted that I wasn’t going to build software anymore,” he says. “Then AI changed everything.”

Today, he uses AI to develop, debug, and deploy meaningful software while continuing to lead teams. “I’m still a software manager but now I’m one who produces code as well. It’s completely changed my day-to-day work.”

Advice for fellow alumni

Looking back, he says leaving Leidos ultimately helped him appreciate what the company could offer in a different role.

My return has changed my work life ten times for the better. I’m happier at work than I’ve been in years.

Mike Sapp, Director of Product Delivery, Air Traffic, Leidos

His advice for anyone considering coming back is simple. “We’re a very large organization, and there are opportunities in so many different corners of the business. If the path you’re on isn’t the right one, that doesn’t mean there isn’t another one that’s exactly what you’re looking for.”

For him, returning wasn’t about going backward. It was about discovering the next chapter of a career that still had plenty of opportunities ahead.

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Originally published on 3M News Center

New products can come from anywhere – formal meetings, lab discoveries, customer conversations, or even running into a colleague in the hallway. 

The new 3M™ Adhesive Mix Monitor traces its origins to a conversation in the 3M Germany office between Benjamin Muenstermann, advanced research specialist, and Knut Schumacher, senior product development specialist.

Muenstermann was looking for input on a customer challenge with two-part adhesive dispensing. He wanted to know how they could, in real time, know that adhesive was being mixed correctly so they could improve first-pass quality, reduce scrap, and avoid the hidden cost of off-ratio dispensing. Schumacher realized that measurement expertise from an earlier project could provide that much-needed visibility and manufacturing confidence.

They quickly got to work on an early concept that eventually became the 3M Adhesive Mix Monitor.

A manufacturing challenge: ensuring mix quality during dispensing
In modern vehicles, two-part structural adhesives help bond roofs, doors and lightweight body panels made from steel, aluminum and composites. These materials are also used in electronics, medical devices and industrial equipment where strong, reliable bonds are critical. They are created by combining two components during dispensing, and their performance depends on those components being mixed as intended.

Even small deviations in mix ratio can affect bond strength and long-term reliability, yet the issue may not be visible when the adhesive is first dispensed. In some cases, it may only be discovered later, after parts have moved further down the production line or products are already in use

“Customers had been frustrated for years by the lack of a reliable way to verify mix quality during dispensing,” said Alissa Wenner, application engineering specialist in 3M’s Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division. “In one case shared with the team, improper mixing led to thousands of dollars’ worth of scrapped parts.”

From hallway conversation to practical solution
The 3M Adhesive Mix Monitor was developed to help address that challenge. The system evaluates mixed adhesive during dispensing and determines whether the ratio remains within defined limits. It translates that complex measurement into a simple visual indication for operators and provides engineers with time-stamped data for quality monitoring, traceability and troubleshooting.

Turning that idea into a product required far more than adhesive expertise alone. The challenge was not only finding a way to evaluate mix quality during dispensing but also translating that insight into a system that could work reliably in a manufacturing environment.

What began with a hallway conversation grew into a broader effort across 3M teams in Germany and the United States, drawing on expertise in science, electronics, software, mechanical design and application engineering.

“There are outstanding experts across 3M,” Schumacher said. “What makes a difference is being able to connect with them easily and work together to solve a real problem.”

FAQ

What is the 3M Adhesive Mix Monitor?
The 3M Adhesive Mix Monitor is a process-monitoring system designed for use with 3M two-part structural adhesives. It evaluates mixed adhesive in real time during dispensing to help manufacturers improve visibility into a quality process that can be difficult to monitor.

Why is monitoring mix quality important?
If the two adhesive components are not mixed correctly, the adhesive may not perform as intended. The problem may not be obvious right away and may only be discovered later, after defective parts have already been produced or a finished product is already in use.

How does the system work during dispensing?
The system uses a disposable sensor at the outlet of the static mixer to evaluate mixed adhesive in real time during dispensing. For operators, the result appears as a simple visual signal: green when the adhesive is within the defined dispense zone and red when it is not.

How does the system support manufacturing teams?
Operators receive immediate visual feedback during dispensing, and engineers can use time-stamped data from the system to support process monitoring, traceability and troubleshooting.

Leah Operana, a program specialist helping bring Tata Consultancy Services’ Go Innovate Together (goIT) program to teachers all over the United States, has seen a pattern among the educators, parents and volunteers who bring TCS goIT to students. She calls it “The Boomerang Effect” because, once teachers and volunteers experience the student innovation and career-readiness program, they frequently come back to it as soon as possible, eager to see it benefit more young people.

“What I hear again and again from teachers and volunteers is that goIT gives students a different way to see themselves,” Operana said. “They witness the confidence young people build as they brainstorm ideas, solve problems and present their thinking to encouraging mentors from the IT and social enterprise industries. They want more students to have that experience.”

goIT was created by TCS in 2009 for students in Greater Cincinnati. Its successful beginning led to its development as a hands-on, digital innovation and career-readiness program and, later, to its expansion across North America and around the world. By challenging students to innovate in ways that help advance the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it helps young people develop the skills, confidence and mindset needed to pursue careers of the future. goIT activities emphasize design thinking, collaboration skills, presentation techniques, and the affirmation that youth are capable of developing creative solutions to real-world challenges.

Social Studies teacher John Peach is a prime example of Operana’s “Boomerang Effect” in action. Peach has brought goIT to students in New Jersey school districts in Edison and Metuchen, NJ annually since 2022. This past summer, he led summer programs at both school districts, giving more than 200 students access to goIT. His efforts enabled them to use part of their break to go through goIT modules such as Design Thinking, Generative AI, and Machine Learning before ideating in groups and taking their digital concept pitches to goIT volunteers, including TCS employees and customers.

In Illinois, TCS employee Muralidhar Singh’s path with goIT was similar. He first served as a volunteer judge, coaching and mentoring appreciative students during a program culmination event. Murali enjoyed experiencing goIT’s impact on students, their abilities and self-confidence. He immediately sought to bring goIT to more youth through the Lake County Indians Association (LCIA), where he serves as an advisor.

“Watching young people strengthen their problem-solving, career readiness, and innovation skills inspired me to help expand the program locally,” said Singh. “I’m proud of the students who dedicated part of their summer to learning and deeply grateful to the volunteers who made the experience possible.”

More than 60 students took part in LCIA’s 2026 summer program. With support from more than 30 volunteers and community partners who participated as facilitators, judges and guest speakers, the local high school students explored the SDGs and collaborated to solve problems related to education, health, poverty and the environment. When they finished, they had the honor of being present when Illinois State Senator Adriane Johnson presented LCIA and TCS with a proclamation acknowledging the power of the TCS STEM education-enhancement program.

Summer programs demonstrate multiple sides of TCS goIT’s impact, from what students gain from the goIT experience to the added benefits when participating during a long break from formal education. In the summer, goIT can help stave off learning losses while getting kids ready for confident learning and engagement from the start of the school year.

“No matter when it’s implemented, goIT shows people how youth can contribute to solving global human and environmental challenges, and how strongly the adults around them believe those benefits are worth making time for,” said Operana. “It works beautifully no matter what time of year it takes place and TCS has volunteers eager to help year-round.”

Learn more about TCS goIT here.

Learn more about Tata Consultancy Services’ work in North America here.

 

About Tata Consultancy Services

Tata Consultancy Services (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) is the technology partner of choice for industry-leading organizations worldwide. Since its inception in 1968, TCS has upheld the highest standards of innovation, engineering excellence, and customer service.

It has set an aspiration to become the world’s largest AI-led technology services company and is enabling its clients to transform themselves across the full AI stack, from infrastructure to intelligence.

Rooted in the heritage of the Tata Group, TCS is focused on creating long term value for its clients, its investors, its employees, and the community at large. With a highly skilled workforce spread across 56 countries and 194 service delivery centers across the world, the company has been recognized as a top employer in six continents. With the ability to rapidly apply and scale new technologies, the company has built long-term partnerships with its clients. Many of these relationships have endured into decades and navigated every technology cycle, from mainframes in the 1970s to artificial intelligence today.

TCS sponsors 14 of the world’s most prestigious marathons and endurance events, including the TCS New York City Marathon, TCS London Marathon, Tata Mumbai Marathon, and TCS Sydney Marathon with a focus on promoting health, sustainability, and community empowerment.

TCS generated consolidated revenues of over US $30 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026. For more information, visit www.tcs.com.

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