Kevin Sliech ’06 is not technically an architect, at least not in the traditional sense, but he does create and build innovative designs in a way that mimics the intricacy and art of architecture. That’s probably why his official title at Apple is Senior Display Features and Technology Architect and Engineering Manager. It’s also probably why he uses an architecture analogy to explain what exactly his title means.

“When you think about what an architect does, it’s very different from the work done by the person who comes in later to actually build the house,” said Sliech. He described an architect as the one that figures out where the wires and plumbing go, and how many bathrooms the house should have, compared to someone that comes in and builds it. He expanded upon that thought by stating “if you’ve done a lousy job designing the house, it’s going to have all kinds of problems. It’s the same thing here, just on an electronic level.”

Working in the display engineering group, much of the product is electrical in nature, particularly the display components. To be successful, the designer (or architect) needs to have a keen understanding of both the hardware and software sides of the equation, starting from the conceptual phase. “We’re not just making hardware in a vacuum,” he said. “A lot of the stuff I work on crosses the boundaries between hardware, software, and firmware. That’s kind of what I specialize in.”

A 2006 graduate of Western New England University’s (WNE) College of Engineering, Sliech credits the unique skills he honed as an electrical engineering major with helping him master the complex and ever-changing world of advanced technology.

“I’ve always been very interested in both the hardware and the software which started with my senior undergraduate project,” he stated. “At WNE, I designed antennas, but I also designed the computer-controlled part of those antennas where there was a software interface to it. I always loved doing the whole stack. It was always a very cool thing for me, and I was able to keep doing it (in my career).”

Utilizing the strengths of multiple disciplines, he emphasizes the importance of pushing the boundaries, “It’s in this space, you have full control of the hardware, software and firmware, and you can co-design everything together,” he noted. Sliech carried that mindset with him to Apple, where he just celebrated his 10th anniversary with the Fortune 500 company.

“You have to deeply understand how all that stuff works, especially with displays, the electrical aspect of it directly affects what you see,” he said. “Because we’re lighting up this display, you’re going to notice if it looks good and if it works properly. There’s a ton of electrical engineering aspects involved; whether it’s making the custom chips, or defining the solutions on the circuit boards, or how we interface with the rest of the system.” He admits that earlier in his career at Apple, he was heavily involved in those aspects, however, now finds himself splitting efforts between electrical engineering, software, and digital design.

One of his favorite parts of the job involves working directly with customers, understanding their needs and the problems to be solved.

“I really love learning about the customer - what they do, what they need - and figuring out where the pain points are, and then inventing solutions to solve those problems.” Sliech continued, “We start out knowing the customer has a certain issue, and then we architect a solution for it, leading it through the design and getting it out the door.”

There’s that word again - architect.

In addition to building ideas, fostering collaborations, and creating solutions, Sliech also nurtures relationships at WNE through his ongoing commitment to volunteering and generous contributions.

Once a year, Sliech travels back to WNE from his home in San Francisco, Calif. to speak to electrical engineering students about his experiences. He is also a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the Electrical Engineering Department at the University. Giving back to the College of Engineering has always been at the forefront of his mind. Having the ability to come back to the College that gave him the tools necessary to be successful, and help current students prepare for what’s beyond the classroom brings him joy.

One of the ways that he continues to give back is through the Industrial Advisory Board, which brings professionals from the field to campus to offer real-world advice and feedback to help the department make decisions about the skills students are learning that would best prepare them for future careers.

“The idea is to help the professors understand what is going on in the industry and what people in the industry are looking for from graduates coming out of school,” Sliech explained. “The professors ask us about proposed curriculum changes and what skills we wish graduates were bringing with them into the workforce.”

“As a manager, I talk about what I am looking for in my domain. That helps them make decisions and chart where the Electrical Engineering Department is going next.”

The Industry Advisory Board helps keep the professors plugged in to the industry, and ensure they stay abreast of what’s relevant for these types of engineers. Sliech said this kind of collaboration is crucial to making sure students are poised to take on complex assignments and understand cutting-edge technology in the real world.

During his time at WNE, Sliech was part of the engineering honor society, also serving as president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) group at one point.

“Through IEEE especially, is where I got comfortable reaching out to folks in the industry,” he said. “I see a lot of students doing that now. I’ll get emails or they’ll reach out through LinkedIn. I like when the students reach out because I love offering what I hope are insights into the field.”

There are a couple lessons Sliech tries to impart to the students seeking a job in his field. First, it’s how quickly the industry moves, and how often the technology changes.

“Things move really fast,” he said. “Concepts like machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) were in their nascent phases when I started. I had no background in that stuff. So how do you keep students up on the newest trends?”

Sliech credits the professors and electrical engineering program at WNE for helping keep students ahead of the learning curve when it comes to technology.

“All the classes I took were relevant; I used all of them when I graduated. The professors are out there talking to industry folks and getting feedback.” He explained that when he got out of school, he tried to follow their example by hitting the ground running using the skills he had learned. Because of classes like field programmable gate array (FPGA) design (a course dedicated to a type of configurable integrated circuit that can be repeatedly programmed after manufacturing) and computer architecture courses, he had skills that he would be using immediately.

But those technical skills only take a person so far - Sliech noted that, when he hires, there are other qualities that are equally important, such as “soft skills”, like communication.

“It’s valuable to find people who can explain highly technical concepts in a very simple way,” he began. “You have to be able to speak everyone’s language. When you are trying to sell a feature or report some problem, you must be able to bring it to leadership and explain extremely technical, complex concepts very succinctly, representing several different disciplines quickly, so they can make the right decision.”

Sliech stresses the importance of effective communication with his team, but also prioritizes collaboration and teamwork.

The need for collaboration and understanding that crosses the boundary of expertise underscores another skill set Sliech believes will help WNE students who are seeking a career in electrical engineering.

“Even when I graduated, there were so many ways you could go as an electrical engineer,” he began. “And they were all different. Today, what I would encourage students to do - is what I did - start learning cross-discipline skills, particularly in software. Pure hardware engineers are great, but the ones who can also do a reasonable amount of software… it ends up being a superpower. I’ve really used that to my advantage.”

Sliech admits that upon entering the workforce, he did not branch out much into software. However, prior to joining Apple he started dabbling in writing apps to help with hardware projects, thus leading him to where he is today. “We need those real technical experts, but if you also learn how to write apps, or write advanced scripts, you can really supercharge your work,” he stated.

In diversifying his areas of expertise, he opened a lot of pathways for himself, and advocates for others to do the same if they can. “Specialties are very good, but try some other things on the side to expand your reach.”

Sliech then brings that word - architecture - back into the conversation. “Expertise is really important,” he continued. “I’m not saying people should become generalists, but if all you have (is one skill), you’re probably going to be a terrible architect. You need experience and perspective.” This architect has seen it all before, having what he calls “the ideal mix”. His skill combined with deep expertise has allowed him to expand his efforts broadly across other areas.