Dave came to LEI in February 2006 with over 30 years of experience in manufacturing and service companies. Prior to joining LEI, Dave was the General Manager of Parker Hannifin’s Climate Systems Division a position he held for five years. Previous to this position, Dave held a wide range of senior management positions within Eaton Corporation and Aeroquip-Vickers Corporation. In addition to his experience running businesses from a general management position, Dave has held a variety of senior management positions in Business Development, Operations Management, Management Development, Human Resources and Sales and Marketing. Dave has taught executive education classes on a wide variety of lean manufacturing, strategy development and management topics. Dave holds a Bachelors degree in liberal arts and a Masters degree in Organization Development from Bowling Green State University.

Joe has developed the knowledge of lean concepts and principles over the past 18 years while he held senior leadership positions in domestic and international settings. Through extensive coaching by retired executives from Toyota Motor Company in the early 90’s, Joe developed an aptitude for maximizing product velocity and managing operations through simple visual means. This knowledge was further applied as Joe became General Manager of Chengdu Aerotech, China’s first aviation industry joint venture, and was able to integrate the elements of strategy deployment, organizational development, facility design and Lean into one cohesive business management approach. As Director of North American Operations for Ensign Bickford, he led the Company to win the Shingo Prize for operational excellence. He effectively utilized his knowledge of lean manufacturing to help Sterling Collision Centers grow from a startup to a company with 50 locations nationally (now part of Allstate Insurance Company). As Vice President of Manufacturing for the Kamatics division of Kaman Corporation, he restructured operations to double on-time delivery performance while reducing lead times by 88% for 2/3 of products. Since 2003 he has been helping clients achieve superior operating gains through Murli & Associates SP. Joe has undergraduate degrees in Manufacturing Engineering and Accounting from the State University of New York, and Post University respectively. Additionally, he holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Michael Hoseus, a co-author of the Shingo Award-winning book Toyota Culture, developed his TPS skills at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky where he worked at the General Manager level in both Production and Human Resources being mentored by his Japanese sensei. His Toyota process experience includes production, engineering, maintenance, safety, personnel, employee relations, benefits/payroll and training and development. He learned first-hand how Toyota’s success hinges on integrating their production and human systems to create the Toyota Way. Mike is the Executive Director of the Center for Quality People and Organizations and President of Lean Culture Enterprises. He supports organizations in their lean journey, focusing on leadership and cultural aspects of the lean transformation. He is an adjunct professor with the University of Kentucky’s Center for Manufacturing.

David Meier is the founder and president of Lean Associates, Inc., and is the co-author with Jeffrey Liker of the best-selling books, The Toyota Way Fieldbook (McGrah-Hill, 2005) and Toyota Talent: Developing Your People the Toyota Way (McGraw-Hill, 2007).

David learned the Toyota Production System as one of the first leaders hired at Toyota’s Georgetown, KY, facility where he worked in the plastic molding department.  Over a 10-year period in Kentucky and Japan, he received training and mentoring in TPS principles including full-time coaching by TPS experts.

As a trainer and speaker on how to launch and sustain lean transformations, David has worked in North America, Russia, Europe, Brazil, and Asia for a variety of service and manufacturing industries, including healthcare, food processing, automotive, aerospace, wood and plastic products, chemical processing, metal machining, fabricating, welding, and assembly operations.  He currently helps companies implement lean principles through Lean Associates, Inc.

Tracey has over 24 years experience in different roles within Toyota and learned lean practices as a Group Leader at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky from 1988-1998. She was one of the first team members hired, with the fortunate opportunity to learn directly from the Japanese trainers. As a Group Leader and Quality Circle Advisor, she learned first-hand about lean tools and culture development. Now, as President of Teaching Lean, Inc. Tracey currently works within Toyota Motor Manufacturing plants and suppliers and other companies on their lean journeys, helping them develop the capabilities of employees - from the team-member level up to company leadership - through problem-solving and aligning daily activities with company business plans (PDCA-hoshin), enabling these companies to create a lean culture that is the foundation for success and long term sustainability. Tracey is an active coach and contributor to LEI's MTL A3 Dojo available on lean.org. Tracey also teaches several problem-solving and A3 workshops as an LEI faculty member.