February                                                                                                        2020    
Message from the President                       
 
Welcome to year 2020! It has been an exciting time for the Operational Excellence Division. We wrapped up a productive year of 2019, in which we changed from Lean Division to Operational Excellence Division, enhanced the communication channels with IISE Connect and LinkedIn Group, and enjoyed great activities at the IISE Annual Conference and ELSS Conference. At the beginning of this year, we just welcomed the newly elected team of Student Leadership Board who will be leading efforts to further engage student members. The Lean Six Sigma track of 2020 IISE Annual Conference received significantly higher numbers of abstracts and papers than the previous years, and we also expect to have more competitors this year in Best Practice Award, Best Student Paper, and Best Teaching Award. Let's meet in New Orleans!
 
As time goes by unceasingly, the division is now preparing for the election of board members coming up in March. We are seeking candidates for four director's positions as well as the president elect. You can learn more about the composition and operations of the Board of Directors from the division's web site ( https://www.iise.org/details.aspx?id=835). If you are passionate about Operational Excellence and willing to volunteer your time, we want to hear from you. Stay tuned for the upcoming information about nomination and election.
 
Wish you all an excellent year of 2020!
  
Hung-da Wan
President, Operational Excellence Division
Call for Awards Nominations

Please help nominate and encourage participants of the Operational Excellence Teaching Award (3/1/2020) and  Best Practice Awards (2/28/2020).
Member Spotlight - Mohammed Al-Mashraie

Mohammed Al-Mashraie has a master's degree in industrial and systems engineering from SUNY Binghamton and is currently a PhD candidate in industrial and systems engineering from SUNY Binghamton. He joined Albany Medical Center in 2015. He works as a senior innovation specialist providing Lean training, leading Rapid Improvement Events and building prediction models. He has built several Discrete Event Simulation Models and artificial intelligence-based prediction models to improve systems. Prior to joining AMC, Mr. Al-Mashraie worked with the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence on several projects where various Lean tools were utilized to improve the quality and efficiency of many systems.
Mr. Al-Mashraie is a certified AMC Lean Black Belt. He is a member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, Society for Engineering and Management Systems, and Society for Health Systems. Mr. Al-Mashraie was the president of the operational excellence national IISE student board from Sep 2018 to Jan 2020 and is the director of students' activities on the operational excellence national IISE professional board. This role entails overseeingall aspects of running the first-ever national-level board such as developing and executing the division strategy related tostudents' affairs, ensuring the board achieves its strategic goals, serving 1,750+ students division members, delivery of monthly updates to the professionals'board, and connecting ISE students and professionals. 
Elections are Coming!

The OpEx Division Nominating Committee is making a call for nominationsfor 4 dynamic directors (two-years term) and the position of president-elect (three-years term). All nominees must be current OpEx members of IISE. Students are not eligible. 

The new term will begin on June 1. Board members are expected to be an active participant in board conference calls and to participate in various initiatives, some of which are led by committees working in partnership with the full board. 

Board members are also expected to attend IISE Annual Conference  and to participate in the Town Hall meeting held during the annual conference.
                                            
To submit a nomination, complete the  nomination form   and send to  Kathy Gamboa  by March  20, 2020. 
Your Vote Matters

Thanks for voting to update the OpEx by-laws. Newly approved bylaws are available on the OpEx Division page.
IISE 2020 Conferences Starting in February

Healthcare conference coming to Savannah in February: The Healthcare Systems Process
Improvement Conference 2020 is set for Feb. 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency Savannah; you can find a program schedule and register at iise.org/HSPI, and read an article by IISE member and pre-conference speaker Dr. Davana Pilczuk on the Savannah Morning News website on how ISEs improve healthcare processes.

Aspire Talks highlight ergo conference: Visit the Applied Ergonomics Conference 2020 on March 16-19 in Louisville, Kentucky, and take home ergonomics knowledge that profits your organization and makes work safer for your employees. Aspire Talks (think TED Talks applied to ergo) will feature: Michelle Burke from the Google Data Center, Amy May from Boeing Canada Winnipeg and Wayne Maynard from Liberty Mutual. Register here by March 6 and save.

AI: Transition from the Information Age: IISE's one-day symposium " AI: Impact on Industrial and Systems Engineering" is scheduled for March 31 at the Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport Hotel. It will feature an all-star lineup of speakers from major companies describing the key drivers, constraints and disciplines necessary to implement AI/big data solutions in manufacturing, logistics, pricing, health, safety, security, environmental protection and more. Visit  www.iise.org/AI to register.
 

What's New in IISE Connect? Mentor Match!

IISE is announcing the launch of our Mentor Match program. This unique online networking and career development tool helps you find, connect and share experiences with others. Your mentor or mentee can be in the same city or on the other side of the world. Both mentors and mentees fill out a profile to which both parties can search for a match. Once connected they're able to communicate and develop a mentorship. Read more here to participate in this program. 

Contact  Kathy Gamboa    if you have any questions regarding this exciting mentor program.
Have a Webinar Topic of Universal Appeal?

Consider submitting to "Solutions Shared." If you are interested in submitting a webinar for consideration, then click on the button below to read more details and find the abstract submission form. Abstract submissions for "Solutions Shared" are due Friday, Nov. 15. Click on the button below to learn more. Questions? Contact David Brandt at DBrandt@iise.org or Kathy Gamboa at kgamboa@iise.org.


Come Join Our Board By Being an Operational Excellence
Volunteer                   

Contact Hung-Da Wan for volunteering information
Corporate and University Partnerships available Now!  Learn more  here .