Lean Team |
Hank Czarnecki serves as Auburn’s project manager for lean manufacturing activities. Hank has more than ten years experience facilitating continuous process improvement (kaizen) events and is a NIST Qualified Lean Manufacturing Trainer.
- Lean Manufacturing Engineer
- B.S. in Industrial Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
- Master Industrial Engineering, Auburn University
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David Hicks is a Registered Professional Engineer with more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing, quality & statistics, training, test engineering, plant management, and research & development.
- Bronze Certified Lean Manufacturing
- Senior Member of the American Society for Quality
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Tennessee State University
- M.S. in Engineering, University of Alabama Huntsville
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Terri Lawrence
has more than 11 years of Lean experience as a manufacturing manager, Lean trainer and kaizen facilitator. Her background includes 14 years in the commercial aerospace industry encompassing the areas of manufacturing, tooling/machining, operations management, supply chain management including national and international external purchasing.
- Kaizen event leader
- Trained in Kyoto, Japan by the global lean consultant experts of Shingijutsu Co., Ltd.
- B.A., University of Washington
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Dave Devore is an Associate Scientist with ATAC assisting in Lean principles training, coaching, kaizen improvement; and TWI Training within the Industry.
- AME/SME/Shingo Bronze Knowledge Certified
- Certified Training Within Industry:
- Job Methods
- Job Instruction
- Job Relations
- Dual B.A. degrees, Kent State University
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Rick Battye is a Lean Specialist with more than 15 years experience in manufacturing. Rick’s background is in the automotive and power industries in the areas of plant management, operations management, supply chain management, and production control. In addition to working in U.S. manufacturing, Rick also has experience in international manufacturing management in Asia and Mexico. He has more than five years experience applying Lean techniques in a manufacturing setting and providing a clear vision toward progressing to a Lean culture.
- Kaizen facilitator
- Trained in statistical analysis
- B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Platteville
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Six Sigma Team |
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. |
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| Amit Mitra, PhD., is the associate dean in the AU College of Business and a professor in the Department of Management. 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. |
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Administration & Programs Support Team |
| 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). 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. |
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| 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 efforts. His professional career comprises more than 25 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. |
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| John Hayes serves as Quality Specialist and provides instruction and training material development in a variety of product quality and production areas. 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. |
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Walker Jackson is a Management Scientist and 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 and Master in Business Administratioin 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. |
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| 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. |
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| David Mixson serves as a Management Scientist and assists businesses with marketing strategy, planning and tactics. David is a certified Eureka Growth Coach through Doug Hall's Eureka Ranch. As a Professional Certified
Marketer, he provides corporate marketing leadership and support to the
Alabama Technology Network and supports Auburn's EDA University Center
Program. David holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Management and a Master
of Business Administration degree from Auburn University. His prior
experience includes working for Total System Services of Columbus, Georgia,
where he held positions as Project Support Manager and Project Analyst. |
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| 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. |
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