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2022 Leadership Excellence Awards Winner Spotlight: Todd McEvoy

Winner of the 2022 Overall Lab Manager Excellence Award, Todd McEvoy discusses his journey toward leadership and how fellow managers can best support their teams

by Lab Manager
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Todd McEvoy is the general manager at Intertek Allentown. McEvoy was nominated by his peers for the 2022 Leadership Excellence Awards and received recognition as the recipient of the Overall Lab Manager Excellence award. The winner of this award exemplifies all the traits, knowledge, and skills needed to successfully run a laboratory.

Q: Can you briefly discuss your background, and what you do in your current role?

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A: My education is founded in chemistry with a BS in chemistry from the University of Shippensburg, and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. My technical expertise is in materials characterization and developing structure/property relationships. Through my career, I have welcomed the opportunity to build my leadership skills and then employ them to help my colleagues grow both scientifically and professionally.

Currently, I am the general manager at Intertek’s Allentown, PA location. I lead a team of 40 individuals and am accountable for all aspects of the business performance including people leadership, scientific operations excellence, business development and sales, administrative and support functions, quality management, and safety culture.

Q: What was your reaction to winning this award and what does it mean to you to win?

A: Truthfully, it floored me. It caused me to sit back and reflect on my experiences, specifically the past two years. I am extremely grateful for this award. 

Q: What do you value the most about Lab Manager’s offerings/content?

A: I value the content that’s directly targeted at the challenges lab managers face—employee retention, investment, developing staff, etc. I find the content that comes from experienced lab managers useful. I also like the articles/webinars that propose solutions to problems rather than just highlighting the problems.

Todd McEvoy
Todd McEvoy
Lab Manager

Q: What resources or individuals did you learn your leadership and management skills from?

A: I learned my leadership and management skills from past group leads or general managers at the Intertek Allentown location. It has been a combination of modeling behaviors from these leaders, and site-level education. I’ve also been able to learn significantly from learning-focused organizations like Lab Manager and ALMA (The Association of Lab Managers). These organizations are excellent resources for the challenges that lab managers face on a daily basis.

Q: In your opinion and experience, what is the most important quality or trait a good leader needs to have?

A: They must understand that the people are the livelihood of the business, and as leaders we need to continuously challenge, support, and develop our staff.

Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

A: I enjoy spending time with my wife, three children, and three dogs. We are outside whenever possible, taking trips to the beach, hiking, or traveling. I volunteer my time to coach youth sports leagues (baseball, basketball, flag football) in my town. My daughter is a dancer and I enjoy watching her at competitions. I also enjoy running and recently got back into mountain biking.

Q: What do you think are some common misconceptions about good leadership and management?

A: Misconception 1: leadership is the same as management. 

Misconception 2: leaders need to be at the top of the organization. Anyone can lead from anywhere in the organization.

Q: What’s the best piece of management and/or leadership advice you can share with our readers?

A: Communication is key, and it is best done in person. You can’t communicate often enough. 

The winners of the Leadership Excellence Awards will accept their award plaques during the Lab Manager Leadership Summit, taking place in Baltimore, MD, May 16-18. To learn more about this valuable event and to register to attend, visit: summit.labmanager.com/leadership