2024 Best Practices in Operational Excellence Presenters

Nate Craig is an associate professor in the Department of Operations and Business Analytics. He researches the application of data science and artificial intelligence to managerial decision-making, focusing on the financial services and retail industries. Leading outlets have published his research, including Harvard Business Review, the Journal of Operations Management, and Manufacturing and Service Operations Management. At the Fisher College of Business, Nate is academic director of the Executive MBA program and coordinator of the Ph.D. program in Operations and Business Analytics.

Nate earned a doctorate in Technology and Operations Management from Harvard Business School and master's and bachelor's degrees in Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University. He is the recipient of research awards, including the Wyss Award and the Ralph Gomory Industry Studies Award. Nate serves on the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) Community Board and the Ohio Union Council.

Emmanuel Aouad is the Strategy, Transformation, and Operational Excellence Leader for Stripe. He is a Six Sigma Black Belt with nearly 13 years of experience in Operational Excellence, Lean and Six Sigma, and Strategy Planning and Execution. Throughout his career, he’s worked for several companies, including Fidelity, Capital One, Lennox International, and Fisher Investments. Emmanuel is a proud alumnus of Wabash College, where he studied Economics and Music. In his free time, he enjoys training for American Ninja Warrior, rapping at nerd conventions, traveling with his wife, and playing Rocket League.

Gustavo Lage is the Senior Director of Operational Excellence, Process and Leadership Excellence for Medtronic Inc. Gus has over 20 years of experience in OpEx and manufacturing management. He is a proven leader with exceptional business acumen and leadership skills demonstrated in large manufacturing settings in the automotive, medical, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and defense industries. Before joining Medtronic in 2019, Gus served as Vice President of Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement for Novanta. Gus has master's degrees in Science and Analytics from Villanova University and Business Administration from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor's degree in Industrial Systems Engineering from Monterrey Institute of Technology. He is also a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Gus and his family reside in Littleton, Massachusetts.

Toby Locke is the Senior Global Director of Operational Excellence at Greif. He provides strategic OpEx leadership to a Global team supporting 236 Sites Globally located in 37 different countries. Locke is a proven operational executive with strong operational perceptiveness and a demonstrated ability to educate, initiate, lead, and implement policies and solutions. He is recognized for delivering results through a participative management style and a commitment to continuing education and innovation. Toby has a Master of Business and Operational Excellence from The Ohio State University, a Management and Human Relations degree from Trevecca Nazarene College, and is a Six Sigma Black Belt.

StephanieChen leads continuous improvement for The Wendy's Company in Dublin, Ohio. In this role, she focuses on building people and team capabilities, leads process improvement and cost savings initiatives, and provides project and change management thought leadership. Stephanie joined the Wendy's Company in September of 2015, where she led Organizational Development in Human Resources. In that role, Stephanie helped activate the company's Diversity & Inclusion strategy by forming, leading, and advising Wendy's employee resource groups. She also led performance planning and employee development programs for the enterprise. Prior to joining Wendy's, Stephanie led plant manufacturing and continuous improvement for General Mills and Kraft Foods. She holds a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and a minor in Supply Chain Management from the University of California at Davis.

Sid Bhatnagar joined the American Society for Quality, Inc. (ASQ) in 2020 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer, after holding multiple executive roles with ASQ during the last four years. He is a dynamic and accomplished executive, with a series of transformative leadership roles across various industries.

Bhatnagar’s career is characterized by his creative and entrepreneurial approach to complex, fast-changing environments. He has an extensive track record of leading enterprise-wide initiatives that bring people, process and technology together to navigate complex challenges and drive significant growth across diverse sectors. Bhatnagar’s strategic prowess has allowed him to build and coach cross-functional teams, and establish collaborative relationships with top-level stakeholders, including Board of Directors, strategic partners, and peers.

William (Bill) Walton is the President and CEO of Ardagh Glass Packaging-North America, the second largest glass container manufacturer in North America. With more than 40 years of experience in the packaging industry, Bill has held roles such as Global Chief Operations Officer of Ardagh Metal Packaging, Chief Operations Officer of Ardagh Metal Packaging-North America, and Chief Operations Officer of Ardagh Metal Packaging-Europe. Bill has also held roles as Vice President of Manufacturing Ball Europe and various Plant Manager roles within the Anheuser-Busch organization.

With two decades of experience, this Industrial Engineer specializes in driving process improvement that aligns with strategic goals, holding titles like Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Certified Supply Chain Professional. Their expertise in teaching Lean Six Sigma and problem-solving techniques has fostered significant advancements in Health Care, Supply Chain Distribution, and Telecom Service Industries. They adeptly employ tools such as Tableau, SynapseIQ, and Visio to anchor their data-driven problem-solving approach.

Dedicated to organizational excellence, they focus on streamlining processes and optimizing resources through continuous improvement initiatives. Their commitment to team success is evident in their hands-on approach to guiding and supporting cross-functional teams, aiming to enhance their efficiency and achieve their strategic objectives.

For the past nine years, Rob has worked as an Operational Excellence Master at General Motors. Since joining GM in 2015, he has been instrumental in deploying Operational Excellence (OpEx) initiatives and continues to drive its evolution. Prior to his tenure at GM, Rob served as a Six Sigma Master Black Belt at Motorola, contributing to both the Global Service Business and the Global Training Organization. Rob is a U.S. Navy Submarine veteran and holds degrees from Purdue University and North Central College.

John Shook learned about lean management while working for Toyota for 11 years in Japan and the U.S., helping it transfer production, engineering, and management systems from Japan to NUMMI and other operations around the world. While at Toyota’s headquarters, he became the company’s first American kacho (manager) in Japan. In the U.S., Shook joined Toyota’s North American engineering, research and development center in Ann Arbor, Michigan as general manager of administration and planning. His last position with Toyota was as senior American manager with the Toyota Supplier Support Center in Lexington, Kentucky, assisting North American companies adopt the Toyota Production System. Shook co-authored Learning to See, the book that introduced the world to value-stream mapping. He also co-authored Kaizen Express, a bi-lingual manual of the essential concepts and tools of the Toyota Production System. With Managing to Learn, Shook revealed the deeper workings of the A3 management process that is at the heart of Toyota’s management and leadership.

Shook is an industrial anthropologist with a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, and is a graduate of the Japan-America Institute of Management Science. At the University of Michigan, he was director of the Japan Technological Management Program and faculty member of the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering.

Shook is the author of numerous articles, including “How to Change a Culture: Lessons from NUMMI”; Sloan Management Review, January 2010, which won Sloan’s Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize for outstanding article in the field of organizational development.

Joshua Howell is president and executive team leader at the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI). For over a decade, he has supported individuals and organizations with lean transformations for improved business performance. As a coach, he helps people become lean thinkers and practitioners through experiential learning, believing such an approach can lead to enterprise-wide improvement. Regular e-letters are how he shares what he’s learning with lean practitioners worldwide.

Prior to joining LEI, Howell was an architect and implementer of a lean operating and management system for retail stores at Starbucks Coffee Company, where he also created a team of lean coaches who helped facilitate and sustain the improvements globally. The system enabled improved quality for products and experiences, increased product availability, and reduced waste (eg. brewed coffee). It was implemented by creating problem-solving experiences for managers at all levels, developing that valuable capability across the company.

Howell holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.

For the past eight years, Dave has served as an Operational Excellence Master at General Motors. Since joining GM in 2016, he has been part of the core team deploying Operational Excellence (OpEx) initiatives and continues to drive its evolution. Prior to his tenure at GM, Dave was part of the Motorola team that invented the Six Sigma Methodology and was one of its first Master Black Belts in the early 1990’s. Dave has had many consulting roles in bringing Six Sigma to dozens of Fortune 500 companies including Nokia, Navistar, AlliedSignal, GE, RR Donnelly, Bechtel and the US Army. Dave’s education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering both from Arizona State University.

Dr. Mary Reich Cooper is an Associate Professor of Population Health and Program Director for Healthcare Quality and Safety and Operational Excellence at Thomas Jefferson University, where she has designed key programs and mentored over 200 capstone projects. With a distinguished career leading healthcare quality and patient safety initiatives at academic medical centers, she served as Chief Quality Officer and Senior Vice President at both the Connecticut Hospital Association and Lifespan Corporation in Rhode Island. Dr. Cooper, who practiced internal medicine before transitioning to administration, holds a medical degree from Temple University and a health law degree from Pace University. Her work spans health policy, quality methodologies, and operational efficiencies, with contributions including grants, publications, and leadership in Lean Six Sigma programs.

Chika Odioemene, MS-HQS, MSN, NP-BC, RN, CPSS, LSSMBB, is a distinguished healthcare professional and educator with over 21 years of experience in clinical practice, healthcare quality improvement, and community outreach. She holds advanced degrees in nursing and healthcare quality and patient safety from prestigious institutions and is certified in Lean Six Sigma and healthcare quality. As the CEO and Founder of Utopian Healthcare, Chika has significantly impacted healthcare in Nigeria through caregiver training programs, community outreach, and educational initiatives. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Thomas Jefferson University, where she leads Lean Six Sigma training and advocates for healthcare worker safety and quality improvement globally. Her career is marked by a commitment to enhancing patient care standards and inspiring healthcare professionals worldwide, though her greatest goal is aimed at being the world’s best mom.