Lesa Nichols has spent over two decades guiding organizations to improved performance by applying the principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS) and Lean. 

As a key leader for Toyota North America, she led teams to analyze and solve the toughest operational problems within Toyota, including the preparation and launch of new vehicles, plants and production methods. After leaving Toyota, Lesa spent four years helping clients of the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP) to achieve successful enterprise level improvements.

In 2013, Lesa created her own firm, Lesa Nichols Consulting (LNC). Currently, she and her team help companies understand how and why to utilize principles of TPS and Lean as a competitive operations management system.

Lesa lives in Louisville and can be found at Lesanicholsconsulting.com as well as LinkedIn.

Samuel Selay is the Continuous Improvement Manager within his organization in the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton. He has worked in the field of supply chain and logistics for the past 12 years. For the last 6 years, he has managed his organization’s Continuous Process Improvement/Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Program. During this timeframe, he has facilitated/mentored 28 completed LSS projects or kaizen events. Additionally, he mapped and standardized 36 processes, conducted 90 process audits, and implemented his organization's Quality Management System, resulting in a 20% reduction in shipping defects. 

Along with project leadership, he has instructed and certified 481 employees as LSS Yellow Belts and 121 employees as LSS Green Belts. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of San Diego, a certified Logistics Technician (CLT) from the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council, and a certified ISO 9001:2008 Internal Auditor from the World Wide Quality Network. He holds a BS in Management Studies from the University of Maryland University College and a MBA in Management and Strategy from Western Governors University. 

the lean guy…

I am best known for co-founding the Lean Learning Center with partners Andy Carlino and Denny Pawley in 2001. I did this after leading successful lean journeys with several companies and many operational roles. I also co-wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean: Lessons from the Road, with Andy Carlino. I founded the lean websiteThe Lean Library, and write a column for Assembly Magazine titled “Leading Lean.”

the entrepreneur…

In addition to co-founding the Center, I also co-founded Rev! Motorcycles in 1999, and the investment and advisory firm Old Dutch Group in 2004. Old Dutch Group includes active investments in Flinchbaugh Engineering and Cobra Sport. I also serve on boards of directors and advisers, including S&S Cycle.

the education advocate…

I have always believed that an education, whether formal or not, is the best investment one can make. I chair the Board of Advisors of Oakland University’s Pawley Institute. I also serve along with my wife on the Lehigh Leadership Council. At Lehigh I have been an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, delivered an Honors Convocation Keynote Address, and began the Donald E. Flinchbaugh Memorial Scholarship. I was proud to receive the Lehigh University Alumni Award in 2004. My brother and I also support York, PA educational efforts through the Alethea and Graham Watts Memorial Fund.

the person…

I was born in York, PA where I have both friends and family still. After time in Michigan and Massachusetts, I am back in Pennsylvania in Bucks County. I have been married to my beautiful wife Jill since 1997. We have 3 wonderful children together, Emma, Jack, and Ben. Besides spending family time, I love playing and watching soccer, especially with my kids.

Mike Leigh is the President and Founder of OpX Solutions, LLC, a consulting company that specializes in helping manufacturers and other organizations pursue Operational Excellence through leadership development and process improvement.

Mike has spent most of his 30-year career in various operational leadership roles. Prior to starting his own business, he worked as a manufacturing leader and a Lean leader for General Electric, building industrial gas turbines and wind turbines for the energy industry. Before that, Mike served 10 years on active duty in the US Navy, specializing in surface warfare and nuclear propulsion. He eventually retired from the Navy Reserve as a Commander.

Mike has a B.S. degree in Computer Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and a M.S. degree from Troy State University in Human Resource Management. He also qualified as a Nuclear Engineer in the US Navy.

Mike and his family live in Roanoke, VA. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.

Andy Sheppard helps businesses to transform their manufacturing operations, and serves as a technical advisor to Lean specialists. He is the author of The Incredible Transformation of Gregory Todd: a Novel about Leadership and Managing Change.

Joseph E. Swartz is the Administrative Director of Business Transformation for Franciscan Alliance, a group of 14 hospitals in Indiana and Illinois. He has been leading continuous improvement efforts for more than 20 years, including 10 years in healthcare. 

Joe is co-author of the book Seeing David in the Stone: Finding and Seizing Great Opportunities. Joe has also co-authored the book, Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Continuous Improvements, with Mark Graban, which was awarded the 2014 Shingo Research and Professional Publication award.  He also co-authored The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen (Productivity Press).

Joe consulted from 1993 to 2005, working in automotive engineering, semiconductor manufacturing, industrial product manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and aerospace assembly. 

Joe studied Electrical Engineering at Cleveland State University as well as Management at Purdue University, where he graduated as a Krannert Scholar for academic excellence in their masters program.  He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his three children.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Cameron Stark graduated in medicine from the University of Glasgow in 1985. After working as a junior doctor in medical and surgical posts, he spent four years working in Psychiatry in the West of Scotland. Stark then trained in Public Health Medicine and has been an NHS Consultant since 1996, first in Ayrshire and then in the Highlands. He has professional qualifications in Psychiatry and Public Health and postgraduate degrees in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management (University of Leicester) and in Public Health (University of Glasgow). 

With research interests in public health, mental health and quality improvement, Stark has published over 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He has written four previous book chapters, co-edited three academic books and co-authored a recent book on the psychology of soccer coaching. 

He trained as a Lean Leader with Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust, and now coaches staff who are learning about Lean in NHS Highland. Stark is responsible for the quality assurance of Lean training materials used in NHS Highland and works with their Kaizen Promotion Office manager to arrange events and develop training. 

Away from work, Stark is married with three children, and lives in Inverness, Scotland. 

David works at Johnson & Johnson Canada, the largest consumer healthcare company in Canada, and part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

David started his career in the telecommunications sector, working at Research In Motion, and has worked in Lean and Six Sigma in the telecommunications, construction, automotive, consumer packaged goods, and healthcare sectors in Canada and globally since 2003. 

David has a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University, and his Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certificate from Villanova University.

David and his wife Cindy currently reside in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with their son. He can be found on Twitter @Leanlearnlead and LinkedIn.

Harvey Leach is a Principal Consultant with The Consultancy Company based near Oxford, England where he works with around 30 colleagues to help clients "Make Strategy Happen" by applying his experiences of Lean thinking, change management and leadership development to help them solve problems and grow their internal capability to identify and implement improvements.

Prior to joining The Consultancy Company, Harvey spent 27 years with Rover Group and BMW Group, where he gained an impressive reputation for implementing improved ways of working in every team he managed, covering areas as diverse as Product Development, New Product Introduction, Production Planning & Control and Production Strategy. Alongside this, he acted as a trainer for a number of internal programmes to grow the organisation's Lean capability – Total Quality Improvement, Leading Management and Coaching for Performance.

Over the last 11 years, Harvey has applied and developed the skills he acquired to support clients in a range of industrial and public sector organisations, covering both operational and administrative areas. In addition to leading and facilitating improvement programmes for clients, he has developed and delivered a range of highly acclaimed public and bespoke training programmes.