Staff Profiles

• Lean Manufacturing Engineer
• Certified Training Within Industry Instructor
• AME President, S.E. Region 2009-2010
• B.S. in Industrial Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
• Master Industrial Engineering, Auburn University

CONTACT: leanhank@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.3838; 1.334.524.2103 (cell)

• SME/AME Bronze Certified Lean Manufacturing
• Certified Training Within Industry Instructor
• Senior Member of the American Society for Quality
• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Tennessee State University
• M.S. in Engineering, University of Alabama Huntsville

CONTACT: hicksdp@auburn.edu; 1.256.565.4020

• SME/AME Bronze Certified Lean Manufacturing
• Kaizen event leader
• Trained in Kyoto, Japan by the global lean consultant experts of Shingijutsu Co., Ltd.
• B.A., University of Washington

CONTACT: lawretk@auburn.edu; 1.334.332.7048

Rick Battye is a Lean Specialist with more than 20 years experience in project management, plant management, industrial engineering, production control and lean coaching/facilitation.  Rick's background is in the automotive, power plant, healthcare, services and education industries.  He has more than 10 years experience applying Lean techniques in these industries as well as providing a clear vision toward progressing toward a Lean culture.   In addition to working in the U.S., Rick also has experience in international management in China, Japan and Mexico.

• SME/AME Bronze Certified Lean Manufacturing
• Kaizen facilitator
• Trained in statistical analysis
• B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

CONTACT: rjb0004@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.3883; 1.334.444.0983 (cell)

DeWayne L Searcy is Assistant Professor in the School of Accountancy of the College of Business at Auburn University.  Dr. Searcy has published in numerous outlets including the Journal of Accounting Literature, International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Journal of Information Systems, The CPA Journal and Management Accounting Quarterly. One of his articles was awarded a Certificate of Merit from the Institute of Management Accountants. Prior to joining Auburn University, Dr. Searcy was at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., where he taught in the undergraduate, Masters of Professional Accountancy, MBA, and EMBA programs. He also taught at the University of Tennessee while earning his doctorate with a double major in accounting and logistics. Dr. Searcy''s research interests are continuous auditing, lean enterprises and supply chain management. Prior to entering academia, he worked in public accounting and private industry. He is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). He is an active member of the American Accounting Association and the Institute of Management Accountants
Dr. Searcy received his BS and MAc from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and his PhD from the University of Tennessee.

CONTACT: searcdl@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.5827

Mark Clark, Ph.D., is an award-winning member of the AU College of Business Faculty for his teaching in the MBA program. Mark holds a dual appointment with ATAC and the Department of Management. He is a Master Black Belt and is a Six Sigma Green and Black Belt instructor.
Mark has a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and specializes in the area of production and operations management. He spent eight years in the pulp and paper industry, and served as a process engineer for approximately three years before joining the management team at one of the International Paper production facilities. Dr. Clark has co-authored numerous articles accepted in Annals of Operations Research and Forest Science.

CONTACT: clarkma@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.3889

Amit Mitra, PhD., is a professor in the College of Business. He holds bachelors and masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering, a post-graduate diploma in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, and a Ph.D. in Management Science from Clemson University. Dr. Mitra has been involved in quality assurance and continuous quality improvement activities through teaching, research, executive and continuing education, and consulting. He is the author of the book, Fundamentals of Quality Control and Improvement, Second Edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 1998, a nationally and internationally used textbook. The book, to be used in this course, has been adopted at institutions such as MIT, Harvard, Stanford, University of California at Berkeley and the University of Southern California, among many others. He has conducted numerous short courses for professionals in such areas as Total Quality Management, Quality Assurance, and Statistical Process Control. Dr. Mitra has assisted with the implementation of statistical process control in numerous companies.

CONTACT: mitraam@auburn.edu; 1.344.844.4833

Chuck Mcpherson serves as Quality Systems Specialist. He has more than 25 years of experience in developing and implementing quality systems for a multiple of clients in the
manufacturing sector. An active member in the American Society of Quality (ASQ), Chuck specializes in design, training and implementation for ISO 9001-2000, SAE AS9100 and 9110 for aerospace, FAA-PMA and FAR Part 145 Subpart B for FAA approved domestic repair stations. Chuck has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of
the State of New York, and a Masters of Sciences from the University of South Alabama.

CONTACT: chuck@clmcpherson.net; 1.251.422.5794

John Hayes serves as Quality Specialist and provides instruction and training material development in a variety of product quality and production areas, including Mechanical Print Reading and Certified Quality Technician (CQT). He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University. His areas of interest are improving quality, products, processes and operations. John has more than 40 years of experience with manufacturing companies in project and process engineering, and as Plant Manager and Quality Director. John is a member of the ASME.

CONTACT: hayesjo@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.3858

David Mixson directs Auburn Univeristy's EDA University Center and serves as a Management Scientist focused on helping organizations and businesses improve their innovation, marketing, and business growth efforts.  He is responsible for providing leadership to the administrative, financial, and program delivery aspects of the University Center initiative while developing training and assistance solutions to meet organizational needs. He is a Certified Eureka Growth Coach, a Professional Certified Marketer, and holds the certified in Landing Page Optimization. He is also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society. His work with the Alabama Technology Network includes serving as lead growth coach, the Alabama Manufacturer of the Year Award administrator and previously as the network's marketing manager. David holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Management and a Master of Business Administration degree from Auburn University and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute.  He is a board member of the Educational Association of University Centers and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma.  His prior experience includes working for Total System Services of Columbus, Georgia, where he held positions as Project Support Manager and Project Analyst.

Walker Jackson is a Management Scientist and a certified Eureka Growth Coach through Doug Hall's Eureka Ranch. Walker spent more than 20 years in various areas of the banking industry. He has an extensive background in branch management, commercial lending, accounting, finance, marketing and management. Walker holds Bachelor and Master in Business Administration degrees from Georgia College. His areas of responsibility with ATAC include providing support and expertise in the areas of business, economic development and assessment programs.

CONTACT: wmj0002@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.3890

Brian Flynn works with ATAC as a Human Resource and Organizational Behavior Specialist. Brian is currently working on his Ph.D. in Management at Auburn University in the Department of Management. He received his undergraduate degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University, and his Masters of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University. Brian worked in various capacities with industries prior to returning to school. His work experiences span 12 years in both large and small businesses in positions such as Assistant Operations Manager, Training Coordinator, Employee Relations Specialist, and General Operations Manager for companies such as SITEL Corporation (customer service industry), Gulfstream Aerospace, and a small software development firm. His current areas of interest include Turnover and Retention, Management Education, Human Resource Practices, and Organizational Development and Change.

CONTACT: cbflynn@auburn.edu; 334.844.6520

Henry B. Burdg, serves as Director of ATN-Auburn and the Auburn Technical Assistance Center (ATAC). He holds a Bachelor of Aviation Management and the Master of Business Administration degrees from Auburn University. For the past 25 years he has been working with businesses, primarily Alabama manufacturing firms, to assist them in becoming more competitive and efficient. His work involves the application of technology (hard and soft) on a statewide basis and throughout the southeast. He serves on the Boards of Directors of the National Association of Management and Technical Assistance Centers, (NAMTAC) and the American Industrial Extension Alliance (AIEA). Mr. Burdg also serves as Senior Examiner for the Alabama Quality Award and as Chair of the Auburn Training Connection. Prior to joining Auburn University, Mr. Burdg was formerly with the engineering firm of Howard Needles Tammen & Bergendoff's, Cleveland, Ohio aviation office. Mr. Burdg is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and has conducted some 400+ industry client projects. He has 13 publications in refereed journals and some ten proceedings publications.

CONTAT: burdghb@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.3888; 1.334.332.1637 (cell)

Mitch Emmons, Sr. Outreach Associate, serves as a project administrator and manages the ATAC/ATN-AU’s regional marketing and sales, promotion, publicity and communications, and web and Social Networking efforts. Additionally, Mitch provides instructional and facilitator assistance for Lean Continuous Improvement training and Rapid Improvement Events. His professional career comprises more than 30 years in corporate communication, marketing, public relations, journalism, advertising, sales, and training and development. Mitch previously served as Communication Director for Auburn’s Research Division and as a Project Manager with Georgia’s Quick Start industrial training program. He also has worked in the nuclear power, pulp & paper, and textile manufacturing industries.  Mitch earned a Master’s Degree in Communication from Auburn University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of North Alabama. He also holds an Electrician certification, Six Sigma Green Belt, and is AME/SME/Shingo Lean Manufacturing Bronze Certified.

CONTACT: emmonmb@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.3881; 1.334.524.2102 (cell)

Juanita Woody serves as Operations Manager. She provides professional and administrative assistance through project tasks involving conferences, coordination of resources, contact strategies, file and financial records maintenance.

CONTACT: heardju@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.3884

Nicole Merritt serves as our Office Assistant. She is responsible for the support of all Lean and Six Sigma activities, as well as handling registration for upcoming classes.

CONTACT: merrihn@auburn.edu; 1.334.844.4271