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Happy Holden’s vast knowledge, passion for the industry, and commitment to sharing knowledge with the next generation are unmatched and inspiring. Happy’s dedication to teaching and making information available to the engineering community can be found in many places, including universities, trade events, books, and webinars. When he’s not busy preparing for his next keynote or lesson, you will likely find Happy working on a book project or writing his next Tech Talk column for I-Connect007.
What makes Happy stand out as a teacher is his approach to engineering. When he talks to young engineers, the first thing he tells them is to delve into statistics. Happy is an engineer driven by data, believes in TQM, and has many examples of success to share with his students.
Happy is truly an icon. When he steps on stage to teach a room full of young engineers, he is greeted with thunderous applause and cheering. After the session, you will find him signing autographs and answering questions. Who knew chemical engineers were so cool?
Knowing and working with Happy for so many years has been amazing. He has shared insight on so many topics and continues to help us understand the value of past lessons and the ongoing need to learn and train for the future.
Why is it important for you to teach the next generation?
Happy Holden: I actually started out teaching my own generation. When I was promoted to engineering manager at Hewlett-Packard, they started sending me to courses like “Managing Management Time” by Bill Onken. Both Hewlett and Packard had a lot of faith in young engineers. They realized they had to train new technical managers out of the old saying, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” HP made me very successful as a young engineer, and they gave me projects and assignments that normally would have gone to more experienced or senior engineers. But I was successful because my boss—the PCB engineering manager—didn’t try to do my job or tell me how to do it. He focused on making me successful and keeping me out of trouble, to successfully avoid potholes/roadblocks.
Continue reading this article in the Fall 2025 issue of Community Magazine.
