June                                                                                                       2020    
Message from the President                       
 
As we step into summer 2020 with so many changes in our lives, work, and society, we need actions to remain positive and healthy. Let's take a moment and reflect on what we have accomplished and what we can achieve in the months to come. The Operational Excellence Division is excited to continue serving to its community of students, practitioners, researchers, and individuals interested in process and continuous improvement methodologies. The Division provides its community a platform to share experiences and learn from each other, recognize their accomplishments and advance their knowledge in this domain. The IISE Annual and the ELSS Conferences are two excellent events during which the Division provides this platform by bringing its members together in various settings and activities. Though, as all of us are adjusting our personal and professional lives to navigate in these unfamiliar settings, plans on how to establish this platform this year had to be revised as well. The IISE Annual Conference will be held on Oct. 31-Nov. 3 instead of its usual period in May. The ELSS Conference will be held about two weeks before and will be a virtual event. While we will have to wait a little longer to connect with our colleagues and industry peers, these changes brought an opportunity to participate in these events as presenters. 
            During all these changes, Zoom and other video-meeting platforms became our best friends in keeping up with our daily work activities; however, they have their challenges as well. While ineffective meetings are not a new problem, their impacts are felt even more elevated in a virtual environment. The Operational Excellence Division's webinar titled Leading Effective Meetings that was held in May could not have come at a better time. If you missed it, you can access the recording. Check out the newsletter section below for more information.
            Last but not least, I would like to welcome our new Board members and recognize our outgoing members and thank them for all their hard work. You will find the full listing in the following sections of the newsletter. While the board elections have ended, note that this division is run by volunteers, so more help is always welcome. Please reach out to us to have more information about volunteering and learn how you can be involved!
   
Nadiye O. Erdil
President, Operational Excellence Division
Leading Effective Meetings 

Did you miss our webinar "Leading Effective Meetings" by Bradley Way from W.L.Gore & Associates? No problem, watch the recorded webinar here .
2019 - 2020 Operational Excellence Board of Directors

President
Univ. of New Haven

Johanna Ficatier President-Elect Mayo Clinic

Past-President
Univ. of Texas

Director
Texas Tech Univ.
Director
Long Island Univ.
 
Felix Veroya
Director 
Asl Lex Ph Academy
 

Krishnan Krishnaiyer
Director
Marathon Petroleum Corp.

Director
The Lean Coach
Director
Oregon State University
Director
Nemours Children's Health system
.
Director
Park Avenue Sol utions


We have exciting news - in light of the Sigma levels of variation businesses and academia are dealing with these days, the #ELSS2020 + Artificial Intelligence Symposium Conference Committee is taking our Oct. 12-14 gathering virtual. Engineering, Lean, Six Sigma, Artificial intelligence, and you - there will be no better virtual combination Oct. 12-14, 2020. Save the date!
Have You Visited Our Connect Crisis Resource Community?

IISE will continue to provide support with ideas shared in our  Connect Crisis Resource Community , vital links and information on our  IISE Coronavirus Resource and Response  webpage, the  SHS COVID-19 Think Tank series  and helpful advice from the Chapter 1  Performance Excellence webinars

Big ideas in the Big Easy!
A new abstract submission window is now open (due Aug. 15; only abstracts, no papers). The 1 pg. abstract should be prepared as per the conference guidelines and should not be updated versions of abstracts that have been accepted already. These will be peer reviewed, and accepted ones will be included in the conference program, subject to availability of presentation slots, in the order in which they are received.


 

Wondering how Mentors and Mentees get matched on IISE Connect?

Once you have enrolled as a Mentee, go the the "
Find a Mentor " page and select the criteria you want to use for your Mentor search. Click on the Mentors' names to view their profiles. Once you have found a good match, click on the Mentor badge (seen below the Mentor's profile image) to send the Mentor an email request. You can refine your selection to a member in your Society or Division in the community section.  Mentors can find a Mentee in the same way. You must send a request to your selected mentor/mentee to start the program.

Questions?   Contact  Kathy Gamboa     if you have any questions regarding this exciting mentor program.  Read more here  to participate in this program. 
Corporate and University Partnerships available Now!  Learn more  here .