Certification Oversight & Appeals Committee

Jeff Fuchs, LBC President, Neovista Consulting LLC Director, The Maryland World Class Consortia

Jeff Fuchs is president of Neovista Consulting LLC, a consultancy based in Baltimore, specializing in lean implementation, leadership development and cultural transformation. Since 1997, Fuchs has worked with companies in a range of industries, including aerospace, textiles, pharmaceuticals and biotech, energy, consumer products and others. Prior to his consulting career, Fuchs held engineering, quality and production leadership roles in the aerospace and automotive fields. He has been a part of the development and rollout of the Lean Certification standard since its early inception in 2006. Since 2008, Fuchs has served as director of The Maryland World Class Consortia, a collaboration of 49 member companies sharing a common interest in using lean techniques to strengthen the economy and deliver business results. He is the representative of The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence in the state of Maryland and has been a lead examiner for The Shingo Prize since 2007. Fuchs received his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from West Point.

CMfgT/CMfgE Committee

Steve Piotrowski, CMfgT, CMfgE Pentair Technical Products

Steve Piotrowski has been actively involved with manufacturing for over 20 years and is currently an OEM process engineer with responsibilities ranging from concept through completion. Prior to joining Pentair, Steve was responsible for supporting the medium to large weldments team while working with BAE Systems – a solutions provider for our military and service members. As a manufacturing engineer, various roles have ranged from facility layouts, floor space reductions, facility relocations, international product line start-ups, product testing, field service and new product development. Steve has been a member of SME since June of 2001, has a BS in Industrial Technology with a concentration in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Stout and has obtained certifications through SME’s Certified Manufacturing Technologist, Certified Manufacturing Engineer and also holds certifications from the American Welding Society as a Certified Weld Inspector (CWI).

Ted L. Driggs, CMfgE Okuma America Corporation

Ted Driggs has been in manufacturing for 38 years. From actual production machine operation, tool engineering and programming at the start of his career, to advanced manufacturing concepts, application engineering and sales experience in the machine tool and cutting tool industries, he has a well-rounded background. Couple this with an education from Columbus State Community College and The Ohio State University, a merging of both the theoretical and practical application worlds is complete. He holds a mechanical engineering degree. Ted is Program Management Principal Engineer for the Okuma America Corporation, where he manages all aspects of multi-million dollar manufacturing programs within any of the prominent industrial sectors such as aerospace/defense, automotive, fluid power, construction/agriculture, finally focusing currently in the advanced medical manufacturing area. Ted is a Certified Manufacturing Engineer through the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

Thomas M. Binder, CMfgE, CMfgT The Boeing Company

Tom Binder is currently a manufacturing process engineer for the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company in Renton, Washington. Binder started his career in the commercial airplane division in 1984 and had worked on 727, 737, 757 and military versions of the 707, 737 and 757 aircraft. Recently, Binder was a hardware manager for the Boeing Defense and Space group working on the P-8A, a derivative of the commercial 737 for the U.S. Navy. Binder was responsible for manufacturability, supplier coordination and scheduling of military hardware installed in the forward fuselage.

Awards/Merits/Credentials: United States patent holder for Boeing's "Sky Interior" for the 737. Tom has achieved both the Certified Manufacturing Engineer and Certified Manufacturing Technologist certifications. He is a member of the Boeing SME steering team. Certified Master Automotive Technician – National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. Tom received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University and an Associate's Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.

Eric Dean, CMfgE Mazak Corporation

Eric Dean is an Account Manager for the Mazak Corporation serving the San Diego area to assist local Manufacturers in improving their manufacturing cycle efficiencies, production costs and much more by providing innovative solutions for their manufacturing operations. Prior to joining Mazak, Eric worked at Solar Turbines, Inc. starting as a Manufacturing Engineer with process responsibility for Compressor and Exhaust Housings and progressed in different roles as a 6Sigma Black Belt, Technical group lead and as a Value Stream Manager in Large Component Manufacturing and Tooling Operations. During his career at Solar Turbines he has led machine tool acquisition projects, implemented safety and quality initiatives as well as Employee Development opportunities. Eric has obtained certifications in Internal Auditing from Det Norske Veritas and SME’s Certified Manufacturing Engineer. Eric is also involved in his local SME 44 Chapter as the Membership Chair. Eric received his B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering from California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo.

Patrick Ferro, PhD, CMfgE, PE Gonzaga University

Patrick is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Gonzaga University and has twelve years of Process Engineering experience in the investment casting, silicon wafer and alternative energy technology industries. Five years as an engineering educator, providing instruction on materials and manufacturing. Patrick has research interests in hydrogen storage and hydrogen embrittlement. Patrick has also been a Materials consultant since 2000. Patrick received his BS in Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University, Ithaca NY. Oregon Graduate Center in Beaverton, OR, he received his MS in Materials Science and Engineering at Oregon Graduate Center in Beaverton, OR, and received his PhD in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO. Patrick has also achieved his Professional Engineer (PE) license in Michigan and Ohio as well as SME's Certified Manufacturing Engineer.

Charles Gates, Jr., CMfgE, CQE, CMQ, CPIM, CSCP Retired Caterpillar Division Manager

Charles has 40 years of work experience with Caterpillar Inc., which included global, managerial responsibilities for product design, manufacturing engineering, quality engineering, six sigma, lean, factory operations, training, and management development. 27 years of teaching experience as an adjunct professor teaching a wide variety of technical and professional courses at the graduate level. Charles is an active Board Member for the SME Chicago Chapter 5, the ASQ Fox Valley Section 1208, and the APICS Fox River Chapter 207. Charles has also been an active SME member for 37 years member.

Charles holds a Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE), Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Manager of Quality (CMQ), Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM), and Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP).Charles received the Olivet Nazarene University Excellence in Teaching Award as well as being an APICS Master Instructor. Charles holds a PhD in Business Administration, In Process, Master of Science, Purdue University, Industrial Technology, Bachelor of Science, University of Illinois, Management, Associate in Applied Science, Illinois Central College, Manufacturing Technology, and a Four-Year Machinist Apprentice Graduate, Caterpillar Inc.

Rick Kortekaas, CMfgT Parker Hannifin

Rick Kortekaas is a Supplier Development Engineer at Parker Hannifin. Rick’s key experience is driving CI efforts at suppliers for cost improvement, lean implementation, QMS implementation, DFM/DFA projects to improve total cost, and COPQ, project management of capital projects, and facilities layout to convert to CFM. Rick has a background working in electronics, plastics, and fabricated metals and has developed process for new process introductions.

Rick received A.A.S. Degree in Business Administration from Itasca Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology with a Minor in Manufacturing Management. Rick is also certified as a Certified Manufacturing Technologist (CMfgT), is certified in Quick Response Manufacturing and Certified Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) through APICS. Rick is also currently working on his Greenbelt Certification.

Nancy Leonard has been a Sr. Designer, designer, and associate engineer through her 15 years of service. Nancy has received her Master’s degree in Engineering Management from Eastern Michigan University School of Technology, Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue university, a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational, Leadership & Supervision Technology from Purdue College of Technology, and her Associates degree in Drafting & Design Science from North Central Technical College. Nancy is also certified through the Society of Manufacturing Engineers as a Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE) and Certified Manufacturing Technologist (CMfgT).

Peter S. Rourke, CMfgE Wentworth Institute of Technology

Peter Rourke is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Technology Department, Wentworth Institute of Technology since January 1980. Courses taught include: Computer Aided Manufacturing, Manufacturing Processes, Rapid Prototyping, Production and Inventory Control, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing Consultant, and Professional Witness. Awards/Merits/Credentials: Roberts Professor: Endowed Professor for Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing, currently, Grant Johnson Award, for excellence in teaching: WIT, SME Faculty Advisor to Student Section S007, and is a Certified Manufacturing Engineer through the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Peter holds a B.S., M.Ed, Industrial Education, Fitchburg State College and a M.S. Manufacturing Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Lean Certification Committee

The Lean Certification Oversight and Appeals Committee is made up of industry leaders whose diverse backgrounds represent years of lean experience. The leaders of the SME, AME and The Shingo Prize work closely together to appoint lean practitioners. The Lean COA committee plays a critical role in administering the SME-AME-Shingo Prize Lean Certification program.

Larry G. Anderson, LGC President ResourceSyncing

Larry G. Anderson is the president of ResourceSyncing, a consultancy providing for lean transformation of mid-size manufacturing and service businesses. Anderson completed the lean gold exam and achieved lean gold certification in Nov. 2009 and is a registered professional engineer. He graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University and completed graduate level work in Engineering Management at the University of Louisville. Larry is an active Shingo Prize team lead and examiner, serves on the southwest region board of AME, and has been an examiner and team lead for the Texas Award for Performance Excellence. He has been active in the lean certification process serving on the oversight and appeals committee, where he is a past chairman.

Anthony Manos Profero Inc.

Anthony Manos is a catalyst with Profero Inc. where he provides professional consulting services, implementation, coaching and training to a wide variety of organizations, large and small, private and public, in many industries focusing on lean enterprise and lean healthcare. Manos has extensive knowledge of lean and quality in a wide range of work environments. He is trained and certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute for Standards and Technology in all elements of lean manufacturing. Relying on his diverse knowledge of business, manufacturing techniques and applications, Manos has assisted numerous clients in implementation of lean enterprise and lean healthcare. Over the past 10 years, he has helped more than 150 companies in several aspects of lean implementation, including team building, standardized work, 5S workplace organization and visual workplace, quick changeover, plant layout, cellular, kanban, total productive maintenance, kaizen events and Hoshin planning. Manos is an internationally recognized speaker and expert on lean, and presents at several conferences every year. As a member of the American Society for Quality's faculty, he teaches a two-day course in lean enterprise and a one-day course on kaizen. Manos is the past chair of ASQ's Lean Enterprise Division. He has been an SME member since 1997 and is also a member of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence. Manos is the coauthor of the book "Lean Kaizen: A Simplified Approach to Process Improvement" and the author of many articles on lean and its allied subjects. He holds an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Richard Evans, LBC President, JR Lean Inc

Richard Evans has spent the past 40 years helping companies become more effective in delivering quality and value to the production process, while focusing on customer success. Having a manufacturing engineering background, Evans teaches companies how to recognize waste through applied lean tools and techniques. His extended knowledge of various industries, such as automotive, aerospace, railroad, packaging and fasteners, enable him to quickly focus in on opportunities for improvement. As an approved Lean Bronze Review Course trainer for SME, Evans is able to coach teams to increase "value-added" content to a maximum. He has held various positions in industry from manufacturing engineering director to director, lean enterprise. During the past four years, Evans has assisted companies in developing lean transformations and has facilitated more than 50 kaizen events. He is a director of the Canadian Board of The Association for Manufacturing Excellence and was past program chair for the 2007 and 2009 AME Regional Lean Conferences. Evans was also past tour chair for the 2008 AME National Lean Conference and program chair for the 2010 AME National Lean Conference. Future roles include program chair 2013 AME National Lean Conference as well as the 2011 AME Regional Lean Conference.

Jeff Fuchs, LBC President, Neovista Consulting LLC Director, The Maryland World Class Consortia

Jeff Fuchs is president of Neovista Consulting LLC, a consultancy based in Baltimore, specializing in lean implementation, leadership development and cultural transformation. Since 1997, Fuchs has worked with companies in a range of industries, including aerospace, textiles, pharmaceuticals and biotech, energy, consumer products and others. Prior to his consulting career, Fuchs held engineering, quality and production leadership roles in the aerospace and automotive fields. He has been a part of the development and rollout of the Lean Certification standard since its early inception in 2006. Since 2008, Fuchs has served as director of The Maryland World Class Consortia, a collaboration of 49 member companies sharing a common interest in using lean techniques to strengthen the economy and deliver business results. He is the representative of The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence in the state of Maryland and has been a lead examiner for The Shingo Prize since 2007. Fuchs received his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from West Point.

Marian A. Lemne, PE, PMP, LSC, CSCP, MBA Cameron International Corp., Surface Systems Division Houston

Marian A. Lemne is global supply chain manager at Cameron, Surface Systems. Prior to joining Cameron in 2008, Lemne held leadership positions with Husky, ThyssenKrupp and Concord Elevator, in design engineering, quality, project management, lean/continuous improvement and plant management. He is a professional engineer and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario. Lemne obtained a project management professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute, a lean silver certification (LSC) from SME and a certified supply chain professional (CSCP) from The Association for Operations Management. He has participated in the Delphi Panel, which was formed for the validation of the Lean Body of Knowledge and is an authorized SME trainer/portfolio reviewer for the Society’s Lean Bronze/Silver Certifications. Lemne received his degree in mechanical engineering from Gheorghe Asachi Technical University and an MBA from Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria.

Jeff Lytle, LGC Senior Lean Leader Swagelok Company

Jeff Lytle is a Senior Lean Leader at Swagelok Company; which designs, manufactures, and delivers an expanding range of the highest quality fluid system products and solutions. Through an exclusive network of authorized Swagelok sales and service centers Swagelok Company delivers knowledge, resources, innovations, and value to customers worldwide.

As a member of Swagelok’s Corporate Continuous Improvement group, Jeff is responsible for partnering across the organization to drive rapid deployment of continuous improvement tools and methodologies, along with the rapid development of associates in a variety of continuous improvement disciplines. Throughout his nearly 20-year career in manufacturing Jeff has received GreenBelt, BlackBelt, and Master BlackBelt certifications; as well as a Fundamentals of Management certificate from Case Weatherhead School of Management. Jeff is also a certified "Crucial Conversations" trainer. He received his bachelor's degree in Organizational Management from Malone University.

Mark Paulson, LBC Quality Manager Crystal Distribution Inc.

Mark Paulson has 30 years in the quality field as quality manager at several manufacturing organizations. Paulson was also the regulatory affairs manager at a Class 2 medical device manufacturer responsible for compliance to FDA regulations. He was involved with acquisitions and led integration of several merged organizations. Paulson planned and managed ISO 9001 registration efforts at several manufacturing organizations. As a principal in a process improvement consulting firm, he assisted clients with lean enterprise implementation and process improvement projects to reduce costs and cycle times by identifying waste in organizational processes. Paulson trained employees and led continuous improvement efforts employing lean enterprise principles and tools. He created quality systems and processes that improved efficiency and effectiveness in all areas of the organization. He has been an ASQ member since 1979 and has earned the following certifications: ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, ASQ Certified Quality Engineer and ASQ Certified Quality Auditor. Paulson is also an authorized facilitator for SME, AME, The Shingo Prize and ASQ Lean Certification Review Course and Exam. He is an active portfolio reviewer. Currently, Paulson is the AME North Central Region president and has been part of the North Central Region board of directors since 2001. From 1998-99, he was a Minnesota Quality Award examiner/team leader. Paulson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Tim Pettry, LBC Manager, SPCI Strategic Projects Strategic Planning and Continuous Improvement Cleveland Clinic

Tim Pettry is currently Manager of Strategic Projects and a member of the Strategic Planning and Continuous Improvement group that is supporting the application of lean principles at the Cleveland Clinic. Prior to joining the Cleveland Clinic team in 2008, Pettry had 18 years of experience at Ford Motor Company's Cleveland Manufacturing Site, serving in various positions, including: Cost Analyst, Manufacturing Supervisor, Ford Production System (FPS) Coordinator, Training and Organizational Development leader and FPS Coach for the Powertrain Division. Pettry is a Lead Examiner for the Shingo Prize and has been an examiner since 1996. He has been involved with the AME/SME/Shingo Prize Lean Certification program since 2006 and has been a member of the Oversight and Appeals committee since 2007. He also serves as an instructor and program advisor for Lean training courses at Corporate College, a Division of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. Pettry earned his MBA with a Labor and Management Relations focus from Cleveland State University and his BS in Business Administration with a Marketing/Retail focus from Bowling Green State University.

Beth Reid, Six Sigma Green Belt, Six Sigma Black Belt Northrop Grumman Corp. Madison, Ala.

Beth Reid is a continuous improvement manager for Northrop Grumman Corp. Reid has five years of experience directing, facilitating and managing all continuous process improvement projects within Northrop Grumman’s Operating Unit, utilizing lean and six sigma (LSS) methodologies for complex strategic programs. She was awarded the 2008 Northrop Grumman Team Quality Award and the 2011 Northrop Grumman Operational Excellence Award. Reid graduated cum laude from Faulkner University with a bachelor’s in business administration and summa cum laude from Strayer University with an MBA.

Chad Vincent, LBC

Chad Vincent is a Lean Manufacturing Specialist for Greif, Inc. in St. Louis, MO area where he provides professional guidance, facilitates implementation, and coaches and trains personnel at manufacturing facilities on Lean Enterprise and Operational Excellence. Prior to Greif, Inc., he worked as a quality engineer in the medical device manufacturing industry, as a project engineer in the construction industry, and was in management in the logistics and transportation industry. Chad earned a BS in Engineering Management specializing in Quality Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO. He is a Senior Member of ASQ and SME, and is currently the ASQ Lean Enterprise Division Treasurer. Chad is a Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE), Certified Manager of Quality / Operational Excellence (CMQ/OE), Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB), and is Lean Bronze Certified. He has also served as a Senior Lead Examiner and Judge for Arkansas’s Governor’s Quality Award and is past president for the Leadership Arkansas Alumni Association Board of Directors. Chad is an advocate for social responsibility and has written articles on the utilization of lean to achieve socially responsible and environmentally favorable results within organizations. He was also a voting member of the US Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for the ISO 26000 Guidance for Social Responsibility. He routinely supports various organizations as a presenter for conferences and as an author and reviewer for publications related to Lean topics.

Mark Volesky, LBC Dakot Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Mark Volesky is a Senior Business Advisor with the Dakota Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards & Technology Hollings MEP. Since 2003 Volesky has been assisting companies from a wide variety of industries increase profits and create and retain jobs. He has conducted more than 150 kaizen events, including co-facilitating continuous improvement efforts with Shingijutzu Consulting and Normen Bodek. Along with proctoring the SME Lean Bronze exam he developed the Dakota MEP LECP course curriculum and has taught it to more than 500 individuals from nearly 60 companies. For this work Volesky was selected as MEP Practitioner of the Year at the 2007 national MEP conference. In 2007 Volesky received his Train-the-Trainer certifications in Training-Within-Industry’s Job Instruction, Job Methods and Job Relations and he has been Lean Bronze certified since 2008. He is a member of the Board of Examiners for the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence and serves on the board of directors of the Minn-Dak Manufacturers Association. Prior to joining the Dakota MEP, he was Principle Engineer with Steelcase Inc., holding positions in R&D, new product development and manufacturing process improvement. Volesky received his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from North Dakota State University.