Peter Ward

A professor emeritus of Operations Management, holding the Richard M. Ross Emeritus Chair in Management at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, Ward frequently participates in executive education programs, including developing several successful certificate programs in lean management. He is the founder of the Lean Education Academic Network (LEAN), a global community of university educators dedicated to teaching systems thinking in universities, and the founding director of Fisher’s Master of Business Operational Excellence (MBOE) program, an innovative degree program aimed at mid-career professionals involved in transforming their organizations through lean thinking and practice. 

Ward is academic director of the Center for Operational Excellence at Ohio State, a consortium of organizations dedicated to continuous improvement and thought leadership in operations. He has served as a member of the advisory board of Ford Motor Company’s Lean Resource Center, as a judge for IndustryWeek’s America’s Best Plants Program, and as a consultant to several leading corporations. In addition to serving as chair of the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) board, Ward is a board member for the Center for Lean Engagement and Research in Healthcare and Catalysis. He also is a fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute and a life member of the Shingo Academy. Within Ohio State, Ward was chair of the Department of Management Sciences (12 years) and, more recently, senior associate dean (four years). 

Ward holds a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) from Boston University. He also has a Master of Science in business administration and a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research has resulted in numerous articles published in leading operations management journals, and he has been recognized with many awards, including the following: the 2007 Distinguished Operations Management Scholar from the Academy of Management, Shingo Prize for research, Fisher College’s Pacesetter Research award, and the Bostic-Georges Pacesetter Award for Service. His research focuses on leveraging operations to gain a competitive advantage.