2019 Speakers

Professor Iyer is the Susan Bulkeley Butler Chair in Operations Management at Purdue University. He is the Department Head and Senior Associate Dean at the Krannert School of the Management. He is also currently the Director of DCMME (Dauch Center for the Management of Manufacturing Enterprises) and GSCMI (Global Supply Chain Management Initiative) at the Krannert. He was the faculty director of PurdueNExT, an online learning initiative at Purdue University focused on research-related certificate courses and operated within the Provost’s office, from 2012-2016. His teaching and research interests are operations and supply chain management. Professor Iyer’s research currently focuses on analysis of supply chains including the modeling of spare parts supply chains, auto industry supply chains, logistics systems in the grocery industry, contracts and inventory management in the fashion industry and analysis of the impact of competitors on operational management models and the role of supply contracts. His published works have appeared in Operations Research, Management Science, M&SOM Journal, EJOR, OR Letters, Networks etc. He is also the author of four books dealing with supply chains. He has been Department Editor of Management Science and Associate Editor of Operations Research, on the editorial boards of Operations Research Letters, IIE Transactions, the ECR Journal and Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, the POMS Board and member of INFORMS. He was president-elect of the MSOM Society of INFORMS in 2001-02 and served as president for the year 2002-03. Prior to joining the Krannert faculty in 1996, Professor Iyer taught at the University of Chicago. Ananth Iyer has a PhD from the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, an MS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Syracuse University and a B Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay.

Finished a graduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Aalborg University in Denmark in 1996. My industrial engineering career started in Detroit Michigan where I had the privilege to work with the big three and others related companies. Later I would move to Germany to work as a program manager for a European automotive supplier. In 2006 I decided to move from automotive to medical device manufacturing. Moved back to USA and started at Ossur HF as Director of Distribution. In 2013, I was promoted to VP of Manufacturing and Operations for Össur Americas Inc. In 2017 I was asked to lead a Strategic Sourcing initiative for Ossur and today I am overseeing all sourcing, procurement and planning activities globally. My objective is to leverage my Sourcing, manufacturing and distribution experience to help Össur establish itself as a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of non-invasive orthopedic devices.

Ed Magee brings over 25 years of diverse work and life experience to his current role as Senior Vice President of Operations at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC),one of the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers and distributors, transforming music history since 1946.Having spent a decade at Harley-Davidson, Magee knew what it felt like to be at a company with an incredibly passionate consumer base and a true sense of purpose, and was immediately drawn to Fender knowing the opportunity to once again be at a company with immense passion, purpose, history and further potential. Magee’s passion for manufacturing, learning and process improvement is clear in his experience and vision. As the SVP of Operations, he oversees internal manufacturing in Fender’s Corona, Calif and Ensenada, Mexico factories, as well as new product introduction, the Fender Custom Shop, supply chain and purchasing, logistics and distribution, and planning. He aims to build strong connections between the front-and back-end of the business in order to create the right product at the most opportune time – and get it in the hands of the right customer in the right channel. He is currently working on developing build standards for each aspect of making a guitar,after successfully moving a warehouse and implementing a new warehouse management system in 2016. He notes that the level of teamwork and collaboration between operations, IT,sales, and finance was eye-watering and inspirational, and reaffirmed his love for the company and the overall vision. Prior to falling in love with the guitar-making process and the opportunity for continuous improvement at Fender, Magee spent 15 years flying the A-6E Intruder and the F/A-18 Hornet for the United States Marine Corps, earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.After his time in service, he spent a decade at Harley-Davidson Motor Company in their Kansas City, Milwaukee, and York, Pa. factories and also ran a 13-factory operating company for 3 years at ABB in Memphis, Tenn. The SVP of Operations is currently learning to master playing his American Professional Telecaster with the help of his Fender Play lessons and is most inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan. He also loves Prince and Jimi Hendrix, and cites The Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flashband the Furious Five as the artists whose albums are among the first he ever owned. Outside of work and music, the Lafayette,La.native spends time with his wife Jamelle and their daughters, the eldest of which is an accomplished guitarist herself. Magee is known to come up with his own “Ed-isms,” which include sayings like “self-licking ice cream cone” and “giddy up.

Geoff has managed many different functions within the Supply Chain area, including Supplier Quality, Customer Order Fulfilment, Warehousing and Logistics, but most of his experience is in Sourcing, Purchasing, and Planning. Geoff has worked with suppliers and customers in the electronics distribution industry for 17 years in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, dealing with some of their most complicated global supply chain challenges. Currently, he leads the Supply Chain area at Cree Lighting, a leading provider of LED lighting solutions to retail, transportation, and industry.

Greg Toornman is the Global Vice-President of Materials, Logistics, and Demand Planning at AGCO Corporation based in Duluth, Georgia. AGCO, with revenues of over $9.4 billion in 2018, is a global manufacturer of farm equipment. As the Global Vice-President of Materials, Logistics, and Demand Planning for AGCO Corporation, he is responsible to lead the transformation of AGCO’s Global Materials and Logistics functions into an integrated and innovative global organization providing a competitive advantage in the global market place. Greg has global functional responsibility for all of AGCO´s Materials and Logistics Management across 53 assembly and manufacturing sites. Globally Greg leads a team of 450 salaried and 2,150 hourly team members. AGCO’s award winning supply chain team has been received a number of awards. In 2016 the German BVL Supply Chain Innovation award, in 2017 the European Logistics Association’s 2017 Supply Chain Innovation Gold Medal, and in 2018 winning the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing’s (CFLP) China Automotive Logistics 2018 Innovation Award. AGCO's Global Material Management functions have delivered an innovative and globally integrated network that delivers a competitive advantage in the global market place. Greg assumed his current role in September 2012, after three successful transformational assignments within AGCO´s Global Purchasing organization from 2004 thru 2012; Previous AGCO assignments were based in Brasil, Switzerland and the United States. Greg joined AGCO Corporation in November of 2004. Prior to joining AGCO Greg served with CIENA Corporation in Baltimore, Maryland as the Senior Director of Global Supply Chain, PACCAR´s Kenworth Truck Division in Kirkland, Washington as the division Director of Materials Management, Peregrine Corporation in Toronto, Canada, and Nippondenso Corporation in various Operational and Materials Management roles. Greg has been serving on the Western Michigan University Integrated Supply Management (ISM) programs executive council since 2012. The WMU ISM program is highly recognized on a global basis resulting from the programs innovative approach in developing supply chain talent. Greg received a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Marketing and Operations Management from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1992 and continued further development at Emory and Stanford University Executive Leadership programs.

Jeremy is the Vice President of Supply Chain Optimization at The Exchange. The Exchange is the Department of Defense’s largest retailer—ranked 61st among all U.S. retailers – serving Soldiers, Airmen and military families wherever they serve around the world. In this role Jeremy is responsible for the continuous improvement of the Exchange’s end-to-end global supply chain network, with a scope that ranges from merchandise selection to the end customer and all points in between. Jeremy has been with The Exchange for 17 years, holding roles in Information Technology, Merchandise Planning, and Supply Chain. Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems, an MBA in Strategic Leadership, and a Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) license from APICS.

After serving 3 years in the US Army as a medic, Kate graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a BS in Geoscience and started her logistics carrier with Roadway Express. Over the next decade Kate gained manufacturing experience in the tire industry as Operations Manager for Bridgestone and Titan Tire, returning to logistics with Target Stores. In this role she was responsible for domestic transportation and peak season planning & earned an MBA in Supply Chain Management from Carlson School, University of Minnesota, before leaving Minneapolis. To obtain additional education from the carrier side, Kate headed up dedicated operations for Western Express and had a dry van sales territory. She returned to the shipper side with Dr Pepper Snapple Group and then Lennox International with dedicated fleet and domestic freight responsibilities. Kate currently is Director of Global Transportation for Interstate Batteries, responsible for domestic and international freight & warehouse distribution models, indirect procurement, trade compliance, and facilities. Kate has participated in numerous panels and customer advisory boards such as CSCMP, FTR Annual Conference, Union Pacific Shipper Conference, and various carrier advisory boards. Topics have included Intermodal conversion strategies, freight collaboration between shippers, dedicated fleet tactics, indirect spend management and general state of the industry opinions.

Keith has over 25 years of leadership and practical experience in the supply chain space of several diverse and well-known organizations. The industries range from textiles, telecommunication to two of the most recognizable brands in the world: The Home Depot and Coca Cola Company. During his journey, he’s garnered an array of unique, value-added successes and achievements ranging from supply chain transformations, merger and acquisitions, decoupling businesses, brand ingestions and the recent historic re-franchising of the Coca Cola system. He’s also an engineer from Georgia Tech Institute of Technology and certified Six Sigma Lean Black Belt.

Ken oversees sales, product and service enhancements and innovations at Logistyx and leads teams in charge of marketing and product development focused on bringing the industry’s most robust offering to shippers around the globe. Since the mid-1990s, Ken has led successful launches of many new technologies and services, including supply chain management, e-commerce, SaaS, and enterprise software and systems integration solutions. Ken most recently served as CEO of Eyefreight, where he grew revenue ten-fold during his five years at the company. Prior to Eyefreight, Ken served in a variety of executive and management roles at Transora, Kewill, Sterling Commerce and other technology businesses. Ken studied computer science at Mohawk College.

Kirsten Donisi is Program Manager of Operational Excellence for Global Procurement and Logistics for Johns Manville. She is responsible for all OPEX initiatives and the project portfolio for the Global Procurement and Logistics team. Kirsten joined Johns Manville in 2015 as a Customer Service Manager in the Roofing Systems Division, after working as a Customer Service and Logistics Manager with Smithfield Foods. Kirsten holds an MS in Organizational Leadership and her PMP, as well as a Greenbelt in Lean Six Sigma. Kirsten is involved in victim assistance with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in the South Metro Denver area and participates in many charity 5ks throughout the year. Kirsten has lived in the Denver area for more than 20 years and loves to hike and camp in the local mountains with her Husky mix, Skyla. Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B), is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has annual sales over $3 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs 8,000 people and operates 42 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.

Lanny Million serves as Executive VP and Chief Supply Chain Officer for IEWC Global Solutions, a global distributor of wire and cable products. He is a Board Member and ESOP Trustee for the company as well. He joined IEWC Global Solutions in 2014 as Sr. Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions. Prior to IEWC, as part of his 30 year career in manufacturing and distribution, Lanny was Vice President, Operations for Prestolite Wire LLC for 10 years, where he was responsible for as many as 7 manufacturing and distribution plants and led that organization to become one of the most trusted wire & cable suppliers in the industry. Lanny has also held financial and operations positions with major corporations such as Pentair and Sunbeam, as well as a role as General Manager of Zila, a Division of Tolmar Pharmaceuticals. Lanny graduated from Arkansas State University with a B.S. degree in Business, including an emphasis in Operations and Finance. He has participated in and led numerous events championing lean manufacturing and waste reduction techniques, kaizen events and continuous improvement initiatives, and has performed in a number of international business roles.

Marc Rands serves as Vice President, Global Operations for Materion Corporation, a global leader in advanced materials. In his role, Marc has full oversight over all global manufacturing locations, leading a synergistic approach to driving operating efficiencies, creating best practices, refining asset management processes and promoting a culture of “safety first” with the primary goal of returning employees home safely each day. Before joining Materion, Marc served as Vice President, Integrated Supply Chain for Honeywell where he was responsible for plant operations in US, EMEA and APAC regions. Marc holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arkansas and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Marcia Howes is Vice President of Global Procurement and Logistics for Johns Manville. She is responsible for all sourcing and logistics activities for the company. Marcia joined Johns Manville in 2017 after working as Chief Supply Chain Officer for BJC Healthcare in St. Louis, MO. Earlier in her career, Marcia worked as Vice President of Global Supply Chain for Ecolab; as Executive Director of Supply Chain & Operations Improvement for Amgen Inc.; and as Director of Supply Chain and Quality Processes for Honeywell’s Specialty Materials. Marcia’s community involvement includes serving on the Strategic Advisory Board of Surge for Water and she is active in local charities that support public health initiatives. Marcia earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, a master’s degree in public health from The Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland. She is a Certified Supply Chain Professional through APICS, a Gallup-Certified StrengthsFinder coach and a Lean Six Sigma practitioner. She and her husband live in Denver. Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B), is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has annual sales over $3 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs 8,000 people and operates 42 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.

As Global Director, Supply Chain Management, Marco is responsible for all the daily operations pertaining supply chain management for all the global operations of GST Autoleather. This includes: production and materials requirements planning, inventories management, customer care, and inbound/outbound logistics. He joined GST Autoleather in 2003 and since then, has occupied several managerial positions within the company, in areas such as Finance, Project Management, Continuous Improvement and Strategic Planning. Marco received his B.S Degree in Industrial Engineering with a minor in Systems from Monterrey Tech., in Mexico, and has also three master degrees: an MBA from Thunderbird, School of Global Management, a dual degree on MSc in Information Management from Lancaster and Manchester Business School, and a Master on Tanning Processes from CIATEC, in Mexico.

Miquela Craytor is the Executive Director of the Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation Council (MaiiC), an Industry Partnership of the NYC Small Business Services. Through MaiiC she has spearheaded the first city sponsored apprenticeship program for Advanced Manufacturing. Other efforts include supporting over 100 business leaders through the council to address their growth challenges. She was formerly the Director of Industrial Policy at the NYC Economic Development Corporation. Her work has consisted of overseeing the city's revived industrial policy efforts. Projects include the city-wide Industrial Action Plan and overseeing the Futureworks NYC initiatives, a $13 million suite of investments in advanced manufacturing services. She was formerly the executive director at Sustainable South Bronx for over 3 years. Ms. Craytor also served as the Senior Planner for Economic Development in the economic arm of the Bronx Borough President's office. Ms. Craytor is a nationally-recognized advocate for using sustainable development to address reinvestment in under-served communities. Ms. Craytor received her BA in planning, public policy, and management from the Honors College at the University of Oregon and her MS in city and regional planning from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She is also a 2010 Catto Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a 2010 BMW Transatlantic Fellow. Ms. Craytor currently serves as an Advisory Board member of M-Corps, a clean-tech hardware accelerator.

Rick is a supply chain professional that has expertise in the areas of inbound logistics, manufacturing, supplier collaboration and business transformation. His background includes managing logistics solution teams and global business development and marketing professionals. He has a reputation of creating unique solutions and strategic business plans to deliver the company’s vision. In addition, Rick has an in-depth understanding of managing international direct reports in a matrix environment. Rick has a proven track record of achieving profitable growth and cost reductions. Ricks’s project experience includes leading initiatives in supply chain transformation, supplier collaboration, network optimization, inventory analysis and deployment, facility layout, material flow, and transportation management. He successfully completed a project to introduce a transportation management service offering which generated 30% savings and increased profit margin by 10%. He also established inbound transportation management programs that were deployed for external clients and designed and implemented an integrated inbound TMS and sequencing program which resulted in 20% client savings. Currently as a Partner at CGN Global, Rick manages and provides direction and support for the supply chain and operations practice area. Rick earned his Masters in Operations Research from Case Western Reserve University and his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Mathematics and Economics from Hiram College.

Ms. Coates is the Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute and the President of Blue Silk Consulting. She is a seasoned executive with an MBA, 25 years’ experience in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Project Management and Systems Consulting. Prior to BSC, she was a Senior Director at SAP, the Supply Chain Practice Leader at KPMG Peat Marwick and at Answerthink, and a Regional Manager at Hewlett-Packard. Ms. Coates has consulted with global and domestic clients, VCs and PE firms on operations systems and processes. She has considerable international experience and has worked for extended periods in Asia and Europe. Her experience spans a broad range of industries including High Technology, Software, Chemicals, Health Care, Consumer Products, Industrial Products, Food Distribution, Transportation, Publishing, Retail, Oil and Gas. She has extensive knowledge and experience in manufacturing and outsourcing in Asia, Europe and the US. She has authored an Amazon.com Best Seller book: 42 Rules for Sourcing and Manufacturing in China, 42 Rules for Superior Field Service and is particularly excited about Reshoring Guidebook. Ms. Coates in a member of the Board of Directors at the University of San Diego Supply Chain Management Institute. She earned a BS in Business at Arizona State University and an MBA at the University of San Diego. She resides in Silicon Valley

Shauna Gamble joined Bombardier in November 2017 as vice-president of Procurement for the company’s Business Aircraft division. Soon thereafter, Shauna’s role was expanded to lead a newly-formed Aerospace Procurement organization, responsible for commodity strategies, contract management and supplier relations for both business and commercial aircraft at Bombardier. This organization is now titled Bombardier Aviation. Since joining Bombardier, Shauna has made it her mission to transform Procurement aviation into a best-in-class organization. She initiated the Diamond Supplier Program to increase accountability across the supply chain and to raise the company’s profile. Shauna also spearheaded the creation of a Procurement Academy at Bombardier, providing an opportunity for team members to improve their expertise at all levels. A seasoned executive with excellent leadership, communication and negotiation skills, Shauna has more than 20 years of experience in global supply chain and operations. Prior to joining the organization, Shauna held senior leadership positions at Danby Appliances and telecommunications equipment firm Ciena. Shauna holds a post-baccalaureate Diploma in Management from Athabasca University, she completed a Senior Executive Program at the London Business School and she is presently pursuing an Executive MBA. Shauna Gamble is based at Bombardier Aviation headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

Todd Stillwell is Vice President – Supply Chain for Chamberlain Group where he leads the Integrated Business Planning, Customer Supply Chain and Operations Business Management functions. His end-to-end supply chain leadership experience with large and smaller entrepreneurial growth CPG companies including Kraft Foods, Campbell’s, Otis Spunkmeyer and Haagen-Dazs give him a unique perspective on the development and integration of supply chain functions in the broader context of an organization. Todd has a BS in Accounting from the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign and an MBA in Operations Management from DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

Uwe Brasecke, is the Vice President, Strategy and Transformation, Supply Chain Chief of Staff, of The Estee Lauder Companies, based in New York. In this role, Uwe is responsible for leading the development of our Global Supply Chain strategy in alignment with the respective Corporate, Brand and Regional strategies. He is also responsible for integrating Global Supply Chain activities with global functions, regional functions and brands to leverage scale and cost to maximize sales, profitability and market share. As Chief of Staff, Uwe ensures alignment across the Supply Chain Leadership Team and excellence in the operations of the supply chain. In this capacity he is responsible for a focused aenda of the Supply Chain vision, ensuring resources and energy is synchronized to accelerate Estee Lauder Supply Chain’s transformation and strategy execution. Uwe also leads the Digital Transformation within Supply Chain, collaborating across the End to End Supply chain as well as with key stakeholders across the enterprise, to help develop and deliver a more connected and synchronized Digital Supply Chain Network, delivering competitive advantage.

Virginia Covo is the Global Director of Supply Chain Sustainability and non-financial disclosure at AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer. In her role, she leads the Climate Action agenda, responsible for GHG emission reduction across all 6 zones, providing guidance to achieve AB InBev’s 25% reduction goal by 2025. She was responsible for setting AB InBev’s Science Based Target and setting the strategy in emission reduction across the supply chain. Virginia has over 10 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, working in roles from research and product development, to sales, supply chain, and sustainability. She holds a Bachelor in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from University of Virginia, Darden School of Business.