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CIO Vince Kellen
Vince Kellen is the Chief Information Officer for the University of California, San Diego, as well as a member of the Chancellor's Cabinet, and vice chancellor and chief financial officer's senior management team. UC San Diego is recognized as a top 15 university world-wide and 7th best public university in the world, with over $1.1 billion in annual research funding, 36,000 students, 16 Nobel laureates who have taught on its campus and 161 faculty with national Academy memberships.
Vince's recent work has been in the areas of student success and learning analytics and application of advanced technology in higher education. Vince is a recipient of the CIO Magazine “Top 100” award in 2007 and 2014, was one of InformationWeek’s “Chiefs of the Year” in 2013, received the Computerworld “Honors Laureate” award in 2013, and was one of four recipients selected globally for Dell’s 2012 “Transformational CIO” award. Vince has authored more than 220 articles, four books and more than 150 presentation on IT topics and is a Fellow with Cutter Consortium, a leading IT industry think tank, where writes on digital transformation and data and analytics topics.
Vince is a Board of Director member for IMS Global and has served on advisory boards for Apple, Microsoft, Dell, SAP, AT&T and Blackboard. He was previously CIO and Senior Vice Provost at University of Kentucky and CIO at DePaul University. Before his tenure in higher education, Dr. Kellen was an IT strategy consultant working with Fortune 500 firms on marketing and CRM digital transformations. Vince has taught graduate and undergraduate courses on IT strategy, information strategy, and enterprise systems at DePaul University and University of Kentucky. He earned his Ph.D. in computer science, an M.S. degree in information systems, and a B.A. degree in communications all from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.
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Denise Lee
Denise Lee is Vice President of Cisco's Engineering Sustainability Office where she leads a team that is defining Cisco's roadmap with more sustainable solutions in mind - from enhanced capabilities to new technologies. She and her team collaborate across every function of the business to develop and create integrated ecosystems that serve as the foundation to incubate and scale more sustainable solutions that accelerate the journey to net zero for Cisco, its customers and partners.
Denise believes we all have a role to play in a more sustainable future and encourages everyone to take a look at their own work and how they can be part of the solutions. A healthy dose of hard work and curiosity is fundamental to powering innovation for a sustainable future for all.
Denise holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
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Jimmy Thai
Jimmy Thai's journey to success is a testament to the resilience and determination of the human spirit. As a "Boat People" refugee who escaped Vietnam 15 times and was imprisoned twice, Jimmy arrived in America with no English, money, or education. But through hard work and perseverance, he rose from a janitor at Miramar College to a Vice President for Technology with SAIC in 2011, a Fortune 500 company with $11 billion in revenue and 47K employees.
Jimmy holds a BSEE degree from UCSD, as well as MSEE and MBA degrees, and has received executive leadership training at Harvard University and the Federal Executive Institute. Today, he devotes his time to Build a School Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity he founded and has built 123 schools for poor children around the world. -
Terri Winbush
Terri Winbush serves as the Campus Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at UC San Diego.
Prior to assuming her CHRO role, Winbush led the employee and labor relations units at UC San Diego as Senior Director of HR Strategy and Policy for eight years.
Winbush is a staunch advocate for people, and is credited for introducing the People Proposition, the foundation of her overall people strategy, and the guide for every decision made for the people of UC San Diego. She is the visionary behind employee development programs at UC San Diego, including the People Leader Network, and the HR Forum.
With her personal mission to incorporate the human back into human resources at the forefront, Winbush enables campuswide conversations to fight racism and develop a more inclusive environment. She is also a strong voice for showing grace and making space for employees to bring their whole selves to work at UC San Diego.
Before joining UC San Diego, Winbush was Deputy City Attorney with the City of San Diego for eight years. She has a B.A. in Government/Sociology from University of Texas, and a J.D. from University of San Diego Law School.
She enjoys spending time with her family and helping people find their joy.
Speakers
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Anna Ahearn
Anna Ahearn is delivering and enabling human centered services at UCLA as Lead UX Designer. She navigates the balance between organizational goals, customer needs, and various constraints by facilitating collaboration across diverse teams to construct and lead research and design activities. Her work results in digital enhancements, features or new applications which help students, faculty, and staff achieve their goals more efficiently.
Anna is passionate about making our digital world practical and easy-to-use. She has led design teams in creating human-centered experiences for large organizations across multiple industries, including Wells Fargo, Corporate Travel Management, Community Health Network, Purdue University and more. Anna has an undergraduate degree in Computer Graphics Technology from Purdue University.
Anna also volunteers for BruinTech and UCUX where she promotes innovation, communication, customer focus in decision making, and cross-campus collaboration. Her commitment to improving digital experiences reflects not just in her work but also in her contributions to the broader tech community. -
Mojgan Amini
Mojgan Amini, M.S. Computer Science, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, serves as the Director of Process Management & Continuous Improvement at UC San Diego's Information Technology Services department. She and her group provide frameworks, guidelines, communication channels and standards to simplify IT Service Management, Project and Portfolio Management, Governance, Organizational Change Management, Culture and Outreach across UC San Diego and in coordination with the UC system. Mojgan has served as the chair of the Business Excellence Community of Practice at UC San Diego, as well as the chair of the University of California IT Architecture Group. She currently serves as chair of the UC Tech Community Engagement Committee, the UC San Diego AI in Administration Workgroup, and Process Palooza. -
Lily Angelocci
Lily is a Transformational Healthcare Lean learner, coach, trainer and consultant, who’s passionate about developing our people. She has 20 years of extensive Healthcare experience. She oversees UCSDH Lean Six Sigma Training Program. Her leadership and collaboration with the instructors and administrative staff has led this program grown into a strong program that graduates 600+ lean trained professionals each year. Many highlights such as training 300+ perioperative colleagues in the past 3 years to support the value stream improvement work. She embraces the philosophy of we build people before we improve processes. Lily also leads RPIWs (Rapid Process Improvement Workshops) that dive deeper to solve UCSDH organizational prioritized process deficiencies. A few highlight projects include Perioperative Efficiency Project (PEP) VSM reduced 30,000 minutes of OR wait time; Cardiovascular procedural workflow improvement (EP, Cath lab, Cardiac Monitor workflow, CVI scheduling and authorization efficiency to improvement patient access).
Before joining UCSDH in 2013, Lily worked for Trinity health which is one of the largest not-for-profit, Catholic healthcare systems in the nation. Lily’s has the first-hand experience of system wide strategic planning, informatics, Finance. Lean Six Sigma process improvement work that led Sepsis patient care workflow standardization which saved 406 lives and achieved $12million cost savings in 2011.
Growing up as athlete and won 3rd place in women’s high jumping in China’s national competition, she’s active in outdoor activities. In spare time, Lily loves yoga, swimming, fashion, dogs, and travel around the globe.
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Kristin Ashton
Kristin Ashton is a user advocate with a proven ability to define, build, and deliver products in healthcare, entertainment and education industries. She excels at both high-level systems thinking and detail-oriented problem-solving. Her key strengths are facilitating collaborative work sessions, early formative research for data-based designs, and fostering positive client and team environments. With a background in design and communications, she has strong visual storytelling skills and experience working with multidisciplinary teams. She is committed to being a positive team player who cares deeply about outcomes with people, processes, and projects.
Kristin dedicates her volunteer efforts to promoting UX wherever she lands-currently as a BruinTech board member and helping build the UCUX community. She encourages strong peer mentor relationships that help grow everyone’s skillset. -
Kate Balderston
As a Senior Strategic Initiatives Manager Kate provides collaborative leadership consultation, strategic planning, program design and facilitation, and project management for complex issues in order to achieve strategically aligned solutions for the University of California San Diego. By leading outreach efforts that analyze business processes across the university’s landscape down to the smallest details, Kate specializes in discovering the root causes of inefficiencies that cost time, money, and frustration. From there we can drive positive change by working to reduce those obstacles to establish streamlined and effective best practices.
One of the initiatives Kate is most excited about is the creation of a role-based training center that will make it easier for anyone in our Academic Affairs community to access the resources they need to improve the student, faculty, and staff experience. Overall, Kate believes that the key to achieving success is to establish engaging relationships that support open communication, foster collaboration, and challenge its members to make a difference. -
Ray Blair
Ray Blair is a Distinguished Architect and has been with Cisco Systems since 1999. He uses his years of experience to align people, process, and technology with business needs, insuring customer success. Ray started his career in 1988 designing industrial monitoring and communication systems. Since that time, he has been involved with server/database administration and the design, implementation, and management of networks that have included networking technologies from ATM to ZMODEM. He maintains three CCIE certifications in Routing and Switching, Security, and Service Provider (#7050), is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and a Certified Business Architect (#00298). Ray is coauthor of four Cisco Press books, Cisco Secure Firewall Services Module, Tcl Scripting for Cisco IOS, IP Multicast Volume I, and IP Multicast Volume II. He holds several patents, speaks at many industry events, and is a Cisco Live Distinguished Speaker. -
Christine Blanchard
As the Managing Director of Healthcare at CTG, Christine Blanchard is responsible for building and maintaining strong and effective partnerships with healthcare clients. She strategically blends innovative services with cutting-edge technologies to address the unique challenges, requirements, and regulations of today’s healthcare market. Blanchard earned a degree in computer science, has more than 35 years of experience in the IT industry, and is an active member of CHIME and HIMSS. -
Ritwik Bose
Ritwik Bose is the Managing Director of Technology at CTG, where he brings over 20 years of extensive experience in technology delivery. Leading a cutting-edge technology consulting practice, Ritwik specializes in Robotics Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), employee engagement, and cloud and application modernization. In his role, Ritwik provides strategic direction to clients on digitization, automation, and optimization solutions, helping them enhance their business processes and digital experiences. As a distinguished member of the Forbes Technology Council, he is recognized for his thought leadership and deep industry knowledge. Ritwik has been a prominent speaker at major industry events, including the Future of Work and Dallas Tech Summit. He has also conducted over 30 webinars, addressing key topics such as web and mobile technologies, AI, RPA, automation, chatbots, cloud computing, business intelligence, employee engagement, and customer experience. -
Ryan Bowen
Ryan Bowen has provided IT support for Cedarville University for over 25 years. While his support started by providing programming efforts in a legacy environment, it has now evolved into agile project leadership, Lean Six Sigma certification, kaizen facilitation, data integrations, and portfolio management. He is passionate about serving and empowering others to learn and improve processes and efficiencies. -
Garett Brownlee Plantz
As a Continuous Improvement Coach for GBP Collaborative, Garett brings experiences as a school social worker, post-secondary counselor, community organizer, grantmaker, and executive leader. Working directly with youth, parents, and community leaders at the grassroots, local, national and international level has helped inform her approach to education equity. She has been proud to contribute to the work and mission at the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Boulder County, Foundations of Whole Foods Market, Austin Independent School District, Givella, Hub Oaxaca, Escuela Los Algarrobos, and National Communications Association, amongst others.
Garett is committed to interrogating systems only to improve and remove gaps in access, belonging, and opportunity. She remains curious about what needs to be learned and unlearned and acts on her belief that everyone is worthy of care, connection, and choice. Garett earned a degree in Journalism from Utah State University and a cross-discipline graduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. There, she garnered her LMSW and certificate in Philanthropy, Nonprofit & Community Leadership.
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Mike Cook
Mike has over 20 years of strategic planning, portfolio and project management, process improvement, and change management expertise. His extensive background encompasses logistics, supply chain management, and operations management. He has led cross-functional teams and delivered complex projects across diverse industries such as the U.S. military, biotechnology, and higher education. His career journey showcases his adeptness in spearheading a wide range of initiatives, underscoring his commitment to driving project success through effective communication, stakeholder engagement, and an emphasis on interpersonal skills to navigate challenges. -
Loralyn Cross
Loralyn received her BA in Human Development from UC San Diego, is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) and is currently enrolled in an MS program in Organizational Leadership from National University. She has worked for various departments at UC San Diego in Health Sciences and on campus for nearly 20 collective years and is actively involved in process improvement efforts across campus, including serving as the 2023 Chair for UC San Diego's Business Excellence - Community of Practice (BECOP). -
Tom Deshan
Tom Deshan is a Project Manager at Ideametrics who is experienced in global strategic and tactical business initiatives, and has led teams to deliver solutions across multiple functions and industries. He has 20+ years of experience executing system integration programs that included both package and custom solutions in global complex organizations. His 10+ years of experience implementing Program Management Office (PMO) functions in large organizations signifies that he understands and practices standard PMO tools and techniques to execute business solutions, and has a good track record of implementing successful projects. -
Robert El-Kareh
Robert El-Kareh is a Clinical Professor of Medicine within the Division of Biomedical Informatics at the University of California, San Diego. He serves as Associate Chief Medical Officer for Transformation and Learning and leads the Clinical Decision Support Oversight Committee at UC San Diego Health. At the School of Medicine, he serves as Executive Director of Continuing Professional Development. Through these roles he is involved in ongoing efforts to enable UC San Diego Health to become a highly-reliable learning health system. Clinically, he is a practicing hospital medicine physician and is board-certified in Clinical Informatics.
Dr. El-Kareh's primary academic activities involve the use of clinical data to improve diagnostic safety in healthcare. Dr. El-Kareh has active research and performance improvement projects related to detection and evaluation of diagnostic delays, systematic feedback of patient outcomes to frontline providers and tools to guide the appropriate use of diagnostic tests. -
Allison Flick
Allison Flick, the IT Service Desk Manager at UC San Diego Library, is a seasoned IT professional with over two decades of experience in higher education. Starting her career as a programmer and database administrator, she now concentrates on systems administration and user support. A mentor to many, she passionately aids women in their technology careers and has served as the chair of the University of California's Women in Technology committee.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Syracuse University and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from UC San Diego Extended Studies. When she's not working, you're most likely to find Allison exploring new music, reading fantasy novels, or trying not to kill her latest houseplant.
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Maya Garcia
Maya Garcia is a Service Desk Technician for the UC San Diego Library. Maya started as a Student Computer Technician at UC Davis and now has over 5 years of experience in the IT field. She recently earned her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from UC San Diego Extended Studies. There, she completed a joint project with Allison Flick on the Library’s onboarding process. Through this project, they saved 54 working hours per new hire. In her free time, Maya enjoys reading, working out, and spending time with her mini labradoodle Peanut. -
Sarah Harper
Sarah Harper is a Financial Analyst at the UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, fueled by an enthusiasm for streamlining processes and boosting efficiency in financial operations.
At this year’s Process Palooza, Sarah will highlight her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt project, which focuses on optimizing the invoicing process for facility rentals specifically at UC San Diego's Park and Market location. By applying Lean Six Sigma methodologies, she slashed the average time to send invoices to external entities by 50%! This project underscores her commitment to operational excellence and customer satisfaction while aligning with the Division's strategic goal of serving as a connector between the campus and community-based entities.
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Sherry Hayes
Sherry Hayes serves as the Child Welfare Development Services County Consultant for San Diego and Imperial County at the Academy for Professional Excellence. She earned her Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Public Administration (MPA) from San Diego State University (SDSU). Sherry’s career began with over two decades of service in the United States Navy, starting as a Preventive Medicine Technician and transitioning into an Environmental Health/Public Health Officer.
In her current role, Sherry leads workforce development efforts, collaborating with counties to conduct needs assessments, plan services, and ensure delivery aligns with state and county initiatives. Sherry also shares her expertise as a Lecturer at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), Rady School of Management, teaching Project Management-Health Services to a diverse set of undergraduate students. She holds certifications as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSS-GB) from UCSD Extended Studies, Certified Change Practitioner from Prosci, and Certified Public Health Professional (CPH) from the National Board of Public Health Examiners.
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Zach Herman
Zach Herman has over 20 years of experience in Project and Program Management with a focus on helping people understand Project Management, and prepare for a career in the field. Zach is currently the Associate Director for the Project Management Office in the Information Services department at UC San Diego Health, and has overseen large-scale programs in Healthcare for over 10 years with a focus on Process Improvement and Implementation Best Practices. Zach holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, a Project Management Professional Certification (PMP), a Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB). -
Ricardo Hernandez
Ricardo Hernandez is a Program Specialist in the Cath Lab at Loma Linda Medical, where he has worked for almost a decade. His role entails ensuring the efficient operation of the lab by managing the coordination of equipment, supplies and contracts in a manner that does not disrupt patient care. He also ensures that all lab technicians are up to date in their licensing requirements and that radiation regulations are consistently adhered to and maintained within the permitted limits. Ricardo holds a degree in Healthcare Administration from Loma Linda University. Last year he achieved Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Outside of his professional life, Ricardo enjoys spending time with his wife Cristina and his dog Mia. -
Bernadette Hill-Comeau
Bernadette Hill-Comeau is a Business Process Analyst with the Office of Business Transformation (OBT). Prior to joining UC Davis, Bernadette spent the last fifteen years leading Continuous Improvement initiatives in the industrial manufacturing & supply chain industries, at companies such as Nestle, FedEx Logistics, and Conagra Foods, as well as in the healthcare and biotech industries. Her achievements include leading TPM and Lean training and development implementations for Nestle USA, acting as a Continuous Improvement leader for various organizations, and consulting with business leaders on Lean and Six Sigma methodologies as the founder of Savvy Business Solutions, LLC.
As part of the OBT team at UC Davis since 2020, Bernadette’s work is focused on business process redesign by facilitating data gathering interviews with stakeholders, analyzing efficiencies and deficits associated with those processes and mapping future state workflows, strategic planning and implementation, training and coaching, and leading UC Davis’s Lean Community of Practice. Bernadette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Development and a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Chapman University. She is also certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt from American Society for Quality (ASQ).
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Paul Hylenski
Paul Hylenski, a distinguished aerospace business leader from Maryland with over two decades of experience, is revolutionizing leadership through technology. His leadership journey began in the United States Marine Corps, where he developed foundational skills that have fueled his career. Renowned for reshaping conventional leadership, Paul combines psychology and social skills to foster environments where individuals excel.
A key innovator in his field, Paul founded Quantum Leap AI Academy an innovative AI platform tailored for leaders and businesses. This platform exemplifies his dedication to reducing the administrative burdens of leadership by harnessing the power of AI. It offers tools and resources that enable leaders to streamline operations and enhance decision-making. Beyond his role as a leader, Paul is a mentor and educator, particularly in the realm of AI in leadership. He extends his expertise through his YouTube channel and Podcast, The Leadership Alchemist, where he teaches the science and psychology behind leadership, making advanced concepts accessible to a broad audience.
Paul is also a prolific thought leader and author, contributing regularly to LinkedIn and penning influential books like "Culture Change through Environment Change," "Coaching for Growth," "Error-Proofing Humans," and "The Evolution of Leadership." These works provide invaluable insights for leaders across various industries. His commitment to leadership excellence and team collaboration continues to impact the aerospace sector significantly. Paul's innovative approach and focus on AI integration in leadership are not only transforming the aerospace industry but also setting a precedent for modern leadership practices. -
Husnaa Jamshed
Husnaa Jamshed leads the configuration, integration, and environment management of multiple enterprise applications within the Student Information Services (SIS) ecosystem, employing advanced technical skills and business analysis methodologies native to each system for optimal performance. -
Madhav Jupalli
Madhav Jupalli is a Partner and lead solution architect and strategist for Oracle ERP cloud at Ideametrics. With 20+ years experience in applications consulting and executing complex business transformation projects, he is highly accomplished and adept at applying innovative ideas that solve complex problems and satisfy complex project needs. -
Paul Krueger
Paul is a technical project manager at UC San Diego IT Services and manages a wide range of projects throughout the organization while also regularly implementing project management process improvements for the Project Portfolio Management Office.
Paul assisted in Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt training for UC San Diego staff as well as earned his Green Belt at UC San Diego Extension with the Media Event Support Process Improvement, which has far exceeded its projected savings.
Paul was on one of the winning teams (Turquoise Top Guns) of the inaugural UC San Diego Process Palooza, was one of the “Emcees” of the 2018 Process Palooza, planned the 2019 Continuous Improvement Summit and, while in the planning stages of the 2020 Process Palooza, helped to transition the event to a series of online events called “Palooza Tuesdays” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paul served five years in the U.S. Navy (including one year in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as an Assistant Operations Officer) where he successfully planned and executed over two hundred air and ground combat and civil affairs missions. Following military service, Paul completed his BA in history at San Diego State University, earned the Project Management Certificate at UC San Diego Extension, and was Veterans Coordinator at Southwestern College before joining UC San Diego.
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Kathleen (Katie) F. Mankins
Katie Mankins joined UC Santa Barbara in 2015 with over 25 years of management and technical experience in various industries. She sees her role as Director for Process Management in the Office of the CIO as an opportunity to solve business problems, craft realistic solutions and deliver successful outcomes to a wide variety of stakeholders across campus. She is well-versed in the practices that enable projects to deliver promised customer value, and she has rich and deep expertise in business process improvement, project, program and portfolio management. She received her Lean Six Sigma Green
Belt Certification in March 2019 and her Black Belt certification in June 2023. Katie is an
instructor for White Belt, Yellow Belt, Practical Problem Solving, and Process Mapping training at UCSB, and she coaches and mentors process improvement practitioners on campus. Her process improvement experiences have reinforced her love of engaging people from a cross section of backgrounds to find common goals, reduce administrative hassle, and improve the way we do work on campus. -
Stewart McMaken
Stewart is a Senior Business Systems Analyst for IT Services at UC San Diego. He has more than 20 years of experience implementing IT software solutions at UT Austin, UC Berkeley, and UC San Diego. -
Dana Miller
Dana P. Miller is a business architect at the University of Texas at Arlington. In 2017, he created a higher education business architecture working group. He has over 25 years of experience in higher education IT. He has presented, authored, and co-authored published articles and conference proceedings on the topics of Quality Management and Information Technology for EDUCAUSE, The W. Edwards Deming Institute, the American Society of Quality (ASQ), and the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI). He has trained with the W. Edwards Deming Institute and received his Enterprise Architect certification from the Enterprise Architecture Center of Excellence (EACOE).
Dana collaborates with higher education institutions worldwide to develop and maintain industry-standard architecture reference models. -
Shawn Munro
A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Shawn is the service owner for workplace technology SaaS solutions as well as UC San Diego’s AI platform. -
Antonio Nava
Antonio "Tony" serves as a Senior Strategic Programs Manager. He has trained over 2000 staff as the Program Manager for the Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification at UCSD. Additionally, he has trained 600 staff in process mapping as the administrator for Promapp. He was awarded the 2021 UC San Diego Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year. Tony regularly facilitates cross-departmental and cross-institutional projects, Prosci Change Management, and LSS methodologies to support change initiatives, and delivers campus-wide efforts to support lean initiatives and business best practices. After the development of an introductory AI Module available for all UCSD staff, his current focus is on blending LSS and AI to ensure teams reach optimal benefits from each tool set.
Tony earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts from UC San Diego and has completed Master's coursework in organizational management from Ashford University. Tony earned his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from UC San Diego Extension. Tony spends his time outside of work as a Den Leader with Boy Scout Pack 7777, cycling, and often donates his ponytail to Locks of Love, a 501(c)(3) that supports a sense of self and normalcy in children suffering from hair loss. -
Eric Olsen
As a Professor in Industrial Technology in the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California for 20+ years, I teach undergraduate and master’s courses in lean thinking, six sigma, and operations management. I had over 20 years of industry experience in engineering and manufacturing management at Caterpillar, Litton, and Hewlett Packard before getting my PhD at The Ohio State University. I started my lean journey in 1990.
I continue my professional development with a focus on creating new knowledge in operational excellence, biasing my research towards working with real companies and organizations. I’ve published, consulted, and trained in lean performance improvement, strategy deployment, and six sigma. I have run numerous improvement events at Cal Poly and in the local community.
I’m the Director for Central Coast Lean. CCL is a self-funded research project under the Orfalea College of Business. Its mission is to better understand how to build a community of lean practice. CCL promotes, runs, and studies improvement events, forums, workshops, and conferences. I’m also the creator and instructor for Cal Poly’s Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belt Certification Program.
My other roles include being on the Lean HE Americas Steering Team, POMS-College of Operational Excellence Executive Committee, Lean for the New World – Academic Group, and the creator of Hobnob-SLO, a local community building community.
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Tracy O’Rourke
Tracy O’Rourke, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, is the Co-Founder of the Just-in-Time Cafe and a co-author of the book, "The Problem-Solver's Toolkit: A Surprisingly Simple Guide to Your Lean Six Sigma Journey". By sharing over 20 years of expertise, she makes it easier for people to learn and apply Lean Six Sigma to achieve their goals.
Tracy got her start as a Six Sigma Black Belt at GE Appliances in the late 1990s with Jack Welch at the helm and subsequently became a Lean Six Sigma consultant. She is an accomplished facilitator, trainer, coach and presenter. She has trained over 2,000 people, mentored 500+ people and has helped complete 400+ projects with results that range between $50,000 and $8 million in savings. -
Mike Osterling
Mike is a coach, facilitator, speaker, and consultant with more than 25 years’ experience leading Lean transformations and business performance improvement - from within, and as an external consultant. As a consultant, he has coached, trained, and facilitated leadership and improvement teams in a broad range of industries including healthcare, financial services, technology, manufacturing, distribution, and energy. The last few years have been years of dramatic change for Mike as he has helped multiple organizations transition their training, coaching, problem-solving and improvement activities - from the front lines to senior leadership – to virtual and hybrid formats. Mike speaks on a regular basis and is the author of several books including Value Stream Mapping and The Kaizen Event Planner. www.mosterling.com -
Prachi Raheja
Prachi Raheja, engineer, MBA and Lean Six Sigma black belt practitioner has over 15 years’ experience in lean practice. During this time, she has enjoyed establishing a culture of lean, helping organizations understand their processes, established guidelines and frameworks to analyze processes using data and finding opportunities for improvement using Lean Six Sigma methodology. At UCSD, she leads the Continuous Service Improvement and Business Analysis teams at IT Services department. -
Izabella Sekowska
Izabella Sekowska is a Business and HR Consultant based in San Diego, California. With a rich skill set including certifications in Project Management (PMP), Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM), and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Izabella specializes in providing expert guidance in project management, employee well-being, and operational excellence. Izabella leverages her extensive experience to offer tailored solutions to organizations seeking to optimize their processes and achieve strategic objectives. Her expertise spans various industries, from academia to corporate settings, where she has consistently delivered impactful results. In addition to project management, Izabella provides valuable insights and support in areas such as employee development, organizational change, and digital marketing. Her diverse skill set enables her to address a wide range of client needs, from leadership coaching to process optimization. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Psychology from UC San Diego, Izabella combines academic knowledge with practical expertise to deliver results-driven consulting services. Passionate about driving positive change and fostering continuous improvement, she is dedicated to helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic business landscape. -
Brad Sollenberger
Brad is a healthcare and higher education administration professional with over 15 years of experience in health system and higher education strategic planning, operational improvement, and project management. Currently, Brad serves as a Senior Manager, specializing in project management, strategic planning, Lean Six Sigma instruction and practice, and internal consulting for UCSD Campus and Health clients.
When Brad is not on the job, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing with his daughter and son, as well as bow hunting, writing novels, reading scripture, and teaching himself new things. -
Dan Suchy
Dan Suchy is Senior Director of Educational Technology Services at University of California, San Diego, where he is responsible for providing leadership and planning for UC San Diego's diverse educational technology ecosystem, including hybrid and online course delivery. He is particularly interested in the rapid pace of artificial intelligence's impact on instruction, and how the barriers to technology accessibility affect the online experience between students and educators. In addition to various educational technology roles, he spent several years as a college librarian.
Dan holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Kentucky, as well as a Master of Library Science (MLS) and a Master of Information Science (MIS) from Indiana University, with a focus on human computer interaction. -
Laura Tamberelli
For over twenty years, Laura Tamberelli has led project and portfolio management in a myriad of industries from higher ed to software, franchising to commerce, government to small business, and nearly everything in between. As a consultant, Laura led Executive teams from around the world through strategic plan development, facilitation, implementation, and execution. In her current role at UC Berkeley, Laura leads the Strategic Initiatives team in Student Affairs IT. The Strategic Initiatives team is the intersection of strategy, analysis, and project management across both Student Affairs and Information Technology.
Outside of UC Berkeley, Laura has been a faculty member for 13 years in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality program at UNC Charlotte with specialization in gender roles, media portrayals, the health and fitness industry, and reproductive justice. -
Roël Tibosch
Roël is a Strategic Initiatives Manager at the Office for Operational Strategic Initiatives (OSI). He helps teams across the organization to optimize their processes using Lean Six Sigma methodologies. With a passion for innovation, he embraces technologies like AI to enhance both customer and employee experiences.
Prior to joining OSI, Roël served as a Strategy & Operations Consultant at Deloitte, where he helped large enterprises to transform their organizations. He defined operational strategies, developed operating models, and orchestrated organization-wide implementations.
Roël holds a Master of Science in Strategic Product Design from Delft University of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology. -
Lynn Underwood
Lynn is Senior Change Transformation Lead for UC San Francisco's Program Management Office. She leads change strategy for UCSF’s enterprise digital transformation initiative. In this, she guides change teams for enterprise projects and leads cross-portfolio and program organizational change management (OCM). Before coming to UC San Francisco, she Directed Organizational Change Management for UC San Diego's Enterprise Systems Renewal. She also directed Integrated Information for Global Guggenheim, Guggenheim Museum, NYC. She holds an M.A. in American Studies, M.A. Museum Practices, and a Master of Library & Information Science. In her work she draws upon her knowledge and experience as a Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP), PROSCI Change Practitioner & PROSCI Train-the-Trainer, certified Project Management Processional (PMP), Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE), and LSS Black Belt. -
Carlos Vallejo
Carlos Vallejo is the Continuous Improvement Manager at Costco Wholesale Industries. Carlos previously earned his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt at UC San Diego Extended Studies, and he continues to serve as an advisory board member to the University’s process improvement programs. -
Priya Venkatesan
Priya Venkatesan, a Business Systems Analyst at UC Davis’s Administrative Innovation and Technology's Office of Business Transformation, brings a diverse background in Finance and Education industries to her role. She made significant contributions at organizations such as ICICI Bank and ProctorU, where she honed her skills and expertise. Priya has a wide range of experience working across customer-centric roles in Operations bringing a wealth of knowledge in supporting projects and team with a focus on the customer. With a Masters degree in Computer Applications from Bharathidasan University, India. She holds certifications as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and a Certified Scrum Master.
At UC Davis, Priya actively collaborates in the revitalization of the Lean Community of Practice, working together with her team members to drive initiatives aimed at enhancing engagement and awareness of Lean Six Sigma methodologies. She excels as a collaborative facilitator of Yellow Belt trainings, leveraging the expertise of her colleagues to deliver impactful sessions. Additionally, Priya actively contributes to the collaborative design of e-learning tools for process improvement, drawing on the diverse perspectives and skills of her team members to create effective resources. -
Kelly Verburgt
Kelly is a Registered Dietitian from Minnesota. She worked in the High Tech High food service department in 2019-2020, while working towards her credentials, and is thrilled to come back full time. Kelly is currently working towards her Masters in Dietetic Administration through Utah State University, specializing in food service management. When she isn’t working, Kelly can be found surfing with friends, working out, or cruising along the mission beach/pacific boardwalk. Kelly has always been passionate about helping kids develop healthy eating habits that will last them a lifetime. As Senior Food & Nutrition Services Manager, Kelly will ensure our students are fed nutritious meals that help them concentrate throughout the day and thrive in school. -
Kevin Waldrop
As the Assistant Director of the UC San Diego Center for Operational Excellence (COE), Kevin’s focus is on workflow development, business office & IT support systems, HR processes and other operational efficiencies. He is certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and uses Lean tools, project management skills and Prosci Change Management, to support Academic Affairs and campus partners in creating an agile, sustainable, and supportive infrastructure.
Kevin leads the Business Office Ticketing in ServiceNow (BOTS) program, an Academic Affairs ticketing process for high-volume business offices. He also continues leadership as Chair Emeritus for the Business Excellence Community of Practice (BECOP), a COE-supported consortium for Change Management, Continuous Improvement based on Lean Six Sigma, and Project Management enthusiasts and learners. Kevin was the recent Conference Chair for the 2023 Lean in Higher Education International Conference at UC San Diego and serves on the Global and Americas Lean HE Steering Committees.
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Alicia Webber
Alicia Webber is a Process and Change Consultant with the UC Davis Office of Business Transformation (OBT). Prior to joining OBT, she was with the campus Shared Services Organization (SSO) for six years, where she served in progressively responsible roles and cultivated a deep understanding of individual and organizational change dynamics. Alicia joined the OBT team in 2017 with a focus on change management and process improvement. She is a certified Prosci Change Management Practitioner/Trainer and has significant experience supporting the people side of change at the small team level, up through enterprise-wide initiatives. In addition, she has a keen process improvement mindset that was regularly reflected in her past roles at Bel-Air, Raley’s, UC Davis Health and the SSO.
She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento. Alicia has completed her Project Management – Lean Process Certification (PM-LPC) and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt.
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Helena Weiss-Duman
Helena Weiss-Duman brings over 25 years of diverse project management experience spanning industry, academia, and nonprofit sectors. She is the Deputy Director of External Relations & Marketing Communications at UC Berkeley and oversees administrative operations for a 45-person unit with a $16 million budget. She serves as the unit's expert on financial, IT, human resources, and procurement matters, identifying inefficiencies and bottlenecks in existing processes to recommend enhancements for heightened efficiency. She was recognized as an "Honored Instructor" at UC Berkeley Extension for her exceptional project management courses. -
Tom White
Tom White is an accomplished business leader with over 20 years of experience in technology startups and established companies. Currently, he serves as the General Manager of Slower West, where he has been instrumental in building the company from the ground up since 2019. As the first employee of Slower West, Tom has successfully established a portfolio of marquee clients and built a team of hundreds of engineers, architects and experts in software development. He has led multiple client engagements to successful outcomes, from initial consultation to final delivery and reference.
Tom has also been involved in six startups, including those that have undergone acquisitions, gone public, raised seed funding, and achieved Series B status. He, fortuitously, started his technology career working side by side with two of the five founders of SCRUM, where he learned about how to build robust software in an agile manner.
Tom spent seven years at NetApp (NTAP), a publicly-traded enterprise storage leader, where he began as head of Global Accounts for Yahoo! and Oracle. He later went on to run Major Accounts-West and was eventually promoted to Regional Director of Service Provider for the Americas. During his three years in that role, NetApp's Service Portfolio grew to $350M in annual revenue. During his career Tom has worked with clients such as: Facebook, Google, Salesforce, Oracle, eBay, PayPal, McKesson, Genentech, SAP, Chevron) IBM/Softlayer, AT&T, Rackspace, Verizon, CenturyLink, Advanced Auto Parts (AAP), CoreLogic, Ticketmaster, Capital Group, Disney, Epic Games, Honda, Snapchat, zScaler, VMware, Square, Deckers and Nike.
Tom's extensive experience in building and scaling successful businesses and his expertise in sales, software engineeringand process engineering have contributed to his clients’ success.
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Vanessa Yang
Vanessa Yang is the Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine for UC San Diego's Athletics Department. She has been with the University in various roles since 2005 and was named UC San Diego's head athletic trainer in July of 2013.
Yang leads UCSD’s Athletic Training Department with the mission to provide prevention, management and rehabilitation of athletic injuries for over 600 student-athletes from 23 intercollegiate teams.
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Mike Zeto
Mike is a Project Manager and Oracle Cloud / E-Business Suite (EBS) implementation specialist at Ideametrics with 20+ years of leading and executing system integration programs of complex global organizations in accordance with Project Management Institute (PMI) standards. He has a solid record of successful project implementations, many that involved organizational changes that occurred during the course of implementation. Mike has a strong history of facilitating effective communication between implementation partners, and between functional and technical teams, including 10+ years of experience working with senior leadership and project sponsors. His system implementation experience as an integration partner and as a customer, gives him a practical understanding of each perspective.
Add-On Trainings & Certifications Instructors
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Jim Athon
Jim Athon is a Continuous Improvement COE leader and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. He has nearly 25 years of success driving process improvement methodologies, principles, and best practices. Since 2001, Jim has served as the President of The Athon Group, Inc., a premier supplier of Lean Six Sigma training, coaching, and consulting services at all levels of Lean Six Sigma deployment, including Executive Leadership, Champion, Master Black Belt, Black Belt, and Green Belt. He personally trained and coached over 500 Black Belts and over 200 Green Belts, with his primary focus being teaching the DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) problem-solving framework.
After earning a Master Black Belt at General Electric, Jim led Lean Six Sigma projects for prominent organizations such as Target, Chevron, Cisco, Nokia, Kraft Foods, Schwab, and Adena Health Systems, and spearheaded over 42 million dollars in revenue gains. He is a catalyst for standardization of processes, digital transformation, technology optimization, and is passionate about transforming inefficient and error-prone activities into lean, efficient, and repeatable processes.
As a Lean Six Sigma expert and trainer, Jim has presented at over 30 industry seminars. His vast experience and unique ability to communicate complex concepts into commonly understood language and relatable examples make him an exceptional coach and mentor.
Jim also proudly served for 10 years in the US Air Force Reserve & was honorably discharged as E5 Staff Sergeant. -
Antonio Nava
Antonio serves as a Program Analyst on UC San Diego’s Office of Operational Strategic Initiatives team. Antonio is responsible for managing the Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt program, as well as supporting IdeaWave. Antonio has worked in higher education since 2006 in various capacities including Registrar Operations, institutional effectiveness and engagement, and program management. Antonio graduated from UCSD in 2007 with a degree in Theatre, and is keenly focused on affecting culture among staff and students. He was a leading member of Toastmasters for a number of years, created and maintained a student organization, and founded a networking committee in a previous university which launched several events aimed at addressing organizational silos. -
Sammy Obara
Sammy Obara is a seasoned professional with deep expertise in Lean and the Toyota Production System (TPS). Over four decades, he has successfully introduced, guided, and applied Lean practices in various organizations and countries.
Sammy's Lean journey began at Toyota facilities in Japan, Brazil, Venezuela, and the United States. Through immersive hands-on experiences, he gained a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of TPS/Lean. Today, he serves as a trusted mentor, coach, and trainer, sharing his knowledge with esteemed Lean consulting firms, renowned educational institutions, and even engaging in humanitarian missions across Asia, Africa, and South America.
As a faculty member at Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) and an instructor of Global Strategy Management for the California Community College system, Sammy imparts invaluable insights to the learning setting. He is invited as a guest lecturer for post-graduate classes at esteemed institutions like UC San Diego, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Southern California, La Verne, and San Diego State University.
Having assisted over 450 companies worldwide in implementing TPS/Lean projects, Sammy's expertise spans diverse sectors and countries. He has successfully guided organizations in their Lean journey in environments ranging from schools and hospitals to military organizations.
Currently, Sammy continues to contribute his skills to the implementation of Lean practices through Honsha.org . His extensive experience and significant contributions have solidified his reputation as a respected figure in Lean methodologies, making him an invaluable resource for organizations and individuals striving to reach their next level of operational excellence.