Upcoming Events
October 21 | 12 – 1 p.m. | Zoom Webinar
Lean Into AI Series
Many organizations are waiting for the perfect AI strategy, the perfect use case, or the perfect level of readiness. But just as successful lean transformations begin with learning by doing, successful AI adoptions must start with action and experimentation.
To continue the Lean Into AI series, expert Art Smalley will join series facilitator Steve Pereira for a conversation on lessons learned from Japanese business contexts, the parallels between lean and AI adoption, and what’s holding organizations back from meaningful AI implementation today. They’ll discuss Art’s journey out of AI skepticism, explore companies using AI as a tool to enhance human capability rather than replace it, and examine common myths and roadblocks.
Webinar attendees will gain insights on:
- Art’s research and development of AI-powered lean coaching tools
- AI adoption lessons from Japanese manufacturing environments
- Practical ways to experiment and build momentum around AI-enhanced continuous improvement
Speakers
Art Smalley is president of Art of Lean, Inc., which he founded in 2003, and a senior advisor to the Lean Enterprise Institute. He worked for Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan at the Kamigo Engine Plant and later served in McKinsey & Company's operations practice. He is the author of Understanding A3 Thinking, Creating Level Pull, Toyota Kaizen Methods, and Four Types of Problems, and a Shingo Prize Life Member for Excellence in Manufacturing. More recently he has been building AI tools for Lean practitioners, teaching how to use AI for improvement, and writing about where AI fits in operational strategy.
Steve Pereira, emcee, is obsessed with making tech human and leveraging it to deliver continuous value. Steve has spent over two decades improving the flow of work across organizations. He’s worked through tech support, IT management, build and release engineering, and as a founding CTO for enterprise SaaS.
He serves as lead consultant for Visible Value Stream Consulting, as a board advisor to the Value Stream Management Consortium, Chair of the OASIS Value Stream Management Interoperability technical committee, and co-founder of the Flow Collective to bring flow-focused professionals together. Since 2017, he has been developing and facilitating Flow Engineering to make flow improvement in large organizations accessible, collaborative, and actionable.
Host Organizations
This series is part of the collaborative work of leading OpEx consortia under the shared initiative Future of People at Work:
- Catalysis
- Central Coast Lean
- Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP)
- Imagining Excellence / Eyes to See
- Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI)
- Ohio State’s Center for Operational Excellence (COE)
- Shingo Institute
- Toyota Supplier Support Center (TSSC)
- The University of Kentucky Lean Systems Program
This initiative represents an unprecedented collaboration among leading improvement-focused organizations dedicated to building better ways of working together. Together, these networks are reimagining work and continuous improvement for a new era of technological change.
October 28 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Hybrid Event
Explore collaboration and resilience at this year’s Supply Chain Forum, hosted by the Center for Operational Excellence and the Supply Chain Association graduate student organization.
This event will bring together Cardinal Health leaders from Global Product Marketing, Demand Planning, and Finance to discuss how cross-functional collaboration drives alignment, strengthens decision-making, and enhances supply chain resilience.
Attendees will gain insights into the strategies, behaviors, and partnerships that enable organizations to navigate complexity and deliver sustainable results.
This event offers a unique opportunity to learn and connect for both students and industry professionals. In-person attendees will be invited to keep the conversation going at a networking lunch following the presentation.
Event Agenda
- 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Panel Presentation and Q&A Session
- 12:30 – 1 p.m. | Networking Lunch (in-person attendees only)
Speakers
Leslie Hanlon is an experienced supply chain professional, with over 15 years of experience in medical product and device planning, manufacturing, and distribution, with expertise in demand and supply planning, inventory optimization, and global supply chain execution.
Joshua Ocheltree serves as Director of Financial Planning & Analysis, supporting the Upstream Marketing organization at Cardinal Health. A strategic finance leader with over 15 years of experience in forecasting, business planning, and commercial decision support, Joshua partners closely with marketing and cross-functional teams to drive profitable growth and informed investment decisions. Passionate about translating data into actionable insights, Joshua focuses on aligning financial strategy with customer and market opportunities, enabling innovation, optimizing resource allocation, and supporting the successful development of solutions that improve patient care and business performance.
Kendra Strother serves as U.S. Commercial Marketing Director for the Kangaroo™ Nutritional Delivery business at Cardinal Health. A purpose-driven leader with more than 15 years of experience in healthcare and MedTech, Kendra is passionate about driving business growth across the continuum of care by focusing on what matters most to clinicians: delivering high-quality patient care and improving patient outcomes.
Anjali Tewari is a supply chain leader with more than five years of experience driving strategic sourcing, integrated business planning, and supply chain transformation at Cardinal Health. A collaborative leader, Anjali is passionate about connecting teams across functions to solve complex business challenges, improve operational performance, and create sustainable value. She is recognized for leveraging data-driven insights, strategic thinking, and strong cross-functional partnerships to optimize working capital, enhance service, and strengthen business outcomes across the healthcare supply chain.
This is a hybrid event. The in-person event will be held on the Ohio State campus in the Mason Hall Rotunda (250 W Woodruff Ave, Columbus, OH 43210) and will include a networking lunch from 12:30 – 1 p.m. The virtual event will be held via Zoom—the link to join will be included in the livestream registration confirmation email.
November 9 | 3 – 5 p.m. | In-Person Event
Join the Center for Operational Excellence and Fisher’s Office of Career Management for a unique networking event designed to bring Ohio State students and industry professionals together through hands-on problem solving and collaboration.
Through an interactive Lego-based workshop, participants will explore operational excellence concepts while working in teams to tackle challenges, improve processes, and think creatively under pressure.
What to Expect:
- Participate in a facilitated workshop focused on teamwork, problem solving, and OpEx fundamentals
- Connect with students, employers, and industry leaders from the COE member community
- Build and take home your own Lego mini-me figure
- Enjoy pizza and networking following the workshop
Whether you’re a student looking to make industry connections or a professional eager to find your next great hire, Built to Connect is the perfect opportunity to tap into COE’s network.
This event is open to undergraduate and graduate Fisher students and all COE member company employees, but space is limited.
Agenda
- 3 – 4:30 p.m. | Mini-Workshop and Facilitated Activities
- 4:30 – 5 p.m. | Pizza and Networking
This is a limited-capacity, in-person only event in the Mason Hall Rotunda on The Ohio State University campus (250 W Woodruff Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210). Please submit your interest using the form below. Student spots will be filled in the order in which interest form submissions are received. COE member spots will be filled using the interest form in coordination with COE board representatives. If you have been selected to participate, you’ll receive an email by October 19 with additional information.
December 4 | 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Hybrid Event
The AI revolution isn’t making the principles of operational excellence obsolete. Rather, it’s putting lean fundamentals to the test and raising the stakes for getting them right. As organizations race to adopt powerful new technologies, the ability to solve the right problems, eliminate waste, improve processes, and develop people is proving more valuable than ever.
Join the Center for Operational Excellence for our fourth annual AI Insights from Academia to Industry seminar, where thought leaders from the university and business community converge to explore the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and operational excellence.
This year’s morning keynote features technology leader Srini Koushik, who will explore how leaders can use Thinking With AI to strengthen, not shortcut, the disciplines at the heart of lean thinking. While lean teaches us to see waste in the work, Thinking With AI helps us see waste in our thinking. Srini will share how AI can accelerate problem solving, surface patterns, and expand options while humans remain responsible for understanding the work, challenging assumptions, eliminating waste, and exercising judgment where context matters most.
In the afternoon, COE Executive Director Kelly Reo and Srini Koushik will be joined by dynamic industry leaders Melanie Kolp, SVP, Chief Data Officer and Chief Technology Officer for Enterprise Solutions at Nationwide, and Disha Patel, Digital Technology and Innovation Site Lead for Amgen Ohio. Together, they’ll discuss where organizations really are on their AI journey, what challenges are emerging alongside new capabilities, and why process excellence remains essential in the age of intelligent systems.
Attendees will hear tangible examples of how organizations are approaching AI and gain practical insights into balancing proven principles with the uncertainty and opportunity of an AI-enabled future.
Event Agenda
- 10 – 10:30 a.m. | Check-In (in-person attendees only)
- 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Thinking With AI Keynote, Srini Koushik
- 12 – 1 p.m. | Lunch & Networking (in-person attendees only)
- 1 – 2:30 p.m. | Industry Insights Panel
Speakers
Srini Koushik helps people and organizations think with AI, not just use it. He's been the builder, the operator and the founder: a three-time CIO, a two-time entrepreneur, and a CEO and president running large businesses around the world. His career runs through IBM, Nationwide, Magellan Health, HP, NTT and Rackspace.
Today, he leads Right Brain Labs, serves as Executive Advisor for AI Fluency at Ohio State, and wrote Thinking with AI. He says the best part of his career is the people. More than 35 leaders he mentored are now C-level executives in their own right. A longtime New Albany resident, he loves traveling and spending time with his family and two grandkids.
Melanie Kolp is a senior technology executive recognized for her passionate strategic leadership at the intersection of technology, data, and innovation. As Nationwide’s Chief Data Officer and Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer for Technology Enterprise Solutions, she leads enterprise-wide strategies that align technology, data, artificial intelligence and emerging technology with the company’s broader business ambitions. She leads the development of a future- ready workforce, including expanding Nationwide’s global presence through the establishment of its India office and serving as board chairperson—helping position the company at the forefront of digital transformation.
With more than 30 years of experience, Melanie has built a strong reputation for translating complex technologies into tangible business outcomes. She leads initiatives that integrate technology strategy with data-driven insights, strengthening enterprise capabilities and enhancing both customer experience and consumer privacy across Nationwide.
A committed advocate for advancing women in technology, Melanie is a founding member of Nationwide’s Women in IT organization and the founding president of Columbus Women in Tech. She is also a proud board member for Girl Scouts of Ohio Heartland. She holds dual Bachelor of Business Administration degrees in Management Information Systems and Business Management from Ohio University and resides in Dublin, Ohio, with her husband and three sons.
Disha Patel leads digital technology, innovation, and transformation for Amgen Ohio while supporting advanced manufacturing operations and enterprise innovation. With more than 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, she has helped drive technology-enabled business transformation and operational excellence across the healthcare sector. A recognized technology and business leader, she serves on the boards of the New Albany Symphony Orchestra and Junior Achievement of Central Ohio and is an active member of the Central Ohio CIO community. Disha has been recognized as an ORBIE Awards Finalist and Healthcare Businesswomen's Association Rising Star. She studied at Miami University and Cambridge University and holds a professional certification from Stanford University. She is passionate about advancing technology, developing leaders, and creating positive impact in both business and the community.
This is a hybrid event. The in-person event will be held on the Ohio State campus at the Fawcett Center Ballroom (2400 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH) and will include a networking lunch. The virtual event will be held via Zoom—the link to join will be included in the livestream registration confirmation email.
Save the Date
January 13, 9 - 11:30 a.m. | The Leadership Forum featuring Dr. Ali O'Malley, Organizational Psychologist, Executive Coach, and Founder of Reflexion Group (Hybrid - In-person at the Fawcett Center or via Zoom)
January 27 | Workshop (In-person only; Limited capacity) - Topic/speaker to be announced!
February 10, 12 - 1 p.m. | Training and Development Webinar featuring The Ohio State University Center on Education and Training for Employment (Virtual)
March 10, 12 - 1 p.m. | The Enduring Principles of Lean: Creating Improvement That Lasts Webinar featuring Kelly Reo, Executive Director of the Center for Operational Excellence (Virtual)
April 6 - 8 | COE Summit 2027 (In-person only)