What’s Love got to do with it? With Julie Simmons

Gemma started her career studying Mechanical Engineering at Cardiff University. She quickly discovered the world of Continuous Improvement and spent 20 years working to improve processes and systems within various manufacturing industries including Automotive, Pharmaceutical, Dairy, Cosmetics & Toiletries, Food, and Medical Devices. She has been a CI Manager numerous times and an Operations Manager running a factory of over 500 people.Gemma is hugely passionate about Improvement and developing people and processes. She gets such a kick out of coaching and facilitating, especially when she sees the lightbulb switch on in someone's head – when they solve a problem; when they realize they have the power to change; or when they get excited about all the improvements they could make.In 2019, Gemma left the world of employment to establish her own business, SPARK Improvement, aiming to switch on as many lightbulbs as possible. Her mission is to help organizations and individuals be the BEST they can be, by helping people SEE, helping people THINK, and helping people CHANGE.Gemma is based in Cheshire in the UK, working globally.Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.

Julie Simmons, now retired, worked with her husband Scott as part of the Scott Wade Simmons & Associates, LLC providing leadership coaching and training in Strategy Development and Deployment, Leadership Development, and the Improvement Kata & Coaching Kata. Julie always had a passion for helping others develop their skills, capabilities, and confidence to solve complex challenges in their organizations using scientific thinking. Julie had the honor to be a frequent speaker and presenter at KataCon. Julie retired as the Executive Director for the Northwest High Performance Enterprise Consortium (NWHPEC) in January 2018 after leading the organization for fifteen years. As the Executive Director, Julie was responsible for promoting the vision, mission, and purpose of the consortium within the Portland and Vancouver business area.  Prior to joining NWHPEC in 2004, Julie worked at the The Boeing Company for 14 years as Flight Line Expeditor, Shortage Controller, Supply Chain Analyst, and Manufacturing Process Analyst. She developed her skills as a Continuous Improvement practitioner while working as a Manufacturing Process Analyst where she became a Certified Accelerated Improvement Workshop leader and supported several Shingijutsu led Kaizen events. In retirement, Julie spends her time planning future travel, cooking for family and friends, and spending time with her husband Scott in all of their shared hobbies.Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.

Mark Reich spent 23 years working for Toyota, starting in 1988 with six years in Japan in the Overseas Planning Division, where he was responsible for Product Planning and collaborated with Chief Engineers to define vehicle specifications for overseas markets. This pivotal time was when Toyota introduced the Lexus to the world.In 1994, Mark returned to the United States and transitioned to the Toyota Supplier Support Center (TSSC), a non-profit organization Toyota in North America established dedicated to the practical application of the Toyota Production System (TPS) across various sectors. While at TSSC, he worked to extend TPS beyond manufacturing into healthcare and non-profits, which remains a key focus of TSSC's mission.Mark joined Toyota's Corporate Strategy group in North America in 2001, serving as Assistant General Manager. He managed Toyota’s North American hoshin kanri process during a period of significant growth that saw sales and production nearly double over the next decade. Hoshin kanri was essential for aligning the organization during this transformative time.In 2011, Mark transitioned to the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) and has held several positions, including Chief Operating Officer and, since 2018, Senior Coach and Chief Engineer, Strategy. He has led lean transformations and coached executives in hoshin kanri across various industries, with clients including Freeman, GE Appliances, Legal Sea Foods, Michigan Medicine, Nucleus Software, and Turner Construction.Mark is now the author of Managing on Purpose, published by LEI in March 2025. This workbook is vital for leaders looking to implement hoshin kanri effectively within their organizations. It provides practical insights into developing corporate and departmental hoshins while fostering leadership development and innovation. The book includes a fictional case study featuring TrueMowers, allowing readers to apply hoshin kanri concepts in a relatable context.Mark earned his bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and specialized in Japanese studies at Nanzan University. He resides outside of Cincinnati with his wife and daughters. He is fluent in written and spoken Japanese.Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.

Andrew is the Founder and Managing Director of Agility Consulting Group. He is a leadership enthusiast who is passionate about building leadership capacity to help organisations to make progress on big complex problems. He has been an Adjunct Faculty at the Australia Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at the University of NSW for 15 years where he facilitates executive programs in adaptive leadership and leadership agility. He is also the author of Survive and Thrive; 120 Ideas to Cultivate Your Leadership Agility. and in 2025 launched Getting Unstuck – How Learning Bravely is a Superpower for Personal Change and Growth.Andrew is a Visting Faculty of the United Nations System Staff College where he has delivered a number of leadership programs in Turin.He can be contacted at cultivateagility.comLink to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.

Jacob Raymer is an internationally recognized speaker who addresses corporate, public and universityaudiences on the subjects of leadership roles and responsibilities, cultural transformation, and how to achieveorganizational excellence with the right behavior and sustainable long-term results. As the Shingo Institute’sformer Director of Education, Jacob co-created the Shingo Model and developed the foundational learningcourses taught at the Shingo Institute. He has trained Shingo examiners and thousands of individualsworldwide on how to assess and establish lean mindsets and method. In 2006, Jacob pioneered the concept ‘key behavior indicators’ (KBIs). Today many world-wide organizations have now adopted this term and concept to expand their desired outcomes with key performance indicators(KPIs). By combining KPI and KBI, Jacob’s consulting firm has led the development and application of behavior-based strategy deployment; building systems to drive the right behavior; and developing internal behavioralassessments. The United State Airforce invited Jacob to join a team of global subject matter experts to create their leanleadership development program (AFSO21) in 2006. He was commissioned to lead the leadershipdevelopment for United States Airforce Europe – working with leaders throughout 93 countries. His workchallenged leaders’ mindsets around lean tools and how to lead by integrating guiding principles.After spending over a decade with the Shingo Institute he joined Munson Healthcare, northern Michigan’slargest healthcare system as their Chief Transformation Officer. At Munson Healthcare, Jacob spent sevenyears creating and deploying an organizational lean operating system and alignment framework anchored toguiding principles that are now integrated into nine hospitals and over 150 clinics. Currently Jacob supports the Shingo Institute as a Faculty Fellow by continuing his work in creating learning frameworks to help organizations effectively integrate the Shingo Model. He was recognized and awarded as alifetime member to the Shingo Academy in 2021 for his global contributions to operational excellence. Jacob continues to support various organizations through executive coaching and consulting. Current companies include: Amazon, General Motors, Android, UCLA Healthcare System, University of KansasHealthcare System and University of New Mexico Healthcare System Past organizations include: 3M, Raytheon Missile Systems, Boston Scientific, Boeing, Daimler, Intermountain Healthcare, Perrigo, Canadian Government-EDC, Switzerland Government-HealthcareLink to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.

Stephen Hunter PT, DPT, OCS, FAPTA received his Bachelor of Arts in physical therapy from University of Utah in 1984, and his clinical doctorate in 2008. He is board certified in orthopedic physical therapy. Currently, Stephen continues to treat patients and is the director of Internal Process Control for Intermountain Health’s rehabilitation services. He leads a team of 4 internal process control coordinators who work to establish a culture of quality and standardize evidence-based care across all rehabilitation disciplines and services. He is the past president of NARA (National Association of Rehabilitation Providers and Agencies). He supports research efforts including data collection and clinical implementation. Examples include investigations on Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) and low back pain (LBP) resulting in recent publications (Minick 2022, Caplin 2022) and three randomized LBP trials (Brennan 2006, Fritz 2014, Delitto 2020). He was the lead clinical author for a review publication developing a care guideline for TKA for physical therapists (Jette 2020).  Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.

By founding Lean Institute Brasil in 1999 to disseminate the principles and practices of lean thinking to Brazilian companies, Ferro helped catalyze a global movement to establish lean institutes in other countries, which ultimately grew into the Lean Global Network, chartered in 2007.In the late eighties, he was a visiting scholar in MIT’s International Motor Vehicle Research Program (IMVP), which introduced the term “lean” to describe Toyota’s revolutionary management system. In the nineties, Ferro authored chapters for the Brazilian edition of several books, all published by Editora Campus, Rio de Janeiro: The Machine That Changed the World, A máquina que mudou o mundo, by James Womack, Dan Jones and Daniel Roos, 1992; Collision, Colisão – GM, VW e Toyota, by Maryann Keller, 1994; and Lean Thinking, Mentalidade Enxuta nas empresas, by James Womack and Dan Jones, 1998. Also, he is coauthor of “Brazil: A New Pattern of Industrial Relations” in After Lean Production, coordinated by MacDuffie, Kochan and Lansbury (Cornell University Press, 1998).Ferro has worked with Autosector, an association of labor, industry, and government that aided the auto industry in Brazil. He has also worked with the National Association of Automotive Manufacturers, the Brazilian Association of Vehicle Importers, the Union of Metallurgy Companies, and the State of Bahia government. Ferro received PhD and master’s degrees in business administration, Getulio Vargas Foundation, and production engineering from the University of São Paulo in São Carlos. Since 1992, he has been a professor in the economics department at the School of Business Administration at São Paulo, Getulio Vargas Foundation. Ferro has also been a professor at the University of Campinas, Statistics and Computer Science Institute.Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.

Rusty is the founder and CEO of Resonate Leadership Lab, a healthcare leadership development consultancy with a mission of “Building Leadership Capabilities.” His passion for developing leaders and shaping organizational culture are hallmarks of his 30 years as a physician executive. Rusty has degrees in both Religious Studies and Psychology, and considers himself a lifelong student of how leaders and teams accomplish great things.Rusty’s leadership has been central to three health system mergers, integrations and ownership changes involving academic, non-profit, venture capital, private equity and publicly traded entities. Most recently, he was chief medical officer for Lifepoint Health, a national health system comprised of 89 hospitals in 30 states, where he led the organization to win the John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. Previously, Rusty was chief operating officer and chief clinical officer of Cogent Healthcare, a provider of hospital medicine and critical care solutions in over 120 locations in 28 states. He began his career as faculty at the University of Minnesota and senior medical director of hospital services for HealthPartners. Rusty completed his undergraduate and medical school training at Washington University in St. Louis, and his Internal Medicine residency and chief residency at the University of Minnesota.Rusty has served as Past-President of the Society of Hospital Medicine, founder of the SHM Leadership Academies, is a Nashville Healthcare Council Fellow, voted a Top 50 Physician Executive for Modern Healthcare, and is an author and co-editor of the textbook, Comprehensive Hospital Medicine. His frequent speaking engagements have included the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, American Hospital Association, Society of Hospital Medicine and the American College of Healthcare Executives, among others. Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.

Michael Gallagher is an Executive Lean Leader with GE Aerospace. After 14 years in the auto industry Michael has held several roles in 14 years with GE including Lean Six Sigma Leader, Quality Leader, and Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Leader before taking his current position leading the Finance Kaizen Promotion Office at GE Aerospace.Michael received his MBA in Supply Chain Management with a concentration in Operations from Michigan State University. In addition to a busy career, Mr. Gallagher serves as Chairman of the Board of Make-A-Wish of Greater Virginia and coordinated testing for his local chapter of MENSA. He enjoys hiking, ultra-marathon running, and volunteering. He and his wife currently reside in Virginia. He has three children and two grandsons.Priya Oscar is an Executive Lean Leader with GE Aerospace Finance. Priya has over 20 years of experience in GE Finance roles serving several divisions with Commercial Engines Services and Defense & Systems in GE Aerospace. Over the past 5 years she has held Lean Leader roles, supporting finance teams simplify their processes and solve problems at Aerospace and Corporate, before taking her current position with the GE Aerospace Finance Kaizen Promotion Office.Priya received her MBA in Finance from S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai. Priya enjoys reading, snorkeling, traveling and learning something new every day.She currently resides in Cincinnati, OH with her young daughter.Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.

Derek Leiner trained in internal medicine at VCUHealth and the Richmond VA Medical Center. In 2018, he completed a year as Chief Resident for Quality and Safety, a national VA QI and safety training program then began as a staff physician at the Richmond VA Medical Center.  His career has included teaching, education leadership as an Associate Program Director for a medicine training program, and safety culture leadership.  Derek currently works as an academic hospitalist and is the physician champion for high reliability at the Richmond VA Medical Center.  He has a passion for humanism, collaborative care, and just culture.Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.