Between teaching data analysis and global sourcing to undergraduate, graduate and executive education students at Fisher, co-leading the college’s newest graduate degree program, chairing a prestigious conference slated to be held in Columbus, and conducting industry-shaping research, John Gray knows the upcoming year will be a busy one.

Despite the packed schedule, Gray is excited to add another responsibility to the list: helping ensure the White House is able to make the best decisions about domestic manufacturing.

He has been asked to advise the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which is part of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in Washington, D.C. As part of the Biden administration, Gray will lend his supply chain insights and expertise as a part of the office’s pandemic preparedness team. 

The unpaid appointment will leverage Gray’s deep knowledge of pharmaceutical supply chain — domestically and abroad — to help inform policies that will enable government agencies to react to current and future public health crises quicker and more efficiently.

“I served as an invited volunteer on the economic committee during the 2020 presidential campaign, focusing on issues related to manufacturing and supply chains, with a focus on pharmaceuticals. Since then, I’ve been occasionally called upon by people in the EOP,” said Gray, a professor of operations at Fisher. “By formally joining the EOP, I’ll have more direct and thorough access to their work and engagement on these issues.” 

Gray has developed a professional network that includes fellow operations/supply chain scholars, as well as practitioners from all parts of the supply chain — from upstream manufacturers to doctors and pharmacists. This engagement was instrumental in being asked to help the EOP, Gray said. Prior to pursuing his PhD and research, Gray worked in operations management at an FDA-regulated facility at P&G for eight years. He recently worked on contract for various projects with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“Since my dissertation, a key part of my research has been related to pharmaceutical supply chains, with a more recent focus on public policy,” he said. “It is exciting for me to be able to directly contribute to policy formulation, especially at this time when society recognizes the importance of safe, effective and resilient supply chains for all of our critical health care products.”

Gray’s work elevating the study of supply chain also includes an appointment as co-academic director of Fisher’s newly announced online Master of Supply Chain Management program. He also serves as program chair for the Industry Studies Association, which will hold its 2023 annual conference in Columbus this spring.

“Being at Fisher and in central Ohio has been the perfect environment for my research,” he said. “The college rewards rigorous phenomenon-driven, practice-relevant research, and central Ohio contains leading health care supply chain companies, thought leaders and opportunities to connect with them.”