Sustainable Service

LeAnn Ridgeway knew the Mount Mercy community was special from the beginning of her academic career. LeAnn had dreams of becoming like her parents. Both of her parents worked at Rockwell Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids.

From an early age, LeAnn saw the opportunities that Rockwell Collins provided her parents, specifically getting to travel all over the world. LeAnn started pursuing her dreams with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Economics at Mount Mercy.

“I think I'd only flown once when I first came to Mount Mercy,” LeAnn shared.

LeAnn was a nontraditional student, but that did not inhibit her connection to the Hill. The way the business program faculty conducted learning stood out to LeAnn during her time at Mount Mercy.

“The professors realize the value of that human component and collaborating. We were always working on projects together and it is a big component of success that people miss out on,” stated LeAnn.

LeAnn spent her entire career at Collins, starting in 1988. She attributes her success at Collins over the years to the values and lessons she learned from her education at Mount Mercy. LeAnn became the first ever female VP GM at Collins to run a business unit.

“Most of the people who are GM’s have an engineering degree. I was able to bridge the technical gap by using the skills I learned at Mount Mercy.”

LeAnn is now the Chief Sustainability Officer for Collins. In this role, she makes forecasts and predictions for what regulations will require in aerospace. A key component of her job is finding the best practices and strategies to make Collins a leader in aerospace engineering.

This position did not exist before LeAnn and therefore has provided some challenges. Drawing on the influencing and collaborative skills gained through Mount Mercy, LeAnn has used those challenges to her advantage.

LeAnn compares her role as Chief Sustainability Officer to the critical concerns of environment that the Sisters of Mercy taught her. LeAnn is especially proud of the work she is currently doing within sustainability.

LeAnn is incredibly proud of the work she has done at not only Collins, but also in her personal life with non-profits. She has worked with American Red Cross as well as Jones County on both the empowerment board and the school board.

LeAnn is a proud recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award is awarded to any graduate who has improved the quality of life in the community by influencing social structures or establishing and promoting services to others or for outstanding service rendered to Mount Mercy over a period of years.

LeAnn continues to give back to the Mount Mercy community by talking to business classes to discuss how you can be successful in business as well as the importance of sustainability. LeAnn is a lifelong learner and believes it is critical to give back.

 LeAnn shared, “If you're a good successful human, then you can be good and successful at whatever career you're learning.”

LeAnn feels that it is important to find what you are passionate about and build your career from there. LeAnn shared some words of wisdom for current students at Mount Mercy.

“Don’t look for the job. Don’t look for the title. Don’t look for the pay. Look for what fulfills you,” said LeAnn.