Peter Ward is the new chairman of the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute.
Peter takes this leadership position at a pivotal time as LEI re-doubles its efforts to grow the lean community and expand the use of lean thinking and practice in business management.
BOSTON (PRWEB)
March 03, 2020
The nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), a global leader in lean thinking and practice, today announced the appointment of Peter Ward, a university professor who has developed graduate-level programs in lean management, as chairman. He succeeds Jean Cunningham who has retired.
Ward, who currently serves on the LEI board, has 20+ years’ experience developing executive education programs in lean management and researching how companies gain competitive advantage through operations.
“Peter takes this leadership position at a pivotal time as LEI re-doubles its efforts to grow the lean community and expand the use of lean thinking and practice in business management,” said LEI President Josh Howell. “Since joining LEI, I’ve gotten to know Peter, his many accomplishments at Ohio State, and his leadership in making lean principles and practices part of business school education. I look forward to his guidance and coaching.”
Besides LEI, Ward serves on the boards of Catalysis, a nonprofit healthcare transformation institute, and the Center for Lean Engagement and Research in Healthcare. He is the founder of the Lean Education Academic Network, a global community of university educators dedicated to teaching systems thinking.
Operational Excellence and #Lean Roles
At The Ohio State University, Ward is professor of operations management and holds the Richard M. Ross Chair in Management at Fisher College of Business, where he is the founding director of the Master of Business Operational Excellence program, an innovative degree program aimed at mid-career professionals involved in transforming their organizations through operational excellence.
Peter is academic director of the university’s Center for Operational Excellence, a consortium of 40 organizations dedicated to excellence and thought leadership in operations. He also has served as chair of the Department of Management Sciences and as senior associate dean.
He holds a Doctor of Business Administration degree from Boston University, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Ward succeeds Jean Cunningham, who served as executive chairman. Cunningham is the co-author of the acclaimed book, Real Numbers: Management Accounting in a Lean Organization, an essential text for learning lean accounting. Last year, she published The Value Add Accountant on how finance and accounting can innovate and add value in strategic improvement efforts.
“On behalf of everyone at LEI, I’d like to express gratitude to Jean for her numerous contributions as a board member and executive chair,” Howell said.
About the Lean Enterprise Institute
Lean Enterprise Institute Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Boston, MA, with a mission to make things better through lean thinking and practice by helping companies create more value and prosperity while consuming the fewest possible resources. Founded in 1997 by management expert James Womack, PhD, LEI conducts research through co-learning partnerships with companies, teaches on-site and public workshops, publishes books and ebooks, organizes conferences, and shares practical information about lean thinking and practice. Visit http://www.lean.org.
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