Panels
2:30 – 4:00 pm, June 9
Continuous Improvement Panel
Panel Chair
Girish Kumar Gopalakrishnan, MS, CMBB, CSSBB, CMQ-OE
Senior Manager – Continuous Improvement – CNH
Senior Member – IEOM Society International
Girish Kumar Gopalakrishnan is a North America Continuous Improvement Senior Manager at Case New Holland (CNH), Girish has led cross-plant transformation initiatives that have significantly advanced manufacturing performance, digital innovation, and cultural engagement across CNH’s operations. He is a distinguished continuous improvement leader whose 15-year career reflects deep technical expertise, transformative leadership, and a sustained impact on operational excellence. He holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University. He was named one among top 50 business transformation leaders to follow in 2025 by Process Excellence Network. He received the 2025 Marlyn Hyde Commitment to Excellence Award from the American Society of Quality (ASQ) NE Illinois Chapter. He serves as an Industry Advisory Board Member for the Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering department at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is an ASQ certified Master Black Belt, Black Belt and Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence. He is also a Senior member with Industrial Engineering & Operations Management Society (IEOM), ASQ and Institute of Industrial Engineers (IISE). Girish is serving as the Secretary of ASQ NE Illinois Chapter, and as an Editor-in-Chief of the ASQ Lean Enterprise Division eZine Quarterly Magazine.
Speaker I
Speaker II
Speaker III
Speaker IV
4:30 – 6:00 pm, June 9
Panel II – IEOM Curriculum
Panel Chair
Dr. Luis Rabelo
Professor
Department of Industrial Engineering & Management Systems
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL, USA
Dr. Luis Rabelo received the BS in Electro-Mechanical Engineer from the Technological University of Panama in 1983, an MS in Electrical Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1987 Master’s and Doctorate in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri. He was a Postdoc at the University of Missouri in Nuclear Engineering. Dr. Rabelo received a dual MS in Systems and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has worked for the Advanced Technology Group (Goodrich) and Honeywell Laboratories. Dr. Rabelo was a NASA Fellow from 2002 to 2005, and a Project Manager at NASA from 2009 to 2011. He is currently Professor in the Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Department at UCF. He is also the Undergraduate Coordinator. He has written more than 300 articles and a book in Artificial Intelligence. He has been the principal advisor for 39 Master’s students and 29 PhDs. He received the award for the Best Scientific Article of the Year 2004 from the Society of Automotive Engineers, received the distinction “ONE NASA” in 2006. He was the recipient of the Fulbright Distinction in 2008. In November 2008, he received the honor of the Technological University of Panama (UTP) of being the 2008 Distinguished Alumni. In 2011, he was the Henaac Award Winner in Education. In 2013 and 2018, he received the Forest R. McFarland Award from the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE). Lately, he received the SAE Russell S. Springer Award for his article on the modeling of space operations systems in 2017.
Speaker I
Speaker II
Speaker III
Speaker IV
2:30 – 4:00 pm, June 10
Supply Chain Management Panel – Rockwell Automation
Panel Chair
Senthilkumar Thiyagarajan, Ph.D.
Senior Supply Chain Analyst
Medline Industries, LP
Northfield, Illinois, USA
Board of Director, Logistics and Supply Chain Division – IISE
Content Management Committee Leader, Supply Chain Management, Quality Management Division, American Society for Quality
Board Member, ISCEA-IMPA
Dr. Senthilkumar Thiyagarajan is a Senior Supply Chain Analyst in the Center of Excellence for Inventory Management at Medline Industries, LP. He earned his Ph.D. in Supply Chain Management from Purdue University and MS in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University. His expertise spans supply chain resilience, digital twin technology, Industry 4.0, Lean Six Sigma, and product lifecycle management, with a proven track record of applying advanced research to real-world industry challenges. Dr. Thiyagarajan’s research work has been published in leading journals, including the International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, and the International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management. He has also presented his research at major international conferences. A certified Six Sigma Black Belt, he has held impactful roles in supply chain, quality engineering, and process improvement at Tesla, Schott, Cook Medical, and Zimmer Biomet before joining Medline. Beyond his corporate contributions, Dr. Thiyagarajan actively advances the profession through editorial, advisory, and leadership service. He currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of the International Journal of Lean Six Sigma and the International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management. He is a Board Member of the Logistics & Supply Chain Division of IISE and an Industrial Advisory Board Member for IISE. Within the American Society for Quality (ASQ), he leads the Content Management Committee for Supply Chain Management and contributes as a committee member for Quality 4.0 in the Quality Management Division.
Panel Speaker I
Dr. Wilkistar Otieno
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
United States
Dr. Wilkistar Otieno is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Her industry-driven research involves sustainable manufacturing, particularly remanufacturing and machine learning, with applications in manufacturing. She has a passion for teaching statistical-related courses, and inspiring student involvement. She is a faculty mentor to several student organizations, including the Society of Women Engineers, the Campus Advent Society and the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences and the Association of Energy Engineers. She is a long-time faculty mentor of the STEM INSPIRE Wisconsin Alliance for Minority Participation program. She received the 2022 Tony Quinn Awardee from the Louis Stokes Midwest Regional Center of Excellence (LSMRCE), and the 2022 UW System Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award. Dr. Otieno has served as the Chair of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-Milwaukee Chapter and is the past Chair of the INFORMS Women in Operations Research and Management Sciences.
Speaker II
Speaker III
Speaker IV
4:30 – 6:00 pm, June 10
Women in Industry and Academia (WIIA)
Panel Chair
E. Shirl Donaldson, Ph.D. PMP
Faculty Member
College of Innovation and Technology
University of Michigan Flint
Academia is the second career for E. Shirl Donaldson. Dr. Donaldson worked as a partner in a family-owned manufacturing firm resulting in exceptional insight into entrepreneurship, manufacturing, operations management, project management, quality systems, technology management and STEM education. Before returning to Purdue University in 2009 to pursue a Ph.D. in Industrial Technology, she held positions with technical and financial responsibilities. She brings these skills and experiences to every space she enters as she continues to teach and consult. In August 2021, Donaldson joined the College of Innovation and Technology as inaugural faculty at University of Michigan Flint. Previously, Dr. Donaldson has taught operations management, project management, supply chain, and quality systems at The University of Texas and Purdue University. Problem-solving is Shirl Donaldson’s passion. Professor Donaldson is a certified project management professional (PMP) and an active member of Project Management International (PMI). Her current research agenda is highlighted in several community engaged projects such as Modifying Vehicles for Handicapped Children from a Student Perspective, Racial Equity and STEM, STEM Education and Donk Racing, Motorsports and Applied STEM, Leveraging Project Management for Student Success, Paper Ceiling Explorations, and Entrepreneurship in Underserved Communities.
Speaker I
Speaker II
Speaker III
Speaker IV
2:30 – 4:00 pm, June 11
Entrepreneurship Mindset Panel
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
Chief Operating Officer, 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 member of United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Panel Co-Chair
Heidi Morano
Director, Entrepreneurial Engineering Design Curriculum
College of Engineering
Lawrence Technological University
Southfield, Michigan
Morano serves as Director of the Entrepreneurial Engineering Design Curriculum. Through the generous support of the Kern Family Foundation, a continuous thread of entrepreneurially-minded learning is intentionally woven through the engineering curriculum – beginning with the freshmen EGE 1001 Fundamentals of Engineering Design Projects and further evolving with the sophomore level EGE 2123 Entrepreneurial Engineering Design Studio, the junior-level EGE 3022 Leadership & Professional Development for Engineers and culminating with the Senior Capstone Experience.
Prior to her role as director, Professor Morano served as the project engineer in the Studio for Entrepreneurial Engineering Design and collaborated in the development and design of the EGE 2123 course. Professor Morano also served as an adjunct faculty member in the A. Leon Linton Department of Mechanical, Robotics and Industrial Engineering for 11 years. She earned a MSME in Applied Mechanics at the University of Michigan.
Speaker I
Speaker II
Speaker III
Speaker IV
4:30 – 6:00 pm, June 11
Panel on Lean Six Sigma / PPAP
Panel Chair
Steven Sibrel
Senior Supplier Quality Manager
Harman International, Novi, MI
Past Chair – ASQ Greater Detroit
Steve Sibrel is a business process improvement trainer, coach and auditor with over 35 years of experience in the business and manufacturing world. He is currently working as Senior Supplier Quality Manager at Harman International, a manufacturer of audio and infotainment systems for consumer, professional, and automotive industries, with well-known brands such as JBL, Lexicon, Crown, Infinity, Mark Levinson, Becker and Harman-Kardon. Previously he held a number of engineering and management positions in diverse industries at Applied Materials (Semiconductor), NEC (Telecommunications) and Texas Instruments (Military). He has conducted over 200 supplier audits in North America, Europe, and Asia and is a Lead Auditor for ISO/TS16949, ISO9001, ISO13485, ISO17025, and 21CFR820. He has been the Chair for Professional Development for the ASQ Detroit section since 2008. He received the Distinguished Service Award in 2008 and the Leadership Award in 2013 from ASQ. Current ASQ Certifications held are Six Sigma Black Belt, Quality Engineer, Quality Inspector, Quality Auditor, and Manager of Quality/ Organizational Excellence. He is an adjunct facility member at Macomb Community College. Steve has a BSEE degree from Rose Hulman Institute of Technology and an MSEE degree from Southern Methodist University.
Speaker I
Speaker II
Speaker III
Speaker IV