Panels

Panel Speaker Registration: https://www.xcdsystem.com/IEOM/attendee/index.cfm?ID=C1f6EXs

Women in Industry and Academia (WIIA) Panel 

Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 8:00 – 9:45 am – Room 2 (Onsite)

Panel Chair

Dr. Johanna Trujillo Díaz
Titular-II Professor at Business Administration
Support of Vice-Rectory for Research
Fundación Internacional De La Rioja (UNIR)
Bogotá, Colombia

Johanna Trujillo Díaz is in the Vice-Rectory for Research and is a Titular-II-professor at Business Administration at Fundación Universitaria Internacional de la Rioja (UNIR-Colombia). She did postdoctoral in health modeling and analytics from the Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia) and Doctor in Strategic Planning and Technology Management from the Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla (Mexico). Johanna received Magister in Industrial Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia) and Industrial Engineer from the Universidad Catolica de Colombia. She has conducted research projects, and in that way. Johanna has published relevant books and articles with a great scientific contribution to the state-of-the-art. His research has focused on the Manufacturing, Logistics, Agriculture, and Health sectors applying techniques: statistics, simulation, optimization, multicriteria, data mining and business intelligence, process control, and decision making.

Johanna has fifteen years of academic and research experience, as a research project director and an undergraduate and postgraduate teacher. On the other hand, his work experience is another ten years in positions such as Administrative and Financial Director, Logistics, and Supply Chain.

Panelists

Panelist – I

Panelist – II

Panelist – III

Panelist – IV

Industry 4.0 Panel

Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 2:00 – 3:45 pm – Room 2 (Onsite)

Panel Chair 

Dr. Hayder Zghair
Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering
Director of Industrial Engineering Development
College of Science and Engineering
Southern Arkansas University
Magnolia, Arkansas, USA

Dr. Hayder Zghair is an assistant professor of industrial engineering and the director of Industrial Engineering development in the College of Science and Engineering at Southern Arkansas University. He completed a B.S. and an M.S. from the University of Technology, where he majored in Industrial and Production Engineering. Dr. Zghair earned his second master’s degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Doctor’s Degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Lawrence Technological University, Michigan, USA. He has published journal and conference papers. His research interests include Flexible-Automated Manufacturing, Robotics, Human Factors and Ergonomics, Sustainability Engineering, Analytical Modeling & Simulation, and Optimization. Dr. Zghair continues to explore new and cutting edges areas for research and education in engineering disciplines and got recently had an extensive interest in industry 4.0 tech such as IIoT, smart sensors, and cloud computation and control. Dr. Zghair chairing and member of several committees at the department, college, and university levels. Dr. Zghir is the faculty advisor of SAE students chapter at SAU and IEOM. He is a professional member of ASEE, SAE, and IEOM.

Panelists

Panelist – I

Dr. Tom Jones
Continuous Improvement Industrial Engineer
Department of Operational Excellence
Leonardo DRS
Melbourne, Florida, United States

Tom Jones, PhD in Industrial Engineering and is an Industrial Engineer with 9 years of industry experience.  He has worked primarily in quality engineering roles and has experience in multiple industries.  Tom currently works as a Continuous Improvement Industrial Engineer for Leonardo DRS, a tier 2 defense contractor.  He works in the department of operational excellence and his current role focuses on improving current business processes

Dr. Jones earned both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Wichita State University, both in Industrial Engineering, with specializations in Quality and Human Factors during his Master’s studies.  Dr. Jones’s PhD in Industrial Engineering with a research focus on Quality 4.0 from the University of Central Florida.

Dr. Jones has made his career primarily at high growth companies where he has used his IE skills to develop standard practices from processes based on individual tribal knowledge.  In his first role as a Quality Improvement Engineer at Inline Plastics he helped develop a true new product introduction process, as a Quality Engineer at Viega LLC his role focused on qualification of new production processes and equipment with the commissioning of a new factory, and currently at Leonardo DRS he works to develop business process standardization and compliance across different business units as the company grows through acquisition.

Panelist – II

Alper Senol
Professor- Supply Chain Management
Miami Dade College
Miami, Florida, United States

Panelist – III

Dr. Galia Novakova Nedeltcheva
Scientific Researchеr
ICT & Digital Transformation
Polytechnical University of Milan
Italy

“Nowadays we see that Smart manufacturing (Manufacturing as a Service), Digital engineering & operations, Digital connectivity & sensors are the main fields where Industry 4.0 finds application, but still keeping human-centric processes.”

University lecturer and researcher with sound scientific experience and working at the interface of science, knowledge, and policy.

Engineering Management professional obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy. Also, Dr. Nedeltcheva holds two MSc degrees in Quality Management, and in Information Management Systems. She performed extended postdoc research in Germany, Italy, and the USA.

Skilled in Project Management, Operations and Service Management, Quality Management, Lean and Agile Methodologies, and Continuous Improvement.

MIT Certified Professional in Cloud and DevOps: Continuous Transformation.

About eight years of experience as an Asst. Prof. with Sofia University (Bulgaria), about 40 scientific publications in journals and conference proceedings, and a couple of academic awards.

Giving talks at various international scientific conferences, numerous times serving as a conference session chair, a reviewer for a number of scientific journals and conferences, as well as a project reviewer for the European Commission.

Research interest in Digital Manufacturing, Cloud-based Supply Chain Management, Security in the Supply Chain, and Performance Measurement.

President of the IEOM Chapter in Bulgaria.

Currently, Dr. Galia Nedeltcheva is with the Polytechnical University of Milan, Italy.

Panelist – IV

Dr. Doga Demirel
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Director of Virtual Reality, Interactive Simulation, and Biomedical (VRISB) Lab
Florida Polytechnic University
Lakeland, Florida, USA

Dr. Doga Demirel is an assistant professor of Computer Science and the Director of Virtual Reality, Interactive Simulation, and Biomedical (VRISB) Lab at Florida Polytechnic University. Before joining Florida Poly, He has worked in the areas of medical simulations for over 10 years teaching and research assistant at University of Central Arkansas, and University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Dr. Demirel had earned Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2018, M.S. in Applied Computing from University of Central Arkansas, 2015, and B.S. in Computer Science from University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2013. Dr. Doga’s research interests include virtual reality, augmented reality, surgical simulators, and haptics.

Human Factors and Ergonomics Panel
Maintenance and Reliability 

Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 4:00 – 5:45 pm – Room 2 (Onsite)

Panel Chair

Eric Ayanegui, CPMM, CRL
Director Operations Engineering
Cintas Corporation
Houston, Texas, USA

Mr. Eric Ayanegui is currently the director of Operations Engineering of CINTAS. As one of the technical leaders at CINTAS, he has been directing engineering, reliability, quality and safety initiatives across 210 industrial sites across North America and China. He has over 20 years of experience in the industrial laundry industry and has been involved in industrial leading efforts in Reliability and Safety. He is a member of the CINTAS Corporate Executive Faculty teaching Reliability and a certified Plant Maintenance Manager and Certified Reliability Leader. He is a member of Industrial Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni of UH and has served on the advisory board of Industrial Engineering Department at UH since 2015. He holds a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Houston.

Panelist – I

Panelist – II

Panelist – III

Panelist – IV

Global Supply Chain Management and Logistics Panel

Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 8:00 – 9:45 am – Room 2 (Onsite)

Panel Chair

Shahram Taj, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Data Science & Business Analytics
Chair, Department of Computer Science
Florida Polytechnic University
Lakeland, Florida, USA

Dr. Shahram Taj joined Florida Polytechnic University in August 2016 as a professor of logistics and supply chain management. He served as the academic program coordinator of science and technology management and the academic program coordinator of graduate programs in 2017. Since January 2018, he has served as the chair of the department of data science and business analytics.

Taj is an accomplished academician, executive consultant with an expertise in business model innovation, lean and sustainable operations, strategic management, production systems design, systems optimization/simulation, and supply chain management.

Taj has extensive tenure in academia. He was professor and chair of the Department of Management and Marketing at Lawrence Technological University in Michigan from 2013 to 2016. He served as The Cameron Endowed Chair of Management and Marketing at the University of St. Thomas in Houston from 2008 to 2013. Taj previously taught for more than 20 years at the University of Detroit Mercy and earned the institution’s President’s Award for Faculty Excellence. He also taught in the Global Entrepreneurial MBA Program at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan from 2004 to 2006 and was a visiting professor at Peking University in China teaching in the Beijing International MBA Program in 2004. Taj also taught at Baruch College, The City University of New York from 1984 to 1987.

Taj has developed several graduate programs such as the master’s degree in product development in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ford, Xerox, and the National Science Foundation. He also developed graduate degree programs in software engineering, EMBA, and supply chain/transportation efficiency systems (funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation).

Taj has conducted more than 100 projects at Ford, Visteon, New Venture Gear (formerly joint venture of GM and DaimlerChrysler), GM-Holden, Baker Hughes, and Schlumberger in the United States, Germany, Australia, and Japan. The projects have covered productivity improvements, implementing lean manufacturing, and optimizing process design. In 1999, he earned the Franz Edelman Finalist Award for Achievement in Operations Research/Management Science for projects that resulted in $15.5 million capital savings and a profit increase of more than $2 billion for Ford Motor Company. From 1998 to 2000, Taj worked as an executive consultant for New Venture Gear Company to design a lean automotive manufacturing plant in Leipzig, Germany, to supply powertrain to Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg that resulted in savings of $21 million (This plant has been designated by Porsche as the supplier of the year.). From 2009 to 2010, Taj served as an executive technical advisor to executives in the new worldwide Supply Chain and Manufacturing Division at Baker Hughes in Houston.

Taj also collaborated with the Production System Design Laboratory at MIT conducting research in the design and the implementation of “lean production systems” in the automotive industry in the U.S. and Europe.

Taj has served as thesis advisor/reader of more than 100 graduate students at the University of Detroit Mercy, including a doctoral thesis committee at MIT. He served as the track chair of the “Lean Manufacturing, Manufacturing Information Management, Supply Chain, and Product Development” for the SAE International in Ireland, Spain, and France. He has published 68 refereed articles in journals and proceedings of many international conferences. Recently, he published several articles on the adaptation of lean production in China, and most recently in areas of sustainability and business model innovation.

Panelists

Panelist – I

Michael Ehsani (MBA, DBA)
Global Quality Director
Arcadis
Houston, Texas, USA

Michael Ehsani has over 30 years experience in Leadership, Quality Management, Process Improvement, Operational Excellence, and Global Supply Chain Management. He has collaborated with fortune 500 companies, in 33 countries, to strategize and deploy comprehensive forward looking business strategies, integrated management systems, and effective supply chain management programs.

Michael is currently the Global Quality Director and a member of the Senior Leadership Group at Arcadis, the world’s leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. Arcadis has over 36000 employees and operates in more than 70 countries worldwide.

Michael is responsible for strategizing and deploying a comprehensive integrated management system covering hundreds of Arcadis offices worldwide.

Panelist – II

Dr. Milad Talebzadehhosseini
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Data Science and Business Analytics
Florida Polytechnic University
Lakeland, Florida, USA

Dr. Milad Talebzadehhosseini joined Florida Polytechnic University as a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Data Science and Business Analytics in August 2022. Before joining Florida Poly, he was a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Central Florida. Talebzadehhosseini received his Ph.D. in industrial engineering from the University of Central Florida in December 2021. His research mainly focuses on the applications of network science and data science techniques in the areas of sustainability, supply chain management, economic complexity, economic development, and green economic development.

Panelist – III

Dr. Mohamad Nayebpour
Visiting Assistant Professor
Marilyn Davies College of Business
University of Houston–Downtown (UHD)
320 N Main St
Houston, TX 77002
USA

Dr. Nayebpour is Management consultant and educator with over 35 years of experience in the industry and higher education. He is currently a visiting Assistant Professor at Marilyn Davies College of Business at the University of Houston-Downtown. He earned B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering, M.S. in Engineering Management and PhD in Applied Statistics. He has extensive experience as an industry consultant in areas of quality management, operations management, statistical process control, data analysis, forecasting, financial modeling, optimization techniques, sampling methodology, and project management. He is a certified Quality Engineer by ASQ and has published scholarly work in Technometrics, Journal of Quality Technology, and Journal of Business Ethics to name a few.

Panelist – IV

Manohar S. Madan, PhD
Professor
ITSCM Department
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Whitewater, WI – 53190

Manohar Madan is a Professor in the Information Technology and Supply Chain Management Department in the College of Business and Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  He has a Ph.D. in Operations Management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee. He has a Master’s degree in Engr. Mgmt. from the University of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of Operations Management, Supply Chain Management and Project Management. Manohar’s research has been published in many professional journals such as the Journal of Operations Management, IIE Transactions, OMEGA – The Journal of Management Science, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, International Journal of Production Research, International Journal of Production Economics and the Journal of Operational Research Society. He is certified as CPIM by APICS (now ASCM).

Data Analytics Panel

Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 2:00 – 3:45 pm – Room 2 (Onsite)

Panel Chair

Dr. Ying Lin
Assistant Professor
Industrial Engineering Department
Director, Smart Health & Intelligent Engineering Systems (SHINES) Lab
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
USA

Dr Ying Lin is an assistant professor in the Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Houston (UH). She is also the director of Smart Health & Intelligent Engineering Systems (SHINES) lab at UH. Her research lies at the interactions of machine learning, biomedical informatics and quality engineering. She has developed innovative machine learning models for modeling, monitoring and prognosis of complex and heterogeneous systems. She has also developed computational techniques to integrate massive and network-structured datasets in clinical practice and bioinformatics. Her work is published in journal including PLOS One, Mathematical Biosciences, and Scientific Reports. Her research is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Advanced Manufacturing Institute.

Panelists

Panelist – I

Assaf Gottlieb, Ph.D., joined the UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics (SBMI) in January 2017 as an assistant professor and one of the core faculty members of the Center for Precision Health.

Dr. Gottlieb arrived to SBMI from IBM Research where he served as a research associate at the Machine Learning for Healthcare and Life Science group in Haifa labs. Prior to his position with IBM, Dr. Gottlieb was a postdoctoral fellow at both Stanford University and Tel-Aviv University. He has degrees in Physics and Computer Science and has also worked in software and algorithmic development in various software companies.

Our lab is interested in precision medicine with special emphasis on pharmacogenomics. In order to address the challenges of precision medicine, we employ an integrative computational approach, combining multiple types of data and applying methodologies from systems biology, systems medicine, machine learning and causal inference domains. Our primary interest is to improve health outcomes by integrating diverse types of data, including genomic/biological data, data from fitness trackers and clinical data from electronic health records data.

Some of our on-going projects include predicting drug response in cancer therapy, early predictions of Alzheimer’s Disease and determining HIV risk.

Panelist – II

Dr. Meng Li
Associate Professor, Bauer Fellow
SCM PhD Coordinator
C.T. Bauer College of Business
University of Houston
Houston, Texas, USA

Dr. Meng Li is the director of Bauer Human-Centered AI Lab, an Associate Professor, and Bauer Fellow at C.T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston. My recent research interests focus on human-centered AI. His research has appeared in journals such as Management Science, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Operations Research, Production and Operations Management, Journal of operations Management, Strategic Management Journal, and Nature Sustainability. Dr. Li is a Senior Editor for Production and Operations Management, and a Department Editor for Decision Sciences Journal. His work has been funded by companies such as Shell and HPE. He received Ph.D. in Operations Management, The University of Texas at Dallas, 2013. Dr. Li received many academic honors and awards including Lucile and Leroy Melcher Excellence in Research Award, 2023, Finalist of the POMS College of Service Operations Management (CSOM) Best Student Paper, 2023, Shell Sustainability Research Grant ($100,000), 2022, Rutgers Research Council Award, Rutgers University, 2020 and Second Place of JFIG Paper Competition, 2019.

Panelist – III

Dr. Rei Sanchez-Arias
Assistant Professor of Data Science
Assistant Chair of the Department of Data Science and Business Analytics
Florida Polytechnic University
Lakeland, Florida, USA

Dr. Sanchez-Arias joined Florida Polytechnic University in Fall 2018 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Data Science and serves as the Assistant Chair of the Department of Data Science and Business Analytics. Reinaldo (Rei) Sanchez Arias earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia. In Fall 2008 he started his doctoral studies in the Computational Science Program at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). During his years at UTEP he was involved in research projects for the Army High Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC) in collaboration with a group at Stanford University. He interned at Repsol Oil Company USA during the summer of 2011, where he worked with the Research and Innovation Geophysics Department. He obtained a Ph.D. degree in Computational Science from UTEP in the spring of 2013, working on sparse representation methods for classification problems and dimensionality reduction. He completed a postdoctoral researcher appointment for the AHPCRC working in reduced order models for underbody-blast simulations and compression techniques. From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Sanchez-Arias was part of the Applied Mathematics Department at Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) in Boston, MA where he taught courses for Applied Mathematics and Engineering students, nominated and served as the Faculty Advisor for the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Student Chapter, coordinated linear algebra and capstone courses, and helped develop different elective courses in applied mathematics. In Fall 2016, Dr. Sanchez-Arias joined St Thomas University, in Miami, FL, where he served as the Program Director for the MS in Big Data Analytics in the School of Science, advised and supervised graduate students in the School of Science, and revised curriculum for the Computer Science and Mathematics undergraduate programs.

In Fall 2018, he joined the Department of Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) at Florida Poly in Lakeland, FL where he leads multiple data science research projects, and teaches courses for the BS in Data Science, BS in Business Analytics, MS in Data Science, and MS in Engineering Management programs. Dr. Sanchez-Arias was the recipient of Florida Poly’s Excellence in Teaching Ablaze Award in 2020. He was invited as scientific session speaker in the area of statistics and data analysis for the LatMath 2022 conference sponsored by the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at UCLA, and was also an invited speaker for the INFORMS Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium in 2021, which featured speakers from business and engineering schools who address different aspects of incorporating and assessing effective teaching techniques in OR/MS/analytics undergraduate or graduate curriculum.

His general areas of interest include data mining and machine learning, computational linear algebra and optimization, and data science education. His work has been presented at international and national conference meetings including SIAM annual meetings, the International Conference for High Performance Computing, the IEEE International Conference of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, the IEEE International Conference in Machine Learning and Applications, and INFORMS annual meeting. Dr. Sanchez-Arias is a member of SIAM, IEEE, IEOM, ACM and INFORMS.

Panelist – IV

Dr. Hrayer Aprahamian
Assistant Professor, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Wm Michael Barnes ’64 Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas, USA

Dr. Hrayer Aprahamian is an Assistant Professor at the Wm. Michael Barnes Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2018. Dr. Aprahamian’s research interests lie at the interplay between combinatorial/discrete and continuous optimization, with particular interest in applications related to healthcare systems and public policy decision-making. His research papers have appeared in journals such as Management Science, INFORMS Journal on Computing, Stochastic Systems, and IISE Transactions. He was awarded the 2022 Pierskalla Best Paper Award, was a finalist for the 2021 JFIG Paper competition, received the IISE Transactions Award in 2020, the Pritsker Doctoral Dissertation Award in 2019, the Paul E. Torgersen Research Excellence Award in 2018, and was runner-up for the 2017 Pierskalla Best Paper Award.

Using Assessment to Improve Student Learning and Curriculum – Panel

Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 4:00 – 5:45 pm – Room 2 (Onsite)

Panel Chair

Professor Abu Masud, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor Emeritus
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Wichita State University
Kansas, USA

Dr. Abu Masud is a professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering at Wichita State University. He has been named the Boeing Global Engineering Professor at Wichita State University. In this new post, Dr. Masud is expected to advance the College of Engineering’s strategic alliances for global enrichment and experiential learning of students as well as international research collaborations and partnerships. He received Duane and Velma Wallace Outstanding Educator Award from WSU College of Engineering. Previously he was held various positions at Wichita State including associate dean, graduate school (2008-2013), coordinator, college ABET affairs (2006-2008), associate dean, college of engineering (2004-2005), chair, industrial and manufacturing engineering department (1994-2004) and graduate coordinator of IME (1991-94, 1996-98, 2001-2004). Dr. Masud has engaged with various companies and governmental research centers including NASA Langley Research Center, VA, NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellow (1991 and 1992), Boeing, Consulting Analyst, and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. He is member of Accreditation Review Council (2011-2014). Dr. Masud published book, book chapters, and numerous journal and conference papers. He is registered Professional Engineer at Kansas State. Dr. Masud is an IIE fellow. He received Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Kansas State University, and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology.

Panelist – I

Dr. Adedeji Badiru
Dean
Graduate School of Engineering and Management
Air Force Institute of Technology
Wright-Patterson AFB
Ohio, USA

Deji Badiru is the Dean and senior academic officer for the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT).  He is responsible for planning, directing, and controlling all operations related to granting doctoral and master’s degrees, professional continuing cyber education, and research and development programs.  In his post-high-school days, Deji worked as a graphic artist for children television programs, as a writer and columnist for community newspapers, and as an accounts clerk.  These are practical skills that he frequently uses, even today, in his administrative and professional duties.

Deji Badiru was previously Professor and Head of Systems Engineering and Management at AFIT, Professor and Department Head of Industrial & Information Engineering at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and Professor of Industrial Engineering and Dean of University College at the University of Oklahoma, Norman.  He is a registered professional engineer (PE), a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, and a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering.  He holds BS in Industrial Engineering, MS in Mathematics, and MS in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University, and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida.  His areas of interest include mathematical modeling, systems efficiency analysis, and high-tech product development.  He is the author of over 30 books, 35 book chapters, 75 technical journal articles, 115 conference proceedings and presentations.  He also has published 30 magazine articles and 20 editorials and periodicals.  He is a member of several professional associations and scholastic honor societies.

Deji Badiru has won several awards for his teaching, research, and professional accomplishments.  He is the recipient of the 2009 Dayton Affiliate Society Council Award for Outstanding Scientists and Engineers in the Education category with a commendation from the 128th Senate of Ohio.  He also won 2010 IIE Joint Publishers Book-of-the-Year Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers.  He also won 2010 ASEE John Imhoff Award for his global contributions to Industrial Engineering Education, the 2011 Federal Employee of the Year Award in the Managerial Category from the International Public Management Association, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the 2012 Distinguished Engineering Alum Award from the University of Central Florida, and the 2012 Medallion Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers for his global contributions in the advancement of the profession. In February 2013, he was selected as a finalist for the Jefferson Science Fellows (JSF) program by the US National Academy of Sciences and the US Department of State. Prof. Badiru was the leader of the AFIT team that won the 2013 Air Force Organizational Excellence Award for Air University C3 (Cost Conscious Culture). His most recent award is the 2015 National Public Service Award at the overall US Air Force level.

Deji Badiru has served as a consultant to several organizations around the world including Russia, Mexico, Taiwan, Nigeria, Ghana, and Canada.  He has conducted customized training workshops for numerous organizations including Sony, AT&T, Seagate Technology, U.S. Air Force, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Oklahoma Asphalt Pavement Association, Hitachi, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, and ExxonMobil.  He holds a leadership certificate from the University Tennessee Leadership Institute.  He has served as a Technical Project Reviewer, curriculum reviewer, and proposal reviewer for several organizations including The Third-World Network of Scientific Organizations, Italy, National Science Foundation, National Research Council, and the American Council on Education.   He is on the editorial and review boards of several technical journals and book publishers. Deji has also served as an Industrial Development Consultant to the United Nations Development Program.  He is also a program evaluator for ABET, the international engineering and technology accreditation body.  In 2011, Prof. Badiru led a research team to develop analytical models for Systems Engineering Research Efficiency (SEER) for the Air Force acquisitions integration office at the Pentagon.  He has led a multi-year composite manufacturing collaborative research between the Air Force Institute of Technology and Wyle Aerospace Group.

Deji Badiru has diverse areas of avocation.  His professional accomplishments are coupled with his passion for writing about everyday events and interpersonal issues, especially those dealing with social responsibility.  Outside of the academic realm, he writes motivational poems, editorials, and newspaper commentaries; as well as engaging in paintings and crafts. As a contribution to sparking the interest of kids in science and engineering, Deji runs the Physics of Soccer website (www.physicsofsoccer.com). He is the founder of the Association of Military Industrial Engineers (AMIE).  He also runs ABICS Publications, through which he publishes non-technical guide books for home, work, and leisure. A prolific researcher and author, Deji espouses the spirit of sharing knowledge freely and widely, which is the reason he offers self-published guide books to make his publications affordable and accessible to the general public.

Education

• PhD, Industrial Engineering, University of Central Florida
• MS, Mathematics, Tennessee Technological University
• BS, MS, Industrial Engineering, Tennessee Tech University

Panelist – II

Professor Hamid Parsaei, Ph.D., PE
Fellow, IISE, ASEE, SME, IEOM
Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Director, College of Engineering Accreditation and Assessment
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas, USA
IEOM President, 2021-2023; IEOM Vice President, 2019-2021

Dr. Hamid R. Parsaei is an internationally recognized leader in the field of manufacturing automation, leadership, engineering education, additive manufacturing, economic and financial decision making, and project management with more than three decades of experience in academia. He is awarded as a fellow IISE, ASEE, SME and IEOM.

Dr. Parsaei’s leadership experience and accomplishments include serving as Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ.) He also served as the Director of Outreach and Accreditation and the Interim Chair of the Mechanical Engineering at TAMUQ while holding the rank of Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Prior to joining Texas A&M University, Dr. Parsaei served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering at University of Houston for 10 years and Director of Graduate Studies and Graduate Advisor for five years. He also served as Director of the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center’s Gulf Coast Region from March 2001 to September 2005.

Dr. Parsaei is highly regarded worldwide for his scholarship. He served as Area Editor, Methodology, and as an editorial board of The Engineering Economist from June 1990 until January 1995, and he was editor in chief of three international refereed archival journals. He currently serves as a member of the editorial boards and associate editor to over fifteen peer-refereed journals. He has been guest editor for several special issues of peer-reviewed archival journals, and has served as series editor to nine book series published by Wiley and Sons, CRC Press, Taylor and Francis, and several other publishing houses. His newest journal, Engineering Education Letters is a clear testament to Dr. Parsaei’s dedication to engineering education.

Dr. Parsaei has been principal and co-principal investigator on projects funded by NSF, Qatar Foundation, the US Department of Homeland Security, Texas Department of Transportation, Houston Transtar, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Institute of Safety and Health, among others, with total funding in excess of $24 million. He has authored or co-authored 26 archival books and over 280 refereed publications that appear in archival journals and conference proceedings.

He has received several prestigious recognitions from IISE including, the Wellington Award (1993) from the Engineering Economy Division of the Institute for his original contributions to the field of engineering economics, Award of Merit in recognition of his service to the Engineering Economy Division during 1991–1992, the 2006 UPS Excellence Award for innovative development of programs directed to the development of women, minorities and people with disabilities within the field of industrial engineering. He garnered the 2016 George L. Smith Award and in 2018, he was honored with the Fred C. Crane Award for meritorious service to the IISE.

Dr. Parsaei received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in industrial engineering from Western Michigan University and the University of Texas at Arlington, respectively. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas and an ABET Engineering Accreditation Commissioner and Program Evaluator.

Panelist – III

Panelist – IV

Lean Six Sigma Panel

Thursday, June 15, 2023, 8:00 – 9:45 am – Room 2 (Onsite)

Panel Chair 

Dr. Jamison Kovach
PMI Houston Endowed Professor in Project Management
University of Houston
Texas, USA

Dr. Kovach is the PMI Houston Endowed Professor in Project Management at the University of Houston. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University. Her industrial experience includes more than five years as a product and process improvement engineer in the U.S. textile industry. Her current research investigates the use of methods for product and process innovation, expanding the use of these methods, and developing new improvement approaches in a wide range of industries/fields. In recognition of her work, Dr. Kovach was awarded the 2010 ASQ (formerly the American Society for Quality) Feigenbaum Medal. She is an Academician in the International Academy for Quality and an ASQ Fellow.

Dr. Kovach currently serves as the Editor for Lean & Six Sigma Review, a quarterly ASQ publication, and she received the ASQ Six Sigma Forum Award for the Advancement of Six Sigma in 2019.

Panelists

Panelist – I

Caitlin McVey MBA, RN, CPHQ, CLSSBB
Associate Vice President
Memorial Hermann Institute for Nursing Excellence
Houston, Texas

Caitlin McVey is the Associate Vice President of the Memorial Hermann Institute for Nursing Excellence.  Among her professional assets are a strong clinical background in critical care nursing, a record of improving quality while controlling costs, and a focus on effective relationships across the healthcare community. She is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt.  Caitlin is currently enrolled as a PhD student at UT Cizik School of Nursing focusing on using technology and innovative models of care to advance nursing practice with improved clinical and operational outcomes.

Panelist – II

Megan Moore, MBA, CMQ/OE, CSQP, CLSSGB
Director of Quality
Ryerson
Sugarland, Texas

Megan Moore is the Director of Quality for Ryerson, a steel distributor and fabricator.  In her almost 20 years of industry experience her background covers everything from sales to operations, LSS, and quality, leading her to become a manufacturing senior leader.  In her current role, Megan is responsible for directing the strategic advancement of the overall quality program while simultaneously displaying quality as a competitive advantage.  She provides leadership and expertise to ensure the development of people, processes, and products to continuously improve the internal and external customer experience.  She has worked on numerous waste reduction and operational efficiency projects during her time at Ryerson.  Some of these projects include barcode scanning, location startups and shutdowns, quality program certifications and transitions, systems development, integration, and roll-out, standardization programs, metric improvements, and performance improvement initiatives.

Megan has a passion for problem solving and applies this passion to continuous improvement, best practice identification, project management, process standardization, teaching, mentoring, and learning.  She is self-motivated and results driven.  She is an advocate for advancing the careers of those around her in the metals industry and is an active mentor and sponsor within her company.

Megan has an undergraduate degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts.  As a firm believer in continuous learning and growth she is also a Certified Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence, Certified Supplier Quality Professional, Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Certified ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor, and IATF 16949 Auditor.

Panelist – III

AJ Harzke, DrPH, MPH, MDiv, LSSBB
Assistant Professor, School of Public & Population Health
Manager, Process Improvement, Correctional Managed Care
University of Texas Medical Branch
Houston, Texas

Dr. AJ Harzke has worked as public health practitioner, researcher, and statistics consultant in correctional healthcare settings for more than 20 years. She received her doctorate from the University of Texas School of Public Health (Houston, Texas; 2007). From 2008 to the present, she has served dual roles as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas School of Public and Population Health and a Senior Biostatistician/Process Improvement Manager in Correctional Managed Care (CMC), she conducts research as a principal investigator and collaborator, provides statistical consultation for students and post-doctoral residents and fellows conducting correctional healthcare research, and co-leads and manages Lean Six Sigma (LSS) performance improvement initiatives in CMC. Since 2014, she has led, facilitated, or supported more than 60 LSS health clinic-based improvement projects, including several Green Belt Certification projects through a collaboration with the University of Houston School of Technology.

Panelist – IV

Idris Olakunmi Yusuf, Msc, PMP
IT Professional & Graduate Research Fellow
Texas Southern University
Houston, Texas

Idris Yusuf is an IT professional and a certified project manager, PMP. He has over a decade of experience across many industries – software development, banking, consulting, and telecoms. He has two undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and Economics from Yaba College of Technology and the University of Ibadan Nigeria respectively. He also bagged an MSc (Info. Sys. Mgmt) with distinction from the University of Roehampton London. He has many industry-leading certifications, like ITIL, OCP, Oracle Certified Expert, OCE, and others to his credit. He is currently studying for another MSc in Computer Science at Texas Southern University with a research interest in Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, and Federated Learning

Idris is an ex-IBMer and has worked for other companies like International Turnkey Systems, ITS, Jaiz Bank PLC, Airtel, Ernst & Young Nigeria, NTEL, and JKK among others where he managed large enterprise databases, and middleware solutions, and performed several other roles including IT operations lead. He is a co-founder of a number of growing IT firms in Nigeria – Gritty Minds Concepts Limited and Paysmosmo.com. To his credit, he has acted in various capacities in many transformational projects in the technology industry, working with peers across the globe to deliver successfully with excellent voice of customer feedback

He is an LSS enthusiast, an advocate of process improvements with a strong background in technology operations and management. He is a mentor to many budding IT associates and others through many initiatives which include “Empowerment thru Tech” training and food-for-the-poor. He also spends part of his free time visiting TDCJ (Texas Dept and Criminal Justice) correctional centers motivating and inspiring inmates. His hobbies include reading, traveling, and swimming.

Diversity and Inclusion Panel sponsored by Ford Motor Company 

Thursday, June 15, 2023, 2:00 – 3:45 pm – Room 2 (Onsite)

Panel Chair

Professor Donald M. Reimer
President, The Small Business Strategy Group, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Adjunct Faculty – A. Leon Linton Department of Mechanical Engineering
Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan, USA
Director, Membership and Chapter Development, IEOM Society

Donald M. Reimer is an adjunct faculty at the A. Leon Linton Department of Mechanical Engineering in College of Engineering at Lawrence Tech in Southfield, Michigan. He coordinates the Certificate of Entrepreneurial Engineering Skills. Mr. Reimer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from Lawrence Technological University and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from University of Detroit/Mercy. He is a Certified Management Consultant with over 35 years of experience in working with closely-held businesses. He has taught courses in entrepreneurship, strategic management, corporate entrepreneurship and innovation for engineers. Mr. Reimer is a member of the Lawrence Tech Kern Campus Committee, Coordinator of the Lawrence Tech Innovation Encounter. He is faculty Advisor of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Mr. Reimer serves as a Kern Fellow of The Kern Family Foundation, Co-Direct of the Coleman Fellows Program, member of the National Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization Faculty Advisory Council and is a member of the American Society of Engineering Education.

He has operated his own consulting company – The Small Business Strategy Group for 23 years. He published numerous articles on small business, entrepreneurship and strategic thinking. He has received several awards and recognition by local, state and federal agencies for his work in entrepreneurship and minority business development. Mr. Reimer served as member of the Minority Economic Development Committee of New Detroit. Mr. Reimer is member of the Small Business Advisory Council of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Reimer is a member of Advisory Board of the Milwaukee Junction Small Business Assistance Center. He is also a member of the Applied Innovation Alliance. Mr. Reimer serves as a KEEN Fellow for The Kern Family Foundation and is a m

Panel Speaker I

Tanya Hill
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
ForeverFresh
Detroit, Michigan, USA

Tanya Hill is the creator and founder of ForeverFresh- a line of disposable undergarments for adults and a children’s line under the brand name ToddiFresh. The products are sold through national distributors across the United States. In addition to ForeverFresh, Hill is also a principal in AP United, a Joint Venture partnership with Paradies Lagardere at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The venture owns and operates multiple local and national brands in both airport terminals that include The Economist, Cat Cora Taproom, Air Margaritaville, Chick-fil-A, PF Chang’s, and soon-to-open Starbucks.

Hill is president emeritus of the National Association of Women Business Owners Greater Detroit Chapter (NAWBO GDC) and is a board member of its foundation, NAWBO Excel. She served on NAWBO’s national board for five years (2018—2022). Hill serves on several other boards: the Detroit Children’s Choir, First Tee Greater Detroit (Board President), Oakland Schools Education Foundation, the Warriors Trust Fund, and is the board Chair of The Heat and Warmth Fund (Board President) and the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Hill attended the University of Detroit. She is a graduate of the Minority Business Executive Program at Amos Tuck School, Dartmouth College, and Leadership Detroit Class XXIII. She has received numerous awards and recognition for her entrepreneurial spirit and accomplishments. One she is especially proud of is the prestigious European Disposable and Nonwoven Association award in Geneva Switzerland.

Hill is passionate about helping others reach their potential, be it mentoring, being a connector, or advocate. She firmly believes that whatever you aspire to do in life is attainable with faith, perseverance, and the willingness to continue to learn – never being afraid to think outside the box. Hill lives life passionately with two credos-“Lift as you climb” and “Live to give”. A sought-after motivational speaker, Hill freely uses her knowledge and life lessons to inspire and mentor those around her.

Panel Speaker II

Dr. Devinder Kumar Banwet FIE
Vice Chancellor Founding Retd
University of Engineering & Management
Kolkata India
Professor Emeritus, DMS, IIT Delhi (India)

Prof. Devinder Kumar Banwet is Vice Chancellor Founding Retd. of University of Engineering & Management , Kolkata India. He is an Emeritus Professor of DMS IIT Delhi in the area of Operations & Supply Chain Management  ,  Industrial Systems Engineering, Infrastructure Project Systems Management, TQM, DSS, Operations Research Applications, Prof Banwet is a graduate  Mechanical  Engineer, with Master of Industrial Engineering and a PhD  ( Industrial Engg /Production Management from IIT Delhi. Previously he served as a Vice Chancellor of the University of Engineering and Management at Kolkata. He has made significant contributions in publications related to Operations Management. His areas of research interest include Operations Management, Supply Chain and Logistics, Services Management, Project Management, IT-enabled DSS, Industrial Systems Engineering, Total Quality Management, Manufacturing Strategy, Technology Management, Materials Inventory Management, Facilities Planning, Operations Research Systems Modelling, Telecom Systems and Entrepreneurship Management. Prof Banwet has more than 40 years of academic teaching, research and administrative experience Prof Banwet has guided 35 + PhD projects:, has many research publications in reputed journals in India and abroad, Has had prestigious assignments at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, University of Sorbonne at Paris, Asian Institute of Technology Bangkok; Awarded Best Engineer Award IE,India, PMI Distinguished Researcher Award, IEOM Award, Life Time Achievement Award of POMS India, ISTD India,, President of professional Societies Decision Science Institute of USA India Chapter,. Prof Banwet is on the Governing Board of many Professional Institutes of Technology, and Management, and usually Chairman of many NBA Nat Board of Accreditation team expert visits.

Panel Speaker III

Lydia Gutierrez
President
Hacienda Mexican Foods
Detroit, Michigan

Promoting woman and entrepreneurship to achieve economic growth in an urban neighborhood

Lydia Gutierrez serves as President and CEO of Hacienda Mexican Foods a manufacturer of Tortillas and tortilla chips located in Detroit, Michigan. HMF is a multimillion-dollar company co-founded by Lydia and her late husband in 1990. As President, Lydia is responsible for running all facets of her business. She has a proven track record with more than 30 years of experience in the food business.  Over the years she has grown her manufacturing company from a two-person operation to employing more than 70 people. Lydia is an entrepreneur, she understands the food industry and the importance of compliance, supply chain operations, including, manufacturing, research and development, procurement, distribution, planning, transportation, inventory management, quality and more importantly the production floor. She has been at the forefront of Hispanic woman in manufacturing and received a lifetime achievement award from Michigan Food & Beverage Association and inducted to the Hall of Fame for the Tortilla Industry Association in 2020. She has served as the Board Chair to many Associations and numerous Executive Boards including, New Economy Initiative, Tortilla Industry Association, Food Policy Council for the State of Michigan, Crime Stoppers, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Henry Ford Health Systems, New Detroit, Child’s Hope, Academy of America School, Latino Family Services and Co-Chaired the “Woman In-Action” conference sponsored by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Lydia attended Lee University and is the daughter of immigrant parents.

Panel Speaker IV

Global Engineering Education Forum – Panel

Thursday, June 15, 2023, 4:00 – 5:45 pm – Room 2 (Onsite)

Panel Chair 

Dr. Adedeji Badiru
Dean
Graduate School of Engineering and Management
Air Force Institute of Technology
Wright-Patterson AFB
Ohio, USA

Deji Badiru is the Dean and senior academic officer for the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT).  He is responsible for planning, directing, and controlling all operations related to granting doctoral and master’s degrees, professional continuing cyber education, and research and development programs.  In his post-high-school days, Deji worked as a graphic artist for children television programs, as a writer and columnist for community newspapers, and as an accounts clerk.  These are practical skills that he frequently uses, even today, in his administrative and professional duties.

Deji Badiru was previously Professor and Head of Systems Engineering and Management at AFIT, Professor and Department Head of Industrial & Information Engineering at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and Professor of Industrial Engineering and Dean of University College at the University of Oklahoma, Norman.  He is a registered professional engineer (PE), a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, and a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering.  He holds BS in Industrial Engineering, MS in Mathematics, and MS in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University, and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida.  His areas of interest include mathematical modeling, systems efficiency analysis, and high-tech product development.  He is the author of over 30 books, 35 book chapters, 75 technical journal articles, 115 conference proceedings and presentations.  He also has published 30 magazine articles and 20 editorials and periodicals.  He is a member of several professional associations and scholastic honor societies.

Deji Badiru has won several awards for his teaching, research, and professional accomplishments.  He is the recipient of the 2009 Dayton Affiliate Society Council Award for Outstanding Scientists and Engineers in the Education category with a commendation from the 128th Senate of Ohio.  He also won 2010 IIE Joint Publishers Book-of-the-Year Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers.  He also won 2010 ASEE John Imhoff Award for his global contributions to Industrial Engineering Education, the 2011 Federal Employee of the Year Award in the Managerial Category from the International Public Management Association, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the 2012 Distinguished Engineering Alum Award from the University of Central Florida, and the 2012 Medallion Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers for his global contributions in the advancement of the profession. In February 2013, he was selected as a finalist for the Jefferson Science Fellows (JSF) program by the US National Academy of Sciences and the US Department of State. Prof. Badiru was the leader of the AFIT team that won the 2013 Air Force Organizational Excellence Award for Air University C3 (Cost Conscious Culture). His most recent award is the 2015 National Public Service Award at the overall US Air Force level.

Deji Badiru has served as a consultant to several organizations around the world including Russia, Mexico, Taiwan, Nigeria, Ghana, and Canada.  He has conducted customized training workshops for numerous organizations including Sony, AT&T, Seagate Technology, U.S. Air Force, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Oklahoma Asphalt Pavement Association, Hitachi, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, and ExxonMobil.  He holds a leadership certificate from the University Tennessee Leadership Institute.  He has served as a Technical Project Reviewer, curriculum reviewer, and proposal reviewer for several organizations including The Third-World Network of Scientific Organizations, Italy, National Science Foundation, National Research Council, and the American Council on Education.   He is on the editorial and review boards of several technical journals and book publishers. Deji has also served as an Industrial Development Consultant to the United Nations Development Program.  He is also a program evaluator for ABET, the international engineering and technology accreditation body.  In 2011, Prof. Badiru led a research team to develop analytical models for Systems Engineering Research Efficiency (SEER) for the Air Force acquisitions integration office at the Pentagon.  He has led a multi-year composite manufacturing collaborative research between the Air Force Institute of Technology and Wyle Aerospace Group.

Deji Badiru has diverse areas of avocation.  His professional accomplishments are coupled with his passion for writing about everyday events and interpersonal issues, especially those dealing with social responsibility.  Outside of the academic realm, he writes motivational poems, editorials, and newspaper commentaries; as well as engaging in paintings and crafts. As a contribution to sparking the interest of kids in science and engineering, Deji runs the Physics of Soccer website (www.physicsofsoccer.com). He is the founder of the Association of Military Industrial Engineers (AMIE).  He also runs ABICS Publications, through which he publishes non-technical guide books for home, work, and leisure. A prolific researcher and author, Deji espouses the spirit of sharing knowledge freely and widely, which is the reason he offers self-published guide books to make his publications affordable and accessible to the general public.

Education

• PhD, Industrial Engineering, University of Central Florida
• MS, Mathematics, Tennessee Technological University
• BS, MS, Industrial Engineering, Tennessee Tech University

Panel Speaker I

Dr. Abu Masud, P.E.
Emeritus Professor
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Wichita State University
Kansas, USA

Dr. Abu Masud is an emeritus professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering at Wichita State University. He was named the Boeing Global Engineering Professor at Wichita State University. Dr. Masud advanced the College of Engineering’s strategic alliances for global enrichment and experiential learning of students as well as international research collaborations and partnerships. He received Duane and Velma Wallace Outstanding Educator Award from WSU College of Engineering. Previously he was held various positions at Wichita State including dean and associate dean of graduate school (2008-2013), coordinator, college ABET affairs (2006-2008), associate dean, college of engineering (2004-2005), chair, industrial and manufacturing engineering department (1994-2004) and graduate coordinator of IME (1991-94, 1996-98, 2001-2004). Dr. Masud has engaged with various companies and governmental research centers including NASA Langley Research Center, VA, NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellow (1991 and 1992), Boeing, Consulting Analyst, and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. He is member of Accreditation Review Council (2011-2014). Dr. Masud published book, book chapters, and numerous journal and conference papers. He is registered Professional Engineer at Kansas State. Dr. Masud is an IIE fellow. He received Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Kansas State University, and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology.

Panel Speaker II

Paul Perkins
President
Amatrol, Inc.
Jeffersonville, Indiana
USA 

Paul Perkins is president and co-founder of Amatrol, Inc., a Jeffersonville, Indiana based manufacturer of technical learning systems and online interactive multimedia software for colleges, industry and high schools. Perkins holds a B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering Summa Cum Laude from Georgia Institute of Technology, is the author of over 20 books on industrial controls and automation, and has designed numerous training systems for teaching engineering and technical skills. His community service activities include serving as Chair of the Indiana State Workforce Innovation Council, past Chair of the National Governors Association State Workforce Board Chairs Association, and board member of many other national, state and local organization.

Panel Speaker III

Dr. Christopher Cox, P.E.
Faculty, Construction Management
College of Engineering and Technology
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina, USA

Christopher Cox, Ph.D., P.E., is currently with the Construction Management in the College of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee North Carolina, USA. Prior to joining the faculty of the Kimmel School Dr. Cox spent 38 years in the energy industry. During his career he held a variety of roles in engineering, corporate planning and strategy, mergers and acquisitions, production operations, and project management. He has lived in the Middle East (United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait), North Africa (Egypt and Tunisia), Australia, and several US locations (Alaska, Illinois, and Texas). In addition to these residential locations, he worked in many other countries. Dr. Cox has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University, M.S. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Houston, an MBA from Alaska Pacific University, and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Panel Speaker IV

Professor Hamid Parsaei, Ph.D., PE
Fellow, IISE, ASEE, SME, IEOM
Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Director, College of Engineering Accreditation and Assessment
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas, USA
IEOM President, 2021-2023; IEOM Vice President, 2019-2021

Dr. Hamid R. Parsaei is an internationally recognized leader in the field of manufacturing automation, leadership, engineering education, additive manufacturing, economic and financial decision making, and project management with more than three decades of experience in academia. He is awarded as a fellow IISE, ASEE, SME and IEOM.

Dr. Parsaei’s leadership experience and accomplishments include serving as Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ.) He also served as the Director of Outreach and Accreditation and the Interim Chair of the Mechanical Engineering at TAMUQ while holding the rank of Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Prior to joining Texas A&M University, Dr. Parsaei served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering at University of Houston for 10 years and Director of Graduate Studies and Graduate Advisor for five years. He also served as Director of the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center’s Gulf Coast Region from March 2001 to September 2005.

Dr. Parsaei is highly regarded worldwide for his scholarship. He served as Area Editor, Methodology, and as an editorial board of The Engineering Economist from June 1990 until January 1995, and he was editor in chief of three international refereed archival journals. He currently serves as a member of the editorial boards and associate editor to over fifteen peer-refereed journals. He has been guest editor for several special issues of peer-reviewed archival journals, and has served as series editor to nine book series published by Wiley and Sons, CRC Press, Taylor and Francis, and several other publishing houses. His newest journal, Engineering Education Letters is a clear testament to Dr. Parsaei’s dedication to engineering education.

Dr. Parsaei has been principal and co-principal investigator on projects funded by NSF, Qatar Foundation, the US Department of Homeland Security, Texas Department of Transportation, Houston Transtar, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Institute of Safety and Health, among others, with total funding in excess of $24 million. He has authored or co-authored 26 archival books and over 280 refereed publications that appear in archival journals and conference proceedings.

He has received several prestigious recognitions from IISE including, the Wellington Award (1993) from the Engineering Economy Division of the Institute for his original contributions to the field of engineering economics, Award of Merit in recognition of his service to the Engineering Economy Division during 1991–1992, the 2006 UPS Excellence Award for innovative development of programs directed to the development of women, minorities and people with disabilities within the field of industrial engineering. He garnered the 2016 George L. Smith Award and in 2018, he was honored with the Fred C. Crane Award for meritorious service to the IISE.

Dr. Parsaei received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in industrial engineering from Western Michigan University and the University of Texas at Arlington, respectively. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas and an ABET Engineering Accreditation Commissioner and Program Evaluator.