Since 2008, Jeff has served as the Executive Director of the Maryland World Class Consortia, a non-profit organization that helps members understand lean principles, achieve performance excellence, and strengthen the state and regional economies. He served on the Consortia’s founding member Advisory Board in 1996, and has previously been a consulting service provider to MWCC member organizations.
Jeff is also President of Neovista Consulting, a services firm specializing in operational excellence, Lean Thinking, leadership development, change management, and building cultures of continuous improvement.
Jeff’s passion for Lean Thinking began 23 years ago, as the plant manager of a small aerospace firm where lean manufacturing provided the cornerstone of a dramatic multi-year business turnaround. He has served in other roles including quality manager, engineering director, and lean champion in industries including automotive, machining, aerospace, and solar power.
Jeff was deeply involved in the creation and expansion of a nationally-recognized system of Lean Certification that is today jointly supported by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, the Shingo Institute, and the American Society for Quality. He is currently pursuing his Lean Silver Certification and he has served on the Lean Certification Oversight Committee continuously since its inception in 2006.
Jeff’s current interests are in lean leadership, using lean to improve personal and administrative processes, and lean government. Jeff is the architect of several lean training and coaching programs that have together graduated over 1,000 lean leaders across a range of government agencies and from private sector companies. He has designed the training curriculum for Virginia Tech’s Lean Academy program.
Jeff received his Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from West Point. He is a lifelong student of team leadership, a combat veteran of the first Gulf War, and was awarded a Bronze Star Medal and a second Bronze Star for Valor. He is an examiner for both the Shingo Prize and AME’s Manufacturing Excellence Award. He is the past Chairman of the Maryland Advisory Commission for Manufacturing Competitiveness, and serves on the Board of Directors of Open Works, a Baltimore community maker space, educational resource, and small business incubator.