Connecting the Dots

John A. Dues serves as the chief learning officer and chief operating officer at United Schools in Columbus, Ohio. He is an accomplished systems leader and improvement science scholar-practitioner and recently published his first book entitled Win-Win: W. Edwards Deming, the System of Profound Knowledge, and the Science of Improving Schools. Throughout his career he has served on the founding team...

Cheryl Strauss Einhorn is the creator of the AREA Method, a decision-making system for individuals, companies, and nonprofits to solve complex problems. Cheryl is the founder of the decision-sciences company Decisive, offering leadership training, curriculum, coaching, and professional development services, and is an adjunct professor at Cornell University. She is the author of the award-winning b...

Scott Mautz is a popular keynote speaker, trainer, and author whose books include the bestselling Leading from the Middle and The Mentally Strong Leader. He’s a former Procter & Gamble senior executive who successfully ran several of the company’s largest multi-billion-dollar businesses. Scott’s a leading instructor on LinkedIn Learning, where his courses have been taken over three million tim...

Elisabeth Swan has spent more than 3 decades helping people figure out what’s wrong with processes—and what to do about it. A Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, she has coached and taught thousands of problem solvers, from local nonprofits to Fortune 100 companies, helping them build better systems and stronger problem-solving cultures. These days, she’s equally interested in what we’re not trained...

John A. Dues serves as the chief learning officer and chief operating officer at United Schools in Columbus, Ohio. He is an accomplished systems leader and improvement science scholar-practitioner and recently published his first book entitled Win-Win: W. Edwards Deming, the System of Profound Knowledge, and the Science of Improving Schools. Throughout his career he has served on the founding team...

Barry O’Reilly is an entrepreneur, executive advisor, and bestselling author who works with senior leaders to redesign how their organizations perform, make decisions, and innovate at scale. He is the co-founder of Nobody Studios, a global Top 10 AI venture studio building and launching 100 companies in five years—applying venture-speed experimentation to de-risk new business creation before signi...

Brad Nelson is the author of I Think, Therefore I Know: Scientific Thinking for Unscientific Organizations , co-host of The Agile for Agilists podcast, and organizer of Agile Detroit. Drawing on experience in lean manufacturing, software development, and organizational change, he explores how incentives, feedback, and learning shape organizations and the people within them. He lives in Metro Detro...

Dan Pontefract is a renowned leadership strategist, author, and keynote speaker with over two decades of experience in senior executive roles at companies such as SAP, TELUS, and Business Objects. Since then, he has worked with organizations worldwide, including Salesforce, Amgen, Nestlé, Virgin Media O2, Autodesk, BMO, the Government of Canada, Manulife, Nutrien, and BDO, among others. As an awar...

Koreen Pagano is a globally recognized expert in skills strategy, AI transformation, analytics, learning technology, and immersive experiences. She founded Tandem Learning, where she pioneered immersive learning through virtual worlds, games, and simulations. She has held product leadership roles at Lynda.com, LinkedIn, D2L, Degreed, and Wiley. Today, Pagano advises organizations on AI and skills...

Brad Stulberg researches, writes, and coaches on performance, well-being, and sustainable excellence. He is the bestselling author of The Practice of Groundedness, Master of Change, and co-author of Peak Performance. Stulberg regularly contributes to the New York Times, and his work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic among many other outlets. He serves as the co-host of...

Lavon Medlock has spent over two decades enhancing leaders’ skills in problem-solving and coaching. Skilled in a variety of continuous improvement methods, she has trained leaders in creating effective daily management systems, deployed an integrated facility design approach to new construction projects like a 90,000-square-foot patient tower, and enhanced operations across different sectors. With...

Richard Mainwaring, MD, has been a pediatric cardiac surgeon since 1990 and has been a faculty member at the Stanford University School of Medicine since 2003. During Dr. Mainwaring’s career as a surgeon, he has contributed to this specialized field of surgery in many realms, including clinical medicine, basic science research, and publications. Dr. Mainwaring is a member of all four professional...

Margie is an organizational effectiveness and Lean Thinking / Continuous Improvement teacher and coach. For over thirty years, she has helped executives and senior leaders recognize their changing roles and responsibilities in complex systems. By providing frameworks for thinking and learning, and evidence-based structures for practice, she supports leaders in identifying and developing appropriat...

DJ Mitsch, CEO, MCC is a pioneering executive coach, healthcare leadership educator, entrepreneur, and thought leader who helped shape the coaching profession over three decades. A former broadcast industry executive and Founder of The Pyramid Resource Group, she was among the early innovators to scale coaching for organizations and served as the sixth president of the International Coach Federati...

Charles is the Founder & CEO of Ideation, a firm that helps brands scale their vision through strategic clarity and smart brand execution that produces measurable results. For years, Charles has worked with clients across industries including technology, legal, financial services, venture capital, sports and entertainment, healthcare, nonprofit, academics, and public institutions. He is a trus...

Colin M. Fisher, Ph. D. is a professor, author, speaker, and occasional jazz trumpet player. He is the author of The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups, which has already been translated into eleven languages. His academic research on group dynamics, creativity, improvisation, and leadership has been published in the field’s top academic journals and featured in prominent media...

Anna Pessah leads The North Valley Way, the operating system at Kaiser Permanente in the North Valley Service Area. Anna is an industrial engineer from the University of Michigan and she is an ICF-certified coach. She brings a blend of systems thinking, operational improvement, and leadership development to her work. She is known for keeping things clear and practical, helping leaders generate ins...

Rebecca Hinds is the bestselling author of Your Best Meeting Ever and a leading expert on work transformation and the future of work. Rebecca earned a B.S., M.S., and Ph. D. from Stanford University. In 2022, she founded the Work Innovation Lab at Asana, a first-of-its-kind think tank that conducts actionable research to help leaders and organizations navigate the growing challenges and changes of...

Craig Earley serves as the COO at Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis. In this role, Craig provided strategic leadership across numerous ancillary and clinical service lines, driving improvements in coordination, efficiency, patient experience, and employee engagement. His leadership contributed to meaningful reductions in test turnaround times and length of stay, as well as record-high outpatient...

Fabrice Bernhard is the co‑founder and Chief Technology Officer of Theodo Group, a global technology consulting firm he co‑founded in Paris in 2009. Under his technical leadership, Theodo has grown rapidly by combining Lean principles with modern software engineering to help organizations build scalable, resilient digital capabilities. Fabrice is a recognized thought leader in Lean Tech, advocatin...

Graham Allcott is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. He is the author of multiple books, including the global bestseller How to Be a Productivity Ninja, How to Have the Energy, and How to Fix Meetings. His latest book, KIND: The Quiet Power of Kindness at Work, focuses on why organisations with kinder, more human-centred cultures are ultimately more successful. He is the founder of Think Produc...

Lavon Medlock has spent over two decades enhancing leaders’ skills in problem-solving and coaching. Skilled in a variety of continuous improvement methods, she has trained leaders in creating effective daily management systems, deployed an integrated facility design approach to new construction projects like a 90,000-square-foot patient tower, and enhanced operations across different sectors. With...

Jennifer Katongole is a continuous improvement coach and facilitator based in Kampala, Uganda, working with Medical Teams International. With over 15 years in the nonprofit sector across Africa and the United States, Jennifer blends Lean and Kata thinking with facilitation to help teams break down silos, focus on what matters most, and deliver life-saving care in even the toughest environments. Th...

Dr. Marcia Reynolds, Master Certified Coach and Neuroplastician, is passionate about coaching leaders to engage in powerful conversations that connect, influence, and activate change. She has coached leaders, delivered leadership and emotional intelligence programs, and spoken at conferences in 47 countries. She has also presented at many universities including Harvard Kennedy School and Cornell U...

For the last 20 years Rami serves as the CEO of Goldratt Group the largest global consultancy specializing in Theory of Constraints (TOC). Goldratt Group was founded by his father, Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt, with a mission to support managers in achieving breakthrough results. Rami has consulted a wide array of industries worldwide and is considered one of the most influential leaders in the TOC body o...