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Maria A. Bothwell

Maria A. Bothwell

B.S., Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, 1990

MBA, Business Administration, 1992

Induction year: 2025

Late in Maria Bothwell’s senior year at Virginia Tech came a crisis: She’d accepted a job as a mechanical engineering patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, with plans to go to law school, but she slowly realized that this path didn’t align with her skills or her interests in the human elements of industrial engineering. Tim Greene, a professor of industrial and systems engineering, stood in as a therapist and coach to help avert the crisis. “He guided me through a swift pivot to an MBA program, and he referred me to a manufacturing engineering role at Litton Poly-Scientific, [where] I applied total quality management practices in the projects throughout the plant,” Bothwell said.

Driving results on the manufacturing floor led to a management consulting role focused on process reengineering, then to multiple leadership positions in business consulting, strategy, and new business launch. Since 2017 Bothwell has served as CEO and chair of Toffler Associates, a future-focused strategic advisory firm working in the areas of resilience, security, innovation, technology, and workforce transformation. “As a curious lifelong learner, I love the dynamic client environment with challenges and uncertainty,” Bothwell said. “Now 30+ years later, I still enjoy solving new client challenges.”

Professional roles:

  • CEO and Chair, Toffler Associates, 2017-present 
  • Managing Director, North Highland Consulting, including roles: President, New Ventures; President, SparksGrove; Vice President & Market Leader, Washington, DC; 2002-2015 
  • Vice President, New Market Development, AllConnect, 2000-2001 
  • Director, Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, 1994-2000 
  • Senior Consultant, EY Management Consulting, 1992-1994 
  • Manufacturing Engineer, Litton Poly-Scientific, 1990-1992

Boards and committees:

  • Executive Advisory Board, Professional Services Counsel, 2024-present 
  • Advisory Board, Federal Foresight Advocacy Alliance, 2024-present

Awards and honors:

  • Academy of Distinguished Alumni, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech – inducted 2019

Volunteer roles: 

  • Advisory Board and Chair, Department of Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, 2019-present 
  • Advisory Board, Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2013-2018 
  • Mid-Atlantic Regional Leader, Women Executives on Boards, 2023 - present 
  • Boy Scouts of America, National Capital Region, Executive Board Member, 2019-2023
  • Volunteer Chef Carpenter Shelter, 2015 – 2024

Who influenced you during your career and/or time at Virginia Tech?

Dr. Tim Greene and Dr. Paul Kimmerling – both were industrial engineering and operations research professors at Virginia Tech during my undergrad years. Dr. Green was also department head during my senior year. They encouraged me through school and were always supportive when I needed confidence. Dr. Kimmerling helped me prepare for the first public speaking assignment I had ever had during junior year. I was so nervous about the public speaking in class that I asked if there was a way I could pass the class without doing the speech. Dr. Greene was a therapist and coach when I realized in my late senior year that the job I accepted as ME patent examiner at the PTO and law school was not aligned with my skills and interests. He guided me through a swift pivot which led to the MBA program and he referred me to a manufacturing engineering role at Litton Poly-Scientific.

What led you to your chosen profession?

My industrial engineering and operations research (IEOR) degree and skills were used directly in my first manufacturing engineering job. While there, I applied total quality management (TQM) practices in the projects throughout the plant. This experience, along with learning to work with colleagues on the manufacturing floor to drive results, led me to my first consulting role at EY, where we conducted process re-engineering projects at electric utility and telecommunication operations. As a curious lifelong learner, I love the dynamic project world of management and strategy consulting - always new industries and client challenges. Now 30+ years later, I still enjoy solving new client challenges.

What advice would you share with your younger self just starting off in your career?

First, be open to opportunities, and second, learn what makes you thrive. New opportunities present when you are not always looking for them, and you will only see them if you are curious. Understanding your values and how you work best will enable you to handle unexpected stress and manage through life’s challenges.

How did you decide what to major in at Virginia Tech?

I appreciated first year engineering exploration of the various fields of engineering. When I started at Virginia Tech I thought I'd go into civil or aerospace engineering, but when I learned about the human elements of industrial engineering and operations research, I was fascinated.

Please note: Inductee spotlight is as of the year of their induction.