Upcoming Events
January 14 | 9 – 11:30 a.m. | Hybrid Event
The Leadership Forum
In today’s world, change is constant—often arriving with little warning and disrupting familiar structures and routines. For leaders, this turbulence can feel like a storm: unsettling, unpredictable, full of risk, and beyond your control. But within every storm lies the potential for transformation.
At The Leadership Forum, the Center for Operational Excellence invites you to explore how effective leadership can turn disruption into opportunity. The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason, Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs, will share insights from her distinguished career navigating transformation at the highest levels.
Drawing from her CARVE leadership framework, Inspector General Mason will guide attendees through five essential traits for leading through transformation:
- Courage - What does courage look like at work?
- Agility - Why is agility so important for the organization?
- Resilience - Why is resiliency crucial for the organization and the employees?
- Vulnerability - What is it, and why does it matter in organizations?
- Empathy - Why is it important at work?
Attendees will gain insights on the following concepts:
- Accept change as a constant—and learn how to influence its impact.
- Prepare proactively for disruption, just as we do for a coming storm.
- Lead with intention—through listening, visibility, and trust-building.
- Remember—mattering and impact are important to each of us as people.
- Decide and move forward.
Whether you're guiding a team through transformation or preparing for future shifts, The Leadership Forum will equip you with practical strategies and a renewed perspective on leadership in times of change.
Event Agenda
9 – 10 a.m. | Check-In, Light Breakfast, and Networking (in-person attendees only)
10 – 11:30 a.m. | The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason Presentation and Q&A Session
Speaker
The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason was confirmed by the Senate as the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on July 31, 2025. She was sworn in on August 4, 2025.
Inspector General Mason guides a staff of more than 1,000 investigators, inspectors, auditors, healthcare professionals, data analysts, attorneys, and other personnel across the nation with a broad range of expertise. Her staff collaborate to carry out the OIG’s mission of conducting meaningful independent oversight of VA and serving veterans and their families. Her office sets the direction for investigations to prevent and detect fraud and other criminal activity, waste, abuse, and gross mismanagement. She also advances efforts that promote efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness in VA programs and operations.
Previously, Inspector General Mason had a distinguished career of dedicated federal service at the VA, Department of Defense, and Federal Labor Relations Authority in addition to private law practice. Her accomplishments include establishing an educational program for servicemembers and their families in Germany, managing a diverse range of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa support programs encompassing contracts, personnel, budget, and IT, and spearheading a large-scale complex legal operation as the Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (the Board). As Chairman of the Board from 2017–2022, she led a team of approximately 1,200 personnel to meet the mission of conducting hearings and deciding appeals for veterans and their families. Under her leadership, the Board reduced the number of legacy claims and appeals from more than 472,000 to 96,000, implemented the Appeals Modernization Act, championed technological innovation, and drove streamlined processes.
The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason also served as a military spouse employment and engagement champion for the federal government and as an ambassador of the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End the National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS). Ms. Mason is also an award-winning author.
Ms. Mason earned her bachelor of arts in political science and psychology from Ohio Northern University and a juris doctor from Creighton University School of Law. She is the spouse of a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel and daughter of a World War II US Navy veteran.
This is a hybrid event. Please select whether you wish to attend in-person or via livestream at the time of registration. 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 breakfast from 9 – 10 a.m. The virtual event will be held via Zoom—the link to join will be included in the livestream registration confirmation email.
January 29 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | In-Person Workshop
Join the Center for Operational Excellence for an immersive, hands-on problem-solving workshop featuring the Drury Lane Muffin Company simulation from MoreSteam!
During this full-day experience, you will step into the role of a real improvement team tasked with diagnosing and fixing performance challenges inside a fast-paced manufacturing operation. Working in teams of three, you will explore live process data, uncover sources of variation, test improvement ideas, and apply structured problem-solving using the A3 methodology.
By the end of the session, you will have practiced practical tools that translate directly to your daily work — regardless of industry — and you’ll leave with stronger analytical thinking, collaboration, and decision-making skills.
What you’ll do:
- Analyze a real-to-life business scenario inside a virtual muffin production company
- Map and understand the current state of the process
- Collect and evaluate data to separate fact from assumption
- Identify root causes using proven analysis tools
- Develop, test, and refine countermeasures
- Build a complete A3 story from problem definition through sustained results
What you’ll gain:
- Confidence using a repeatable problem-solving method
- Hands-on experience applying Lean Six Sigma thinking in a realistic setting
- Practical tools for leading process improvement efforts
- A fun, energizing learning experience that sticks
Peg Pennington joined MoreSteam's executive team in 2018 and today leads all company operations as President. Previously, Peg was the Executive Director of the Center for Operational Excellence at The Ohio State University, where she helped shape the Master of Business Operational Excellence (MBOE) program and strengthen standards for Lean Six Sigma certification. She serves on the board of directors for the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI). A recognized voice in operational excellence, Peg speaks at over a dozen national conferences each year and leads product workshops.
Before joining MoreSteam, Peg was the Executive Director of the Center for Operational Excellence at The Ohio State University. Peg holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Dayton.
This is a limited-capacity, in-person only workshop on the campus of the Fisher College of Business. Please submit your interest using the form below. Participants will be selected from interest form submissions in coordination with COE board representatives from each member company. If you have been selected, you’ll receive an email by January 13.
Save the Date
February 11, 12 - 1 p.m. | Lean Into AI Part 3 Webinar (Tentative - speaker to be announced!)
February 25 | Tour (Tentative - location to be announced!)
March 11, 12 - 1 p.m. | Creating Positive Organizational Change Habits Webinar featuring Dr. Bryan Cutliff, CEO of Synergyze Business Consultants
March 25, 12 - 1 p.m. | People, Purpose, Process: The Lean Six Sigma Trifecta Webinar featuring Dr. Beth Gersper, LeanOhio Liaison for Ohio Department of Behavioral Health
April 7-9 | COE Summit 2026
April 22, 12 - 1 p.m. | From A La Carte to All-in: Adopting the Full Lean Operating Model Webinar featuring Will Eby, Theresa Kennedy, and Andrew Robbins, Nationwide