2025 Best Practices for Operational Excellence Presenters

Stephanie Chen 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.

Kim Scibelli is the Senior Director Supply Chain Excellence at AVS Bio. As an accomplished champion of Lean principles, with a demonstrated history of success in logistics, operations, and continuous improvement across the supply chain workflow, Kim has coached multiple teams through Lean Transformations. She helps create cultures centered around high-level problem-solving and develops strategies for cultivating cultures of continuous improvement. She summarizes her experience in three key areas; an engaging and effective team leader, a process improvement pioneer, and an organizational management expert.

Hebe Alexander is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in distribution and currently the Director of Business Process at McLane. As a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, she specializes in developing continuous improvement talent, streamlining operations, and driving continuous improvement. In addition to her professional role, Hebe is a Development and Diversity Coach, helping others unlock their potential and foster inclusive environments. She serves as the chair of McLane’s Women’s Business Resource Group, Ignite.

Outside of work, Hebe enjoys traveling and exploring local cuisines, as well as raising and showing dogs. She’s also an avid reader, with a broad interest in nearly every genre. Hebe brings a wealth of knowledge and a well-rounded perspective to both her professional and personal life.

Jessica Williams is the Sr. Director of Business Process at McKesson, where she leads a team of consultants dedicated to solving complex business challenges and driving operational efficiency. With over 15 years of diverse experience across project management, business strategy, supply chain operations, and continuous improvement, Jessica has a proven track record in building high-performing teams, delivering innovative solutions and keeping her teams at the cutting edge of new trends. She thrives on building strategies, programs and teams from the ground up and specializes in tackling the messy and challenging problems that no one else wants to solve.

Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts and an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Outside of her work, she is passionate about mentoring through the Professional Women in Healthcare organization, is an avid reader (with a goal of 100 books this year!) and loves exploring creative outlets like DIY home renovations, bullet journaling and rebinding books as well as traveling with her husband and their spoiled puppy, Baxter.

Jeremy Dunham is a Director of Learning & Development at McKesson. He is equal parts educator, data nerd, and creative thinker. After careers as a middle school teacher and retail logistician, he finally found his tribe when he joined the Six Sigma team at McKesson.

Now with 10 years of experience in various Six Sigma roles, Jeremy has his dream job – leading a team of learning and development professionals to enhance the skills and extend the service offerings of McKesson’s Six Sigma team. Jeremy champions creativity in the workplace, encouraging his team to share all ideas, no matter how unconventional. This fosters a culture of innovation, keeping the team agile and aligned with evolving business trends.

Jeremy is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of training and development in driving business success. He has a degree in Theology and Comparative Religions, never misses a Newcastle United soccer match, and loves all the world’s finest cheeses.

As the Technology Infrastructure and Computing Leader for Nationwide, every day is about enabling our extraordinary businesses to conduct their operations through resilient, secure, and frictionless infrastructure and technology solutions. Our capable and driven teams have direct responsibility for both cloud and on premise core infrastructure. We believe in using agile delivery, lean management, and positive energy to make us successful. In 2015, I coauthored the book The Lean IT Field Guide (CRC Press). I still regularly consult with companies in a variety of industries across the globe on their lean transformations. I believe we learn best by sharing our experiences and you'll often find me speaking at conferences, hosting guests at Nationwide, or visiting other companies. My passion is using lean thinking to help technology teams create solutions that users love.

Ryan Magnuson has been with Medtronic for over eight years and is currently the Senior Operational Excellence Program Manager. Ryan is a certified Master Black Belt by MoreSteam and The Ohio State University and is part of the Enterprise Process and Leadership Excellence team. He has a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Ryan is skilled in project management, statistics, business intelligence tools and analytics, DMAIC A3 methodology, Lean Six Sigma, and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA).

Meredith Brody is a Manager of Commercial Business Solutions at Constellation, a Fortune 200 company. With over 22 years of experience in the competitive retail energy industry, where she has dedicated 18+ years to achieving operational excellence through process improvement. Her formal education in Finance, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, provided her with a unique business perspective when she began her process improvement career as an Embedded Lean Practitioner.

Meredith completed an internal and company-sponsored Six Sigma Black Belt certification program 16 years ago, transitioning into a full-time process improvement role. She holds a Bachelor of Finance degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and an MBA in Finance from DePaul University.

Ebony currently serves as a Project Manager at Constellation Energy, where she drives operational excellence and leads projects of varying scales. As a key contributor to Lean Six Sigma cultural and skill development initiatives, she co-administers the Constellation Embedded Lean Practitioner program, coaching and mentoring personnel to enhance their capabilities. With over 20 years of experience in the competitive retail energy industry, Ebony ensures that projects adhere to Constellation's governance framework and industry best practices. She actively participates in the Lean Six Sigma community of practice, staying updated on industry trends and sharing her expertise.

Ebony holds a BS in Finance from Texas A&M University and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from MoreSteam. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys cooking, hosting family and friends, traveling, and crafting. These activities allow her to unwind and tap into her creative side, enriching both her personal and professional life.