Saco is the owner and principal of his own firm, Aporia Advisors, Inc., based in Coral Gables, Fla. His areas of expertise consist of strategic planning, customer satisfaction measurement, operational process improvement and reengineering, performance assessments, Six Sigma implementation, organizational design, and business transformation initiatives.

The industrial age was easing into its second century when a young engineer named Walter A. Shewhart came along and altered the course of industrial history. Shewhart, ASQ s first Honorary member, successfully brought together the disciplines of statistics, engineering, and economics and became known as the father of modern quality control. The lasting and tangible evidence of that union for which he is most widely known is the control chart, a simple but highly effective tool that represented an initial step toward what Shewhart called the formulation of a scientific basis for securing economic control.

By 1945, as local quality control societies were forming the regional organizations that would merge into a national quality group, Juran was about to embark on his second career, which would earn him more than 30 awards from organizations around the world, including ASQ's Edwards Medal and Brumbaugh and Grant Awards. Juran joined the Bell System as an engineer in 1924; two years later, he was one of three people assigned to a new department formed to carry out what is known today as statistical quality control. Juran prepared what may have been the first text on statistical quality control and perhaps the ancestor of today's widely used Western Electric Statistical Quality Control Handbook. That early interest in writing and teaching foreshadowed the course Juran's career would take; within a few years, he became involved in quality management and the subject to which he would devote his life: management. The stage was set and the government, as if on cue, called on Juran to serve as an administrator in the Lend-Lease Administration an event that was a key step for Juran. The son of an immigrant, Juran was seeking security when he went to work for the Bell System in the years following World War I. He lacked the clear sense of direction that marked his later life; by his own admission, he was "in the grip of forces more powerful than I was." He expected to spend his entire career at the Bell System, but after four years on a leave of absence for government service, Juran decided not to return to the company. He had begun career in research, lecturing, philosophizing, consulting, and writing on management. Juran's second career began from a base at New York University, where he served for a time as head of the Department of Industrial Engineering. His arrangement with NYU allowed him to spend a good deal of time on matters not connected with teaching. One was the writing and editing of the Quality Control Handbook. First published in 1951, the Handbook has grown from 15 chapters to 52, paralleling and aiding the growth of the quality field. During the late 1940s, Juran began to develop what may have been the most influential course on the subject of quality since the eight-day seminars conducted during World War II. Juran's "Managing for Quality" has been taught to more than 100,000 people in over 40 countries. For almost 30 years, Juran offered the course through the American Management Association, the second institutional base of his second career. Given his longstanding interests, Juran's association with AMA was not surprising. His writings in Industrial Quality Control during the 1950s and 1960s also reflect his interest in management. As a contributing author and editor for 16 years of "Management's Corner," Juran frequently emphasized the role of management in quality. He saw early on the broadening role of quality and urged quality professionals to prepare for it.

Manu Vora is Chairman and President of Business Excellence, Inc., a global management consulting services firm. He has over 30 years of leadership experience in telecommunications and chemical processing industries. His areas of expertise and experience include customer satisfaction, continuous process improvement, leadership development, employee satisfaction, recognition & awards, operational performance, problem solving, benchmarking, organizational assessment using quality management models, and diversity management. He is an American Society for Quality (ASQ) Fellow and Certified Quality Engineer (CQE). Manu served as a Chief Judge at the Illinois Team Excellence Award Program from 1993-1999. Manu holds an M.B.A. with Marketing Management from Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago, M.S. & Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Banaras Hindu University in India. As an Adjunct Professor , he teaches "Quality Management" and "Supply Chain Management" in the MBA Program at the Stuart Graduate School of Business at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Manu has taught ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) preparation classes at AT&T Bell Laboratories (now Lucent Technologies), to create 89 CQEs. Manu is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS) Program at the Broome Community College in Binghamton in New York. Manu has published in Total Quality Management Journal (UK), The TQM Magazine (UK), ASQ Quality Engineering Journal, ASQ Quality Progress Magazine, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Journal, and India Abroad newspaper. He has also published in energy engineering periodicals such as Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil, and International Petroleum Encyclopedia. Manu has made over 160 presentations around the world in Caribbean & Central America (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Nicaragua), Europe (Ireland, Italy), Far East (India - Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, & Pune; Korea; and Thailand), Latin America (Peru), Middle East (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, & Sharjah), and USA. He is a sought after speaker on quality management topics to local, regional, national and international audiences. Manu is very active in community and civic service. Since 1989, he is serving as the Founding Director and President of the Blind Foundation for India (BFI). Since 1991, BFI has raised over $3 Million to perform 75,000 free cataract operations, donated 75 mobile vans for conducting eye camps and distributed 8,500 Braille kits to blind children and helped over a million visually impacted people in India. He also served as a Chair of "Save The Children Holiday Fund Drive" at AT&T Bell Laboratories/Lucent Technologies from 1986 through 1999 sponsoring 52 children in 19 countries around the world.

Mary Wayne Bush is a facilitator, executive coach and consultant in leadership and team development, change management, communication and strategic planning. She presents at the International Coach Federation, American Society of Training and Development, the Academy of Management, Professional Coaches and Mentors Association, and the International Association of Facilitators, and the American Society for Quality. With a Master's from Yale University and a doctorate in Organizational Change from Pepperdine University, Dr. Bush is also a published author, and a member of the Research and Development Committee of the International Coach Federation. She sits on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations (IJCO) and serves as Director of Research for the non-profit Foundation of Coaching. She has taught quality management courses for University of California, Santa Cruz Extension and the coaching certification program at California State University, Long Beach.

Phil Schmidt is President of Hawk Solutions, a consulting firm providing coaching and training for improving processes and organizational systems. He is an ASQ Senior Member and has been active in ASQ since 1984. For the past five years, he has been the Quality in Education Chair for the Milwaukee Section and active as a volunteer business partner/consultant with K12 schools and districts in southeast Wisconsin. Besides being the K-12 Vice-Chair for the Education Division, he is actively involved with the NCLB Charter Project and represents the Division on the ASQ Education Advisory Committee. He is certified as an ASQ Quality Engineer and Quality Auditor.

Shewhart was concerned that statistical theory serve the needs of industry. He exhibited the restlessness of one looking for a better way. A man of science who patiently developed and tested his ideas and the ideas of others, he was an astute observer of developments in the world of science and technology. While the literature of the day discussed the stochastic nature of both biological and technical systems, and spoke of the possibility of applying statistical methodology to these systems, Shewhart actually showed how it was to be done; in that respect, the field of quality control can claim a genuine pioneer in Shewhart. His monumental work, Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Product, published in 1931, is regarded as a complete and thorough exposition of the basic principles of quality control. A strong background in the sciences and engineering prepared Shewhart for a life of accomplishments. He graduated from the University of Illinois with bachelor s and master s degrees, and he received a doctorate in physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1917. He taught at the universities of Illinois and California, and he briefly headed the physics department at the Wisconsin Normal School in LaCrosse. Most of Shewhart s professional career was spent as an engineer at Western Electric from 1918 to 1924, and at Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he served in several capacities as a member of the technical staff from 1925 until his retirement in 1956. He also lectured on quality control and applied statistics at the University of London, Stevens Institute of Technology, the graduate school of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and in India. He was a member of the visiting committee at Harvard s Department of Social Relations, an honorary professor at Rutgers, and a member of the advisory committee of the Princeton mathematics department. Called upon frequently as a consultant, Shewhart served the War Department, the United Nations, and the government of India, and he was active with the National Research Council and the International Statistical Institute. He was an honorary member of England s Royal Statistical Society and the Calcutta Statistical Association. He was a fellow and officer of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Statistical Association, and a fellow of the Econometric Society, the International Statistical Institute, and the New York Academy of Science. He served for more than 20 years as the first editor of the Mathematical Statistics Series published by John Wiley and Sons. Shewhart wrote Statistical Method from the Viewpoint of Quality Control in 1939 and gained recognition in the statistical community. In addition, he published numerous articles in professional journals, and many of his writings were held internally at Bell Laboratories. One of these was the historic memorandum of May 16, 1924, in which he proposed the control chart to his superiors.

William J. Latzko, Ph.D. is a management consultant who helps his clients to achieve quality in their products and services. He has over 50 years of technical and manage ment experience in man u fac turing and service industries. Dr. Latzko is currently president of Latzko Associates, a Quality Consulting Organization. He has served as Director of Quality Control for Mundet Cork Corporation, Director of Management Science and Quality Control for CBS, Columbia Record Club, and Vice President for Quality Control for the Irving Trust Com pany. Formerly he was Plant Manager for the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company and for Alpha Metals. He is a widely recognized lecturer for the American Society for Quality (ASQ), George Washington University as well as many other technical and professional societies throughout the United States and abroad. He also is an Adjunct Professor of Management Systems at Fordham University?s Graduate School of Business where he teaches various courses such as Mathematics, Quality, and Operations Management. Fellow of the American Society for Quality (000197050) as well as a Certified Quality Engineer (# 03364), Dr. Latzko is the Past Chairman of the Quality Management Division of the ASQ. He was also the first chair of the ASQ Deming Medal Committee. He has served as chairman and treasurer of the Metropolitan Section (0300) of ASQ. He is also a member of the American Statistical Association. He received the ASQ Ellis R. Ott Award for joining quality technology and management and the W. Edwards Deming Medal. He is the author of Qual ty and Productivity for Bankers and Financial Managers and izeni Jakosri (Managing Quality in Czech) has written over 40 articles on quality control. He is co author of MICR Quality Control Handbook and a contributor to Dr. Deming?s books, Quality, Productivity and Competitive Position and Out of the Crises. His latest book, with David Saunders is called Four Days with Dr. Deming: A Strategy for Modern Methods of Management. He is a graduate of Fordham (BS), Rutgers (MBA), Rutgers/ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking (DB), and KWU (Ph.D.), and also studied at New York University, where he took all of Dr. Deming?s courses. He is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma (Business) and Delta Pi Sigma (Statistics).

Allan "Chris" Breller joined YLA as the Quality Manager in August 2006. Chris brings extensive manufacturing and quality assurance experience from the aerospace and adhesives industries to YLA. Prior to YLA, he held prior positions as the Supervisor of Quality Engineering for Henkel (formerly Loctite) Aerospace, as the Operations Manager (which included Manufacturing, Marketing, Environmental Affairs, Safety, and Human Resources) for a small specialty manufacturer of epoxy and urethane adhesives and as the Superintendent of Chemical Processes for Hughes, Space and Communications. Chris is in the process of completing his Master of Science in Quality Assurance from California State University, Dominguez Hills. He has a Master's in Business Administration from National University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University. He is a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality, is a Certified Quality Engineer and is an ISO 9001 / AS9100 / ISO 14001/OHSAS 18001 auditor.

Anthony provides engineering support to lean implementation activities. Before coming to UAH, he had 5 years experience in the engineering field working with such companies as Teledyne Brown, Copeland Corporation, University of California at Irvine and ACD Tridon. While at UAH, Anthony has helped implement lean with Triana Industries, Sonoco, Bowater, Pemco, T&C Stamping, Tru-Line Manufacturing, and McDuffie Island Coal Terminal. He is a NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Lean Manufacturing Trainer and kaizen facilitator. Anthony received his B.S. degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from UAH. He is a member of the American Society for Quality and serving as an evaluator for the Alabama Quality Award.

Mr. Hathcock has spent 12 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical, Neutraceutical and Medical Device industries. His previous positions have been in the Pharmaceutical and Neutraceutical Product Development, Quality, Compliance and Regulatory areas. Mr. Hathcock is a member of the American Society for Quality and he is an alumnus of Mississippi State University and North Carolina State University.

Brian McCollum joined Apneon in May of 2006 as the Director of Quality Assurance. Mr. McCollum brings to Apneon over 14 years of experience in the areas of Quality Assurance and Control, Quality Engineering and Regulatory Compliance. Before joining Apneon, Mr. McCollum acted as Director of Quality Assurance at Avantec Vascular in Sunnyvale, CA. The highlights of Mr. McCollum's career include his appointment as QS Director for Cardima, Inc., in Fremont, California, his development of effective Quality Compliance strategies at Boston Scientific (EP Technologies and IVUS groups), and his leadership in the areas of Operations, Logistics and Quality at Ford Motor Corporation. Mr. McCollum serves as a board member of the American Society for Quality Northern California Biomedical Discussion Group. He holds an MBA from St. Mary's College of California, as well as, a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Bruce D. Wyman is President of the Bruce D. Wyman Company, which, since 1988, has provided Strategic Business Planning support to small businesses and associations. Since 2000, the company has also provided Quality management consulting and Quality training. Mr. Wyman currently (since October 2001) is Chief Operations Research for Northrop Grumman Information Technology A&AS support to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). For three years he was the Functional Area Director managing all support to the DTRA Advanced Systems and Concepts Office (ASCO). For 15 years, Mr. Wyman, was a research staff member (Senior Operations Research Analyst) and manager at ANSER (Analytic Services Inc.) supporting the Air Force Secretariat for Weapon Systems Acquisition. As a member of that 700-person public service research institute, he worked on and led a task team for two and one half years supporting new Air Force Acquisition Reform strategic planning and implementation efforts--the Acquisition and Sustainment Reinvention Process--institutionalizing corporate-wide redesign of acquisition processes for the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Management Policy and Program Integration). For two years, Mr. Wyman served ANSER as Manager of the Resources and Policies Division (RPD). This division, ANSER's largest with 42 direct-report subordinates, was disestablished in April 1998. He managed support to a variety of clients in the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) Directorate of Global Reach (SAF/AQQ) and in the organization of the Deputy Assistant Secretary (Management Policy and Program Integration) (SAF/AQX). He also managed several ID/IQ delivery order contracts for Air Force Studies and Analyses Agency (AFSAA) and Army Modeling and Simulation Office (AMSO & DUSA(OR)); and led corporate business development efforts for a new environmental sector thrust. For six years (one year concurrently with being RPD Manager), he led a team providing analytic, development, and tracking support to program integration and congressional affairs activities related to all Air Force acquisition programs. For five years prior, he provided cost reporting, tracking, and analysis support for Air Force ICBM modernization programs and financial tracking and analysis support for Air Force acquisition programs. He also provided support to the tracking and review of Air Force systems' nuclear survivability specifications. Prior to his joining ANSER, Mr. Wyman served in a variety of active duty United States Navy afloat and headquarters positions. For five years he served as Head, Trends and Analysis Section, for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel, and Training). He is experienced in the analysis, operation, and evaluation of military manpower, personnel, and training (MPT) management information and decision support systems. He also has detailed experience in long-range and strategic planning for manpower, personnel, and training. In addition, he has in-depth experience in naval propulsion; industrial repair facility activities; and destroyer and mobile logistics support forces' operations afloat. Mr. Wyman also teaches a 16-hour course "Basics of Quality: Continuing Professional Education & ASQ CQIA Certification Preparation." Mr. Wyman is a senior member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ); a Past President and a Past Trustee of the Washington Chapter of INFORMS (WINFORMS)[formerly the Washington Operations Research/Management Science Council]; a past Professional Member of the World Future Society (WFS); and a member of the Military Operations Research Society (MORS). He is an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), an ASQ Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) and achieved full certification as a full Expert Choice Green Belt. He holds a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the United States...

Graduate of the University of Alabama with a BS in Metallurgical Engineering and MBA from Georgia State University. Bruce is also an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer. Background includes prior employment in the foundry sector and in a pattern making facility. Bruce came to ICRI in 1996 and after four years as Assistant Director is currently Executive Director. His areas of expertise include pattern making, cupola operations and control, quality assurance techniques including problem solving, design of experiments and SPC. Bruce is a member of the American Foundry Society(AFS), Cupola Committee (8F), Coreless Furnace Committee (8C), American Society for Materials (ASM) and the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

C. Lwanga Yonke works as Data Quality Manager at Aera Energy LLC, where he specializes in all aspects of information quality. His previous positions include Manager of BI, Data Warehousing, Data Architecture, and various petroleum engineering and operations assignments. Lwanga earned an MBA from California State University and holds a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. An ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, he has conducted numerous seminars on TQM strategies, and has authored and presented several technical and data quality papers. Lwanga serves on the Boards of several non-profit organizations. He is a senior member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). Lwanga was born in Cameroon and has lived in several African countries. He and his wife Debra currently reside in Bakersfield, California .

Calvin L. McGoogan is XOMA’s Vice President of Quality & Facilities. He joined the company in 2002 as Director of Quality Assurance. In addition to Quality Assurance, Mr. McGoogan has responsibility for the Quality Control and Quality Engineering functions at XOMA. Mr. McGoogan has over 20 years of previous Quality experience working for Dey Laboratories, International Medication Systems, and American McGaw. He is a member of the American Society for Quality, and through ASQ is a certified quality engineer, certified quality auditor, and certified quality manager. He is also a member of the Parenteral Drug Association and the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers. Mr. McGoogan holds a B.S. in Biology from the Florida State University, and an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University.

Cathi Balboa is the Managing Director of Balboa & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in Organization Effectiveness and provides services in organization change, leadership and team development, strategic planning, and business process assessment and development. Prior to founding Balboa & Associates in 2005, Cathi spent six years as a Managing Partner with Intuitive Information, a consulting firm that provided management and organization development services. Cathi led a number of global projects in the area of corporate restructuring and mergers and acquisitions in Europe and Asia Pacific. She has worked with a range of clients in industries ranging from technology, telecommunications, government, transportation, engineering, social services, health, and manufacturing. Before joining Intuitive Information, Cathi spent over 20 years with Southwestern Bell and AT&T in variety of positions. She was sought after for a number of start-up ventures within the company and managed teams of business process engineers, technical writers, and software developers. While with AT&T, Cathi spent several years providing internal and external consulting services on a variety of management, team and leadership development, business process, and knowledge management issues worldwide. Cathi has a B.S. from West Liberty State College and M.S. in Technical & Business Communications from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Cathi has been a presenter at a number of conferences around the world. Cathi has served GOOD Network for two years as the Marketing VP. She is a Six Sigma MBB, a certified Quality Manager, is a member of American Society for Quality (ASQ) and International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) and is an associate of Plexus Institute. She is also the coordinator of Fortress, a local ministry program that addresses the needs and challenges of Single Moms.

Mr. Gaylo, a Senior Consultant, has 20 years of industry and consulting experience in developing leading edge products and processes, primarily in the medical field. Prior to resuming technology & management consulting, Mr. Gaylo was most recently Vice President, Product & Technology Development at Therics, Inc., a development stage company developing new-to-the-world orthobiologic products using an innovative manufacturing technology licensed from MIT. Prior to Therics, Mr. Gaylo was President of Strategic Technologies Group and Managing Consultant for PA Consulting Group, technology consulting firms emphasizing rapid response and multidisciplinary product and process development. Mr. Gaylo's previous experiences include positions of increasing responsibility with the Perkin-Elmer Corporation and Grumman Corporation. Mr. Gaylo received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York. Mr. Gaylo is a registered Professional Engineer and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, American Society for Quality and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Has over 14 years of experience in manufacturing and Quality management. Chuck has extensive knowledge in lean manufacturing concepts, 5S and design for manufacturability. He is an active member of the American Society for Quality, and a past member of the Tooling and Manufacturing Association.

Cindy Veenstra, Ph.D. is principal consultant for Veenstra and Associates, which focuses on quality in education and quality systems issues. She is an ASQ Fellow and CRE and is past chair of the Ann Arbor and Phoenix Sections. She recently completed her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering at the University of Michigan with a research focus on the modeling of engineering student success and strategies for continuous improvement in education processes.

Cliff Carson [send him email papasmom@sat-co.net ] is a retired Quality Engineering/Management Professional living in Arkansas. He is an MS Operations Management Graduate of the University of Arkansas and is a Senior Member of The American Society for Quality. He and his wife are taking it easy and enjoy visits by their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Cliff hase been active in promotion of causes for the societal good. He was co-founder of an ASQ section in Arkansas, a Co-Founder and Charter member of the Arkansas Quality Council, and Co-Founder and Initial Program Chair for the First Annual Arkansas Quality Conference (2007 was its 20th year). He has spent time as a volunteer teacher in High School and College, and initiated a program to bring adult education (basic education through college degree) in the South Arkansas area. This effort resulted in programs shared by several Arkansas Universities, Community Colleges, VoTechs. Cliff co-formed and acted as a commissioner of a water district for a parched, low-income area in Arkansas, wrote boiler plate business plans for the State of Arkansas to be used for the benefit of very small business start-ups, and held seminars for the state of Arkansas for Industry providing Quality Tools training (SPC, TQM, DOE) for process improvement in small Arkansas businesses. Cliff is an avid reader and student of world events. He has concluded that our American way of life is being compromised by those that would place party loyalty, special interests, greed, and personal influence above the good of America. It is because of this conviction that he began to write and work for the Populist cause, a cause that advocates a return to morality and fidelity of leadership, committed to rule by law - our Constitution.

Craig Williams is corporate director of quality and performance improvement with Eaton Corp. He has more than 20 years of manufacturing experience in various industries including pharmaceutical, graphic arts, aerospace, fluid power, electrical, and automotive. He is a senior member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and vice chair of TG 9001/9004 of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO/TC 176. He serves as a U.S. expert on the international drafting committee responsible for ISO 9001:2008 (TG 1.19 of ISO/TC 176/SC 2) and represents U.S. interests on the Chairman's Strategic Advisory Group (CSAG) of TC 176. He is a former chair of the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) Quality Steering Committee, a former chair of the Special Process Project Team, and a contributing member of the APQP Manual Revision Team.

Dale K. Mize, president of Advanced Quality Engineering, Inc. has more than 15 years of experience consulting and training and 21 years of technical and managerial experience comprised of 4 years in customer service, 7 years in product engineering, and 10 years in manufacturing as a quality engineer, quality manager, corporate director of quality assurance. Much of his career was spent with the General Electric Lighting Business Group, where he designed products, developed manufacturing processes and designed quality systems for high technology lighting products. During the five years he spent with Wagner Spray Tech Corp., he designed and implemented a comprehensive quality system based upon Total Quality Management principles. He began implementing Statistical Process Control in glass forming operations at General Electric in 1976 and has since implemented SPC into a multitude of processes, both manufacturing and service. Since 1988, he has consulted and taught for more than ninety companies and has trained more than 8500 persons in various quality management topics. For the past thirteen years, he has been adjunct faculty at The Management Center, University of St. Thomas, where he is also the Program Chair for Six Sigma Programs. He also provides seminars regularly through the South Dakota Technical Institutes and the Iowa Technical Colleges. He is a senior member of the American Society for Quality, a Certified Quality Engineer and Certified Quality Auditor. He has presented papers and workshops on SPC at the Minnesota Quality Conference, at the Second International Applied Statistics in Industry Conference in Wichita, Kansas and the 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001 TQM/ISO Symposia sponsored by South Dakota State University. He is co-author of the SPC training workbook, An Ounce of Prevention. He holds an AAS in Electronic Engineering Technology and a BS in Quality Management from the University of Minnesota.

Dale Morgan is an experienced consultant, facilitator, trainer, and a recognized expert in ISO 9000 and related topics. He is a senior member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). He currently serves as the National Vice President of the Service Industry Division and is a past chair of the Tulsa Section. He has also earned the designation of an ASQ Certified Quality Auditor and ISO 9000 Lead Auditor/IRCA . He is an Adjunct faculty member of Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma City University, and The University of Tulsa. He served on the Oklahoma Quality Award Committee established by the Governor's Quality Council to develop the State of Oklahoma's Quality Award and is currently a member of the Oklahoma Quality Foundation's Advisory Committee and its Board of Examiners. He has also been on the technical advisory committees for Tulsa Community College, Tulsa Technology Center, and the ASQ National Quality Forum. Dale has over fifteen years experience at the executive level in quality management with two Fortune 500 companies. He has written and implemented numerous quality assurance manuals and procedures in accordance with ISO 9000, QS 9000, AS 9000, ISO 14000, MIL Q, and ASME Standards.

Danny R. Faught, Proprietor of Tejas Software Consulting, has fourteen years of experience in the software industry. His roles have included: technical contributor, technical lead, project manager for small teams, and consultant. Danny is a charter member of the Association for Software Testing and serves as their national chairman of the local chapters committee. He is the founder of the Toolsmith Guild and the Metro-SQA networking group in Dallas/Fort Worth. He has served on the board and presented at numerous conferences. Danny is as a columnist and technical advisor for StickyMinds.com and is a regular contributor to Better Software magazine.

Dave earned his Journeyman's papers in Tool and Die Design in 1985. After working at Dyna-Craft Industries for 17 years, Dave accepted the position of Quality Assurance Manager at Clark Metal Products. In his time with Clark Metal, Dave has consolidated all quality-related documentation into an electronically controlled on-line system, and he has developed a database system for recording and trending corrective action information. Dave serves as Management Representative for the company's ISO 9001:2000 Business Management System and is a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Dave Nave is a Senior Associate. In his work at multiple Fortune 500 companies, he specializes in working with strategic initiatives tied to tactical applications (e.g.: Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, Value Engineering, Malcolm Baldrige type assessments). As an educator, coach, and mentor; he strives to help teams, groups, organizations and individuals think in new ways, apply the new thinking to improve performance, and capture financial gains. Dave holds a MBA in Management Systems (Deming Scholars Program) from Fordham University and a BS in Manufacturing Engineering Technology. He is an Institute Representative for Education and Training for The W. Edwards Deming Institute, a member of American Society for Quality and a Certified Manufacturing Engineer. Dave is a published author, and conducts private and public learning events.

Mr. Barber is the General Manager and Senior Quality Consultant / Trainer for Omnex Canada Inc. He has been a full time consultant since 1998, and estimates a total of 4,500 hours of in-class instructional training and 2,500 hours of client consultation since that time. Mr. Barber has over 18 years experience in the Quality profession with the majority of this time being spent in Quality Director / Manager and Quality Engineering roles. He has a diverse background with experience in the automotive, medical devices, consumer electronic, telecommunications, plastics, machining, and stamping industries. Mr. Barber has assisted companies in the development and implementation of cohesive quality systems that have resulted in the achievement of ISO 9001:1994, QS-9000, TS 16949:1999, ISO 9001:2000, TS 16949:2002, TL 9000, ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and Six Sigma projects. Mr. Barber is a ten-year member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and is a Certified Quality Engineer. He received his Quality Assurance Certificate (accredited by the ASQ) from Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology, has a diploma in Electronics from Radio College of Canada.

David E. Bright, a regulatory affairs and quality assurance executive with over thirty-five years experience in the health care industry, is skilled in worldwide regulatory affairs and quality assurance strategy development and program implementation, corporate-wide compliance, staff training, and operational consulting to general management. He is effective in building FDA relationships and ensuring compliance with GMPs in diverse businesses, domestically and internationally. He has held senior level corporate regulatory affairs and quality assurance positions with Baxter Healthcare Corporation, American Hospital Supply Corporation, Ciba-Geigy Corporation, and Richardson-Merrell, Inc. He has also held the position of Resident Investigator with FDA. In addition to the Food and Drug Law Institute, he is a member of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, Regulatory Affairs Professional Society, and the American Society for Quality Control. Mr. Bright has a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from Wake Forest University.

David Elam founded Summa Consultants, Inc. after nearly 20 years in the technical consulting business. He has been active in all aspects of technical consulting for small and large firms. His experience includes project execution, project management, business development, quality systems, mergers and acquisitions, training, and consulting firm management. Before starting Summa, David was employed as a Vice President, Project Director, and Practice Leader for an Engineering News-Record (ENR) 25 Environmental Consulting and Engineering Firm. David is a Certified Industrial Hygienist, a Certified Quality Manager (CQM), member of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American Society for Quality (ASQ), the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA), and the Source Evaluation Society (SES).

Mr. Shearer has been responsible for the technical integrity and performance of NWA software products since joining the company in 1984. His responsibilities include product design as well as development and verification of statistical and computational algorithms. Before joining NWA Mr. Shearer performed software support planning and developed product reliability prediction systems for Floating Point Systems. Previously, he developed large scale linear programming applications, quality control products and wood products simulation systems for Decision Dynamics. Mr. Shearer holds a B.S. in Forest Management from Oregon State University and an M.S. in Forest Economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality.

Dawn Plaskon has over 20 years of experience in the areas of quality management, consulting and support services and documentation. As Director of Quality Assurance and Documentation for Virtual Microsystems, Dawn was instrumental in developing a seamlessly automated installation process, as well as a comprehensive documentation set and beta test program for their networked coprocessor product. In addition, Dawn was responsible for developing and deploying onsite training and installation services as well as trade show exhibits for the product family. As Quality Assurance Manager at DisCopyLabs, Dawn worked with the Director of Quality Assurance to develop a paperless, intranet-based system documenting both QMS requirements and pictorial work instructions, oversee and conduct an effective internal audit program and coordinate surveillance audits to maintain the company's ISO 9002 registration. As the US Quality Manager for @Network, Dawn coordinated the development and deployment of an intranet-based QMS documentation system with the Worldwide Quality Manager and was instrumental in the selection and evaluation of the company's registrar. Dawn is a member of the Board of Directors for the Golden Gate Section of the American Society for Quality. Dawn is an ASQ Certified Quality Auditor and Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence.

Prior to founding NAVIGO, Inc., Mr. Parton launched and led two consulting practices within a major corporation, each growing with strong client demand to over $8M dollars in revenues. The focus of these practices was on leading and supporting improvements to strategic business operations. As part of executive teams, he has provided the strategy and leadership for implementing process management systems and redesigning business operations during business turn-around initiatives. Earlier, Mr. Parton applied analytical methods to the solution of product and service performance problems. Mr. Parton has BS and MS degrees in engineering and operations research. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants, IEEE and American Society for Quality.

Dick Gould is a Fellow and National Director of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). He also is an ASQ Certified Quality Manager, Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Quality Auditor, Past-Chair of the ASQ Customer-Supplier Division and the Orange Empire Section of ASQ. Dick is an enterprise level consultant and trainer with over 25 years experience of successfully implementing business and quality solutions in both large established high-tech corporations and start-up companies. A successful speaker, author, and consultant on the subjects of Supplier Quality and Quality Systems at local, national, and international levels. He has degrees from Vanguard University of Southern California and Northeastern University.

In areas of organizational diagnosis, consulting and effectiveness, Mr. LaFever's training experience extends to small and large businesses, numerous non-profit groups, local, state and federal agencies. Dick assists these organizations to address internal and external problems effecting the mission, goals and operational effectiveness. Extremely effective in establishing an open and trusting environment, Dick assists organizations and work groups to confront critical issues. The atmosphere he creates is essential for organizations wanting to build lasting and effective teams and communication systems, whether personal or professional. Well known as consultant and trainer throughout Alaska and with clients in the Lower 48, Dick works with a diversity of clients, including Aleutians East Borough, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, NANA/Marriott, Anchorage Fire Department, Nordic Calista Drilling Company, Municipality of Anchorage, Anchorage Municipal Light & Power (ML&P), Anchorage Water and Wastewater (AWWU), Department of Community and Economic Development), BP, Alaska Municipal League, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, AK Department of Fish & Game, AK Department of Corrections, Alaska Magazine, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the AK Department of Environmental Conservation. Dick is a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), Association for Conflict Resolution, Organizational Development Network (ODN), Alaska Resource Development Council, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary International. Dick is a Board Member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southcentral Alaska. A multi-talented facilitator, trainer and consultant within the government sector, Dick works closely with business and industry leaders, senior staff, senior management teams, employee teams and cross-functional teams. Dick is an adjunct instructor at Alaska Pacific University, both in the MBA and Degree Completion programs. For the past 22 years Dick has enjoyed a successful consulting and training company working in Alaska, the Lower 48 and internationally. Few facilitators are more adept at helping clients safely bring issues to the table, enabling consensus, clarifying goals and developing effective strategies.

Eric Mueller is President of EM Associates, a consulting firm serving the pharmaceutical and medical device industries in the areas of ISO 9000 Quality Systems, with particular emphasis on Design Control and Document Control; Product, Process, and Software Validation; and Supplier Quality Management. He is a quality assurance and regulatory affairs executive with over twenty-five years broad experience in the health care industry in the U.S, Europe, and Asia. He creates innovative solutions to customer quality needs, with special emphasis given to ISO 9000 compliance and training for implementation of new requirements. He has held senior level QA/RA positions with Baxter International and Travenol Laboratories. He is a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) including the Biomedical, Reliability, and Statistics Divisions, and the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS). Mr. Mueller has a B.S. in Chemistry from Case Institute of Technology.

Frank Fasano is Director of Quality with Edical May. With 13 years of professional manufacturing and Quality Assurance experience, Frank holds a Six Sigma Blackbelt certificate and a BS in Plastics Engineering from the University of Lowell. Frank was the Director of Quality at United Plastics Group, Inc. and Sr. Quality Assurance Engineer at Millitech, Inc. prior to forming his own consulting practice. Frank's professional training includes ISO9001-2000, Lean Manufacturing, and Management Education. A Six Sigma Blackbelt, Frank is also a Member of the American Society for Quality. He holds a B.S. in Plastics Engineering from University of Massachusetts at Lowell. While at Millitech, Frank was recognized by Raytheon as outstanding contributor to Minuteman Missile Program, MMP.

Dr. Frank Rudisill is an Associate Professor in the School of Business at USC Upstate where he teaches courses in Statistics, Operations Management, Management Principles, Human Resources and New Business Enterprise. Prior to joining USC Upstate, Frank spent over 25 years in industry. From 1976 through 1978, Frank was the Senior Statistician for Duke Power Company where he was responsible for forecasting Duke's long range electrical demand. From 1978 to 1982, he pursued a Ph.D. in Management Science at Clemson University and researched solar energy applications with Sandia National Laboratory of Albuquerque, NM. In 1982, Frank joined the Operations Research Department at Milliken and Company and spent 7 years applying statistical and optimization techniques in an industrial environment. In 1988, Frank became a Vice President of Quality Associates of Clemson, SC and spent the next 15 years traveling throughout the U.S. as a Quality Management/Statistical/Six Sigma consultant and trainer. Some of his clients include: the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, International Paper, Georgia Pacific and Biogen, Inc. Frank has numerous research publications and is co-author of the book, Quality Management and Measurement Systems. Frank is a member of the American Society for Quality, maintains a certification from the American Production and Inventory Control Society and is a certified ISO quality auditor.

Gene Johnson, principal of the firm, has over twenty (20) years experience in the field of operations management, and nine (9) years with Atlantic City casinos. This experience ranges across the areas of MIS, Quality Assurance, Market Research and Strategic Planning & Analysis. Gene holds a BA from Washington College and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He is also a Certified Quality Analyst (CQA) in software testing with certification from the Quality Assurance Institute. Gene is a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), the American Marketing Association (AMA), and the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA), where he serves as a member of the Technology Committee. In addition, EE Johnson Research has established a widespread network of associates whose specific expertise can be drawn upon whenever needed. Gene has managed and conducted a wide variety of qualitative research projects in the financial services industry including concept testing, new product development, web site evaluation and usability testing. Specific financial services project experience includes credit cards, online banking and bill payment, online loans, online brokerage, online payment alternatives, financial planning, youth accounts, insurance, treasury, brand image, customer service satisfaction measurement, and post-merger cultural change. This experience includes both traditional qualitative and quantitative methods as well as online qualitative and quantitative research.

George Kuniholm is the Regional Manager for CSSC Inc. Previously George was the Compliance Manager with Vertex, managing a group responsible for Computer Systems Validation and developing compliance to 21 CFR Part 11. George has participated in systems deployment projects involving Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management, Manufacturing Execution/Electronic Batch Records, and Enterprise Document Management Systems. Current projects include Chromatography Data Systems, Network Infrastructure Qualification, and Laboratory Information Management Systems. George has a Bachelors of Arts in biology and English and a Masters of Business Administration with a focus on Manufacturing Operations. He is Certified in Production and Inventory Management and he is a PDA Certified Computer Systems Auditor. George is an active member of the Society of Quality Assurance and the American Society for Quality.

GERALD R. BRONG is a self-employed teacher, writer and speaker in Ellensburg, WA. He earned a doctorate in applied education and technology from Washington State University in Pullman and is a member of ASQ.

With years of experience in international business, transportation and quality management, Henny is uniquely qualified to help organizations assess and/or formally develop their quality systems leading-up to registration to ISO 9001:2000, including assessing process performance and process improvement project management. She is a member of the American Society for Quality, a founding member of P.E.R.S.I.M.M.O.N., an organization dedicated to environmental preservation and sustainability - a volunteer to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Henny has a Master of Science. in Management Information Systems, University of Missouri, St. Louis and a B.A in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is also an ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and an experienced lead auditor.

Henry Kunath is the Director of Employee Relations and Compliance for Phoenix Care Systems, Inc. He began his career as a Residential Care Worker in Willowglen Academy - New Jersey in 1994. Throughout Mr. Kunath's career with Willowglen Academy-NJ and Bell Therapy in Wisconsin, he has served in a variety of roles; to include, multiple Residential Supervisor positions, Residential Coordinator, Program Coordinator for Day Services and he currently serves as the Corporate Compliance Officer. Mr. Kunath earned an Undergraduate degree in Organizational Administration (2000) and a Master's in Business Administration (2004) from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. He is also an active member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).

Jack Ezickson has practiced as a Certified Public Accountant since 1982. He founded his own firm in 1990 in the Philadelphia suburb of Paoli, Pennsylvania. He currently specializes in taxation and compliance for small and medium-sized businesses, accounting, financial reporting and disclosure, and management consulting with a focus on quality management sciences. He has represented clients in diverse industries and a variety of manufacturing, retail, distribution, and service businesses with emphasis on privately held companies. He also represents not-for-profit organizations, trusts and estates, and individuals in taxation compliance, management, and financial planning. Jack Ezickson has also represented a number of businesses in merger and acquisition matters, private transactions and negotiations, and valuation. He also assists clients in negotiating and structuring bank finance credit facilities. Jack Ezickson advises individual executives and members of board of directors on corporate governance and compliance matters, information systems, accounting and disclosure, and applying quality control principles to develop efficient business systems and processes. Jack Ezickson has been a member of the American Society for Quality since 1992. He utilizes the tools and techniques from the quality sciences of Deming, Juran, Crosby, and others in the approach to management consulting assignments and client advice. He has been working to introduce these methods and TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) as tools to deal with boardroom and executive strategic problems, and planning for entrepreneurial ventures. Jack Ezickson graduated from Saint Josephs University in Philadelphia Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. In addition to his continuing education in accounting and taxation, he has completed several courses in quality through Pennsylvania State University, BSI Quality Assurance, and ASQ. Jack Ezickson is a member of the American and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, and has served as chairman of the PICPA State Committee on Practitioners, a director of the Chester County Estate Planning Council, and as a member of an advisory council to the United States Congress House Ways and Means Committee on tax reform (1991). He has presented at conferences of the AICPA and PICPA on topics of taxation, accounting practice management, estate planning, and impact of future technology on accounting and business practice. Jack Ezickson has been a member of the Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies since 2003.

Jim Christman is the Project Engineer/Contracting Officer's Technical Representative for the Coastal/Global Scale Node (CGSN) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the Ocean Observing Initiative project. He is responsible for project (cost, schedule, technical) management of the $97M contract and for the quality of hardware, software and communications systems deployed for the CGSN. Mr. Christman came to JOI from NOAA in September 2007. From 1997 to 2007, he served as Deputy Program Manager and Quality Assurance Manager on the nearly $1B integrated Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS). From 1992 to 1997, he contributed to the acquisition and deployment of NOAA's highly successful $770M WSR 88D Doppler Radar program. Prior to 1992, Mr. Christman led the acquisition of the Sparrow air-to-air missile system for the Navy, and other major DoD systems and equipment. Mr. Christman has developed program performance measures for the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). He has effectively managed performance-based contracts and recently led a group of technical specialists in evaluation of contractor performance to Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans. He has coordinated relocations of IT systems. He was alternate chairman of the AWIPS Change Control Board and has written Exhibit 300 documents at OMB guidance. He participated in managing a system with 4.5 million source lines of code and managed major software builds from requirements analysis to systems integration and test through deployment. He led a Cost and Past Performance Team during evaluation of the ten-year, $300M, AWIPS performance-based O&M contract. He was the AWIPS factory-acceptance-test quality manager, and performed site acceptance tests of over 40, multi-million-dollar, IT (hardware, software and telecommunication) systems. Mr. Christman has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland. He recently completed George Washington University's Masters Certificate program in Project Management. He is a certified Level 3 COTR, a certified ISO 9001 lead auditor and a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality.

Jim has been a member of The American Society for Quality since 1992 and is an ASQ Certified Mechanical Inspector, Quality Technician and Quality Auditor. He Graduated from Waukesha County Technical College with Associate degrees in Quality Assurance and Manufacturing Engineering. Jim resides in Greenfield with his wife. They are members of Layton Avenue Baptist Church and enjoy travel, gardening, home remodeling and relaxing with family & friends.

Ms. Means holds a Masters degree in Industrial Administration from Union College, a B.A. in Mathematics from Houghton College, and is working on a graduate program in psychology. Her professional career began in the information management arena, where she progressed from developer to senior management responsibilities. For 12 of her 25 years of professional experience, Ms. Means worked with companies in a variety of industries (including manufacturing, banking, and direct mail), followed by consulting experience with an international consulting firm. Ms. Means is co-founder of Resource Advantage, Inc., and has consulted and delivered training programs throughout the United States, Western Europe, and the Pacific Rim. Ms. Means is a Certified Professional Facilitator with the International Association of Facilitators, a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the American Society for Quality (ASQ). She has authored articles on Business Process Reengineering and Facilitating Process Design, and has presented at conferences within the US and South America, the most recent including ASQ's Six Sigma conference, PMI's Global Congress, and the International Association of Facilitators conference. She has also authored several articles regarding the impact of Psychological Type and productivity in the workplace. Ms. Means is now co-authoring a book: Facilitating the Project Lifecycle : Skills & Tools to Accelerate Progress for Project Managers, Facilitators and Six Sigma Project Teams due to be published by Jossey-Bass (a division of John Wiley &Sons) in August 2005.

In February 2007, John was awarded lifetime membership in the international Who's Who of top pharmaceutical executives. And in March 2007, John was named as one of the foremost international experts on regulatory compliance, intellectual property security and information technology in R&D, new product development environments by the 30,000-member Intota organization. John grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and worked for several local and state government leaders in Alexandria and Richmond, Virginia. He earned his Bachelora s at the College of William & Mary in Virginia and his Mastera s degree at the University of Kansas. His consulting office is located in Williamsburg, Virginia near the College of William & Mary.

John Noguera is president of J.G. Noguera & Associates, specializing in teaching statistical methods and consulting in the implementation of Six Sigma Quality with a focus on practical application with return on investment, in manufacturing, transactional and service areas. His clients include: Alcoa, Allstate Financial, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Bourns Electronics, Depository Trust & Clearing Corp., DuPont, Exxon Chemical, Honeywell, Hyundai & KIA Motors, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Motorola, Nortel, QRS, Saudi Aramco, SGS-Thomson, Sony and W.R. Grace. Since 1989, he has provided consulting and training services to more than 5000 black belts, green belts, managers, engineers, and business professionals in North America, Central America, Australia, Asia, Middle East and Europe. John is a certified master black belt and instructor at the Motorola University Six Sigma Institute. He co-developed Motorola's Next Generation Six Sigma Green Belt program. John was fortunate to have started his involvement with Six Sigma being mentored by the originator of Six Sigma at Motorola, Bill Smith. John is also a senior partner with SigmaXL, a leading provider of user friendly Excel add-ins for statistical and graphical analysis. He led the development of the product called SigmaXL, used by Motorola University and other leading Six Sigma consultants. In training, he also makes extensive use of other software tools such as Minitab, Process Model, Crystal Ball, Design Expert, and SAS/JMP. Prior to the startup of his consulting firm in 1989, his industrial experience was predominantly in microelectronics product assurance, having worked for Siltronics Ltd. (1981-1983) and Northern Telecom Electronics Ltd.(1983-1989), now Nortel. His career migrated to applied statistics after the publication of an IEEE paper on statistical methods for developing test guardbands. He was an internal consultant at NTE, responsible for SPC/DOE implementation, development of statistical software tools, and training in the use of these tools. John has a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (1981) from the University of Waterloo. He is a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, American Statistical Association and Senior Member of the American Society for Quality. He has authored conference papers on SPC and Six-Sigma Quality and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Notre Dame. He is a contributing author in the Encyclopedia of Statistics in Quality and Reliability (Wiley, 2007).