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Career Overview

 

High Reliability in Commercial Aviation and Healthcare Industries

Quality, Reliability, and Patient Safety Specialties

Changing paradigms to Implement a Just Culture of Quality & Efficiency

Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Sensei with 30 years of proven performance implementing and improving quality processes across industries including Healthcare in both Provider and Insurance sides of the business. High Precision Aerospace, Automotive, and Heavy Industry Manufacturing, and Department of Defense.

 

A results-focused problem solver, able to leverage superior communications skills to transform and instill a culture of continuous improvement.  Highly adept in leading and training teams, performing root cause analysis, implementing corrective actions and building knowledge data management systems and tools to standardize best practices.

 

A dynamic and strategic thinker with the highly transferable skills and experiences to achieve and exceed quality and revenue objectives using LEAN, Six Sigma, and simple common sense  Methodologies.

Span of Expertise

Lean Six Sigma | Project Management | Risk Management

Auditing & Regulatory Compliance | Process Improvement

Waste Reduction | Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Cost Efficiency | EMR Systems (Cerner / Epic) | RFID & RTLS System & Process Validation |Training & Mentorship

Problem Solving & Error Proofing | Kaizen /  RIE

Presentation & Public Speaking | Value Stream Mapping

ISO 9000 | QS 14000 | AS 9100| TS 16949

RIVIAN Automotive, LLC - Normal Illinois 

Senior Problem Solver and Quality Improvement

  • Led high profile complex projects for the proprietary electric propulsion system for the new startup company Rivian in Normal, Illinois.

G2 Quality Management Systems Consulting 

Contract Quality, Auditing, and Manufacturing Consulting

  • MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) SME Subject Matter Expert.

  • Implementing Quality Management Systems and Solving complex problems with sustainable solutions.

  • IATF 16949, AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 Manufacturing Quality Systems 3rd Party Auditor and Implementation Specialist.

  • PERRY JOHNSON REGISTRARS: Auditing, and Lean Quality Training.

  • Process capability analysis, and External 3rd Party Auditing, Quality Culture Change expertise.

  • Statistical Process Control, QMS Systems specialist, Lean Six Sigma implementation and training.

  • EATON: QMS Re-Implementation - Cornerstone Consulting 2018 Project: Led a major project to overhaul the entire QMS system and AS9100-D Qualification in Camarillo, CA to qualify for an AS9100D Audit which they had recently failed and were about to lose key customers, including Boeing. During this project we used multiple problem solving and root cause analysis tools, including Value Stream Process Mapping, Measurement Systems analysis, Statistical Process Control and Process Capability.

Kaiser Permanente - Colorado Region 

Regional Patient Safety Manager

  • The Regional Patient Safety Manager for the State of Colorado.  This position partners with the CPMG (Colorado Permanente Medical Group) Physician Director of Patient Safety in oversight of the planning, implementing and managing the Colorado Patient Safety Program initiatives in order to achieve national and regional patient safety objectives.

 

  • The purpose and objectives of our Patient Safety Program include developing, implementing and maintaining a comprehensive, proactive process that promotes patient safety and enhances the quality of care and service provided to members. 

 

  • Critical goals of the program include investigating and responding to reported clinical issues of concern, and researching, analyzing and providing guidance on various topics, such as influenza vaccination practices, new program risks and specific patient safety questions related to nursing, pharmacy, and physician practice.

 

  • We collaborate with our Purchasing department to identify, resolve and track medical product hazard alerts or recalls including Class 1 recalls and implantable devices. The Patient Safety program monitors and provides assistance to 35 medical offices and practice sites.

 

  • Kaiser Permanente’s Patient Safety Program encompasses all patient care delivery areas including the medical offices, allied health services, Kaiser Ambulatory Surgical Centers and the affiliated care programs for Denver/Boulder, Southern Colorado (Colorado Springs & Pueblo) and Northern Colorado(Fort Collins, Loveland, & Greeley) service areas.

 

AON Hewitt - ReedGroup - Westminster, Colorado

Director of Quality and Process Improvement and Innovation

  • AON Hewwit - Reed Group is a provider of clinical content services for employee leave management, to help patients on short and long term disability get back to work safely and stay healthy. Reed Group is an absence management outsourcing services and data analytics company for international employers, insurers and healthcare organizations. Reed Group serves over 3000 clients across multiple sites in a global footprint, many Fortune 100 companies among them. Reed Group is the largest exclusive provider of absence management.

 

 

Colorado Access – Aurora, CO                                                                                                                                  January 2015 – Present

Credentialing Manager - Performance Improvement Specialist – Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt

 

  • Responsible for insuring over 8,000 physicians and clinical providers are accurately credentialed and qualified to legally represent the health insurance entities represented by Colorado Access.

  • Provides planning, direction setting, and management for improving performance measures, which includes assessments, gap analysis, researching national best practices, and implementing tactics in collaboration with internal departments in operational functions. Ensures the analysis and interpretation of performance data with a continuous feedback loop.

  • Partners with leadership to interpret results, develop plans for improvement, and successfully execute the plan. Achieves goals identified in the plan with measurable objectives.

  • Demonstrates and coaches others in performance improvement and lean theory, tools, and processes. Promotes shared learning to ensure system performance and improvement. Applies proven total quality improvement methodologies such as lean, six sigma, PDSA, Kaizen, Rapid Improvement Projects, Collaborative Teams, and Special Projects.

  • Serves as a resource, facilitator, and coach in developing competencies in Performance Improvement. Facilitates and manages improvement teams.

  • Identifies and prepares analysis and quality studies for CAHPs/STARs measures. Compiles and analyzes information, research and data from a variety of sources in order to develop recommendations and track/evaluate interventions.

  • Convenes and leads task forces to implement and evaluate PDSA cycles and interventions that achieve performance goals. Heads and monitors performance improvement implementations internally with various departments.

  • Leads the design and conducts research related to best practices and benchmarks, compiles data collection, and prepares reports of quality studies and monitoring activities.

  • Provides routine and ad hoc reports to on quality improvement, initiatives, performance measures and improvement opportunities.

     

 

SCL Health (Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth) – Denver, CO                                                                          June 2013 – October 2014

Corporate Senior Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Specialist – Six Sigma Master Black Belt

 

  • A change agent leading inter-disciplinary teams and collaboratives to improve clinical processes and outcomes. Managed multiple improvement projects and teams using numerous Quality methodologies. Key driver for standardization and reduction of variation through the use of statistical analysis, plus the use, application, and adept in

    The interpretation of statistical process control charts.                        

    Using basic principles of Quality Improvement and the Deming’s philosophy, changes were made to processes and procedures to reduce Hospital Acquired Conditions by over 40% in just one year.

 

 

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital – Grand Rapids, MI                                                                                           June 2012 – June 2013

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Specialist – Six Sigma Master Black Belt  

                                                                                                                 

  • Leading hospital-wide, large-scale Lean Six Sigma patient safety and quality improvement initiatives supporting the organization’s vision and plan to be the National Benchmark for Clinical Outcomes and the Safest Health System in the Nation. Rapidly integrating and collaborating with physician and clinician teams to implement new processes and drive results across multiple departments. Developed Business Objects reports for analyzing data from Cerner EMR to provide clinicians with evidence based results for improving processes and procedures.

  • Increased the number of patients seen by the sedation department by 20% without adding headcount or cost through improved scheduling and utilization of physician assistants.

  • Currently preparing the first full scale trial of RFID and RTLS tracking across the Emergency and Sedation departments, which is projected to increase efficiency and meet new requirements of the Affordable Care Act.

  • Following the first negative revenue month in the organization’s history, successfully completed projects resulting in the training of residents to identify coding to better align inpatient versus outpatient classifications.

     

     

Johnson Controls Automotive Interiors Group – Holland, MI                                                                                      June 2011 – June 2012

Regional Director of Continuous Improvement - Midwest  

             

  • Oversaw 12 reports across six different plants. Managed the improvement of injection molding procedures, instrument panel design for manufacturing, Kaizen projects, design and process failure mode effects analysis and Lean simulations.

 

  • Solved complex quality issues relating to multiple variables (humidity, speed, drying time, etc…) for paint line processes, reducing waste by 30% + and thereby saving up to $20M annually.

St. Mary’s Medical Center – Huntington, WV                                                                                                         April 2010 – April 2011

Six Sigma Master Black Belt – Meaningful Use Implementation and CPOE

 

  • Training Senior Staff and Nursing Management in Toyota Production System and prepared high potentials for Green Belt and Black Belt Certification – Leading ARRA Meaningful Use Project for entire Hospital, as well as CPOE implementation.

 

 

G2 Engineering – Huntington, WV                                                                                                                       March 2009 – April 2010

Six Sigma Master Black Belt – ISO 9000 Management Representative – 1099 Contractor                                                      

 

  • G2 Engineering is an organization that promotes and teaches Advanced Manufacturing Technologies & Quality Methodologies, as well as ISO 9000 Implementations.

 

  • Trained Students from Six Sigma Green Belt and Six Sigma Black Belt Certification.  I also Trained midsized companies to prepare for ISO 9000 and QS 14000 Certification and walked them through the registration process while acting as the ISO Management Representative.

 

  • Created Document Control and Tracking systems

  • Established Preventative and Corrective Action Systems

  • Initiated Checklists for critical inspections and electronic signatures

  • Assisted with high value quotations for armored vehicles for Iraq

  • Created training CBT materials for vehicle usage

 

John Deere Power Systems – Waterloo, IA                                                                                                  August 2006 – March 2009

New Product Design Engineering Liaison and Quality Professional

 

  • Managed a team of new product Design engineers, quality engineers, and statisticians. Oversaw product quality, auditing, metrology and directed Gage Calibration. Directed Receiving Inspection, Engine Run Testing, Engine EPA and ISO 9000-2008 Compliance, Statistical Process Controls. Served as a key liaison between engineering design, quality, OEM customers, and marketing stakeholders.

  • Mitigated the risk of potential catastrophic engine failure due to issues identified through a successful implementation of a new SPC software system.

  • Saved 10 million dollars in potential EPA fines by Restructuring Tier 4 Test Cells on time to accommodate new government regulations and safety issues.

 

 

Case New Holland – Racine, WI                                                                                                          October 1999 – September 2005

Quality Manager 

                         

  • Served as primary quality leader for plant machining, assembly, supplier and final product processes and procedures. Maintained ISO 9000-2000 Certification as well as the Quality Management System.

  • Led a project to improve training and reduce leaks during tractor assembly which produced a 40% reduction in warranty claims within 6 months.

  • Developed training materials for replacement workers to maintain continuity ahead of a union work stoppage.

     

     

White Rubber Inc. (formerly Safety Line) – Oakland, CA                                                                      March 1996 – October 1999

Plant Manager

 

  • Recruited to align culture, processes and turn around an underperforming rubber manufacturer. Supervised a team of 154 employees and office staff. Modernized, retrained work force, drove the reduction of warrantee costs and oversaw P&L for a non-union facility through a change of business ownership.

  • Successfully transformed the organization and culture from 12 years of negative performance and losses to a profit of $1.2M within 12 months of acquisition and restructuring.

  • Motivated and improved workforce production and quality through rightsizing and realignment of roles.

Upgraded, replaced and modernized CNC machines, thereby doubling the speed of product throughput.

 

 

McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company – Long Beach, CA                                                                         July 1986 – March 1996

Senior Program Engineer - Commercial Pilot, Turbojet Fight Safety Instructor

 

  • Developed Quality and Production programs for military and commercial aircraft.

  • Selected to lead a 24 hour quick response team of five top-performing code specialists and CAD/CAM users to service critical aircraft with specialized and non-standard components.

  • Created the program to produce the first Winglet for the MD-11 and the first Winglet for the Military C-17 Cargo Aircraft which created a competitive advantage over rivals Boeing and Airbus.

  • Taught Crew Resource Management skills to Commercial Airline and Military Flight Crews.

  • DC-10 and C-17 Multiengine Turbojet Flight Systems Instructor

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