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Joe Timko

Joe Timko

B.S., Electrical Engineering, 1982

Timko found electrical and computer engineering to be an easy pick for his major, given the “exciting opportunities that were unfolding in hardware and software at the time and continue to this day,” he said.

Upon graduating, Timko began his career at Bell Laboratories, where he worked in multiple positions until 1996, followed by 14 years at McKinsey & Company, where he became a partner. He led strategy and technology initiatives of Pitney Bowes and Automatic Data Process, and served as a managing director of the Advisory Strategy Practice for Ernst & Young. Timko currently serves as an executive-in-residence and associate adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. He sits on the boards of Navicore Solutions, PlanetiQ, and VUV Analytics. 

Throughout his career, Timko has remained committed to engaging emerging leaders by providing lectures, serving as an executive-in-residence, and mentoring more than 300 students at multiple universities.

“Virginia Tech engineering taught me how to think,” Timko said. “Period. I always brought the engineering way of thinking with me even after I got my MBA and it was a big advantage for me. The combination of engineering and business education served me well. In fact, both CEOs who hired me to report to them told me the reason they did so was the combination of my technical knowledge and business judgment. So, thank you Virginia Tech.”