Michigan Lean Consortium elects officers and appoints board members for 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) December 10, 2009 -- The Michigan Lean Consortium, a diverse network of knowledgeable lean professionals, has elected officers and appointed board members for 2010. Willie Brown, Ken LePage, Jason Schulist, Debra Setman and Chris Wilson have been elected officers and will decide the individual positions amongst themselves. The positions are chairperson, vice chairperson, treasurer, secretary and ad hoc board member.

Rick Fleming, director of the Michigan Shingo Prize through The Right Place, and Phil Berry, senior director of Continuous Improvement at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, have been appointed board members.

During his 37-year career with General Motors Corporation, Brown gained extensive experience in manufacturing and supplier quality. Prior to his retirement in 2008, he was responsible for practicing lean management with Tier I automotive suppliers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He resides in Flint, Mich.

LePage is the associate vice president of Process Excellence at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac. He previously worked for Ford Motor Company, where he led the implementation of numerous lean manufacturing improvements and Six Sigma projects that resulted in over $40 million in operational cost savings. He resides in Canton, Mich.

Schulist serves as director of Continuous Improvement at DTE Energy, during which DTE has saved over $500 million while building continuous improvement capability within the organization, especially among C-level executives. He resides in Canton, Mich.

Setman, the executive director of Strategy Development and Business Improvement at Johnson & Johnson, has learned to use lean principles in business settings to improve organizational productivity and save organizations hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of her career. She resides in South Lyon, Mich.

Wilson recently retired as director of Operational Excellence for Amway Corporation with more than 20 years of leadership, domestic and international experience. He has helped create a learning organization where thousands of Amway employees are using problem-solving techniques to improve the way they do their jobs, while the company has significant cost savings. He resides in Ada, Mich.

The mission of the MLC is to offer a diverse network of knowledgeable lean professionals who come together to share innovative practices. The organization aims to create a lean culture in Michigan to ensure sustainable competitive advantage, which could translate into healthier businesses that offer more job opportunities leading to economic growth in the state.

The charter members of the MLC include: Amway, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, DTE Energy, Johnson & Johnson, The Lean Learning Center, Northwestern Michigan College, The Pawley Learning Institute at Oakland University and the Michigan Shingo Prize through The Right Place.

Michigan Lean Consortium     Oakland University     Pawley Learning Institute