Growing up in Byron, Michigan, watching her father as an electrician, Emily Daley knew someday she would study electronics. “In elementary school, I began to dream of building my own robot. I could see the mechanical side of things, but electronics held some sort of magic behind them that I wanted to understand.”
During a high-school tour of Michigan Tech, Daley fell for the rugged charm of the Upper Peninsula and went all-in on electrical engineering. Now, just months away from graduation, she’s reflecting on the defining chapter of her college career: serving as a Student Member Liaison for the Global Electronics Association Board of Directors.
The role took her from virtual sessions to boardrooms in Lake Tahoe and Taipei. “Although it felt a little intimidating at first, it was really cool to experience the format of a formal meeting and become involved in large decisions,” she says.
Beyond the high-level strategy, the experience offered a front-row seat to the industry’s future. By engaging with global experts, Daley gained more than just professional insight; she found a network of mentors and friends. “I found myself surrounded with great people,” she notes, “who continue to challenge me and foster my growth.”
Travel-wise, Daley had never flown on an airplane before attending APEX last year. “My very first flight was across the country from Houghton, Michigan to Anaheim, California last March. That’s when one especially cool thing happened. I was blessed with an opportunity to see my sister, Kaila. Not only was she in the same state and town at the same time as I was, but she was speaking at a conference that was sharing the convention center with IPC APEX.”
Today, almost one year later, Daley has flown on over a dozen airplanes. Her first trip out of the country for a board meeting was to Taipei, Taiwan. “It was amazing—going from traveling across the country to traveling across the world,” she says. “I greatly enjoyed seeing the cultural differences between the United States and Taiwan.”
Daley’s timing as a Student Member Liaison could not have been better. IPC officially became the Global Electronics Association in June 2025, and its educational arm was renamed the Electronics Foundation. “It was really cool to be a part of such a huge change, kept secret until the official unveiling of the rebranding took place last June. I enjoyed seeing everyone get so excited about the coming change. It was great to watch everything unfold”
Daley’s term will end in mid-March. That’s when she’ll pass the torch to the next Student Member Liaison, Audrey Smith from the University of Georgia, during the upcoming 2026 IPC APEX Expo.
Throughout her time at Michigan Tech, Daley has taken on leadership roles. She works as a teaching assistant in the PCB Fabrication Lab and a coach in the Plexus Innovation Lab. She also serves as president of the university’s IPC & Electronics Student Chapter, which focuses on helping MTU students make industry connections, take plant tours, learn about electronics manufacturing, and attend conferences in the printed circuit board and electronics industries.
Last fall, Emily led a group of eight students in the chapter to the SMTA International conference in Rosemont, Illinois. The trip included two industry tours.
“On the drive down, we stopped at Miller Electric to tour and explore their development and engineering labs. On the way back, we toured the West Chicago fabrication facility of American Standard Circuits, which specializes in complex PCB technology like Ultra HDI and RF circuits. Seeing how these companies approach production was an eye-opening experience for the whole group. And most of the students had never before attended a major conference,” she said. “Every single student in attendance seems to have increased their knowledge in electronic design and manufacturing as a result of the trip.”
This past summer Daley worked at LMI Corporation, a small company in Fenton, Michigan. Her projects primarily focused on PCB design–from schematic capture to layout.
“I’ve had a profound interest in printed circuit boards and small consumer electronics as far back as I can remember,” says Daley. “Working in the PCB Fabrication Lab, with the assembly tools in the Plexus lab, and on PCB designs here at Michigan Tech, I feel that’s exactly the route I’d like to pursue in the future.”
I am very proud of Emily,” says ECE Professor Chris Middlebrook. “She embodies everything it means to be a Michigan Tech Engineer: technical knowledge, leadership, and perseverance. Emily has a tremendous future ahead of her and continues to inspire future generations.” Middlebrook is the advisor of Michigan Tech’s IPC-Electronics student chapter and manager of the Plexus Innovation Laboratory.
Read more on Emily’s experience in SMT007 Magazine, from Classroom to Boardroom: A World of Perspective.