Leah Tilstra is a mechanical engineer, senior research and development leader, and mother whose career reflects the power of taking an intentional pause — and returning with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Early in her career, Leah built deep technical expertise across project management, product development, and quality roles at leading medical device companies including Abbott, Zimmer Spine, and Boston Scientific, where her work contributed to FDA submissions, global product launches, and patented technology.
At a pivotal point, she made the deliberate decision to step away from corporate America to focus on raising her FOUR children and supporting her family’s move across the country from Texas to Minnesota.
During that intentional pause, Leah didn’t “step out” of leadership — she simply applied it differently. She served as president and program director of a nonprofit preschool, ran small businesses, coached middle school athletes, and strengthened the organizational, communication, and emotional‑intelligence skills that are often invisible on a resume, yet critical in leadership roles.
When Leah chose to return to corporate America, she re‑entered with a renewed sense of direction and confidence in the value of her non‑linear career. Today, she is a Senior Research and Development Engineer at Abbott, leading complex, high‑impact initiatives across global medical device operations in the TAVI space testing artificial heart valves. She is passionate about reframing career pauses as intentional seasons of growth and helping women recognize that stepping away does not diminish professional worth — it reshapes and reprioritizes it.