Lean Six Sigma Instructors

William R Cushard

• BS in Technology, Excelsior College
• AS in Metrology and Calibration, Macomb Community College

William is currently the General Manager of Operations for SMI Composites, LLC leading the team on ambitious growth path increasing both revenue ($10M-$100M) and workforce (100-250 personnel) in the 2022 calendar year. Using Training Within Industry in concert with Toyota Coaching and Improvement KATA in order to leverage Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Materials, and Advance Analytics and Data Science to achieve a digital manufacturing facility in the next 24 months. Previously, the Director of Continuous Improvement at Teijin Automotive Technologies (formerly, Continental Structural Plastics) leading them on the continuous improvement journey with unique savings generating capabilities based LSS courses, Platform Directed Operations Based Continuous Improvement Strategy, and a Practical Screening/Refining/Optimizing Process Optimization model.

William was the Senior LSS Master Black Belt for Continental Structural Plastics as well as a consultant with CPS-Professional Services then as a manager at Accenture and then the Quality Assurance Manager and A2LA Lab Manager for L.E. Borden Company in Roseville, MI. Where he was responsible for the quality assurance activities of the company to include; ISO/TS 16949 implementation and management representative, the internal audit program, test equipment calibration, quality engineering, advanced product quality planning, quality data analysis, corrective and preventive action, continuous improvement mentorship (Lean/ Six Sigma), and A2LA Laboratory management. 

William has a wide range of experience in service and manufacturing companies mostly associated with the automotive industry. My experience has been with applied industrial coatings, light to heavy metal stamping, industrial fasteners made of plastic and metal, threaded fasteners, automotive cast aluminum and steel fabricated wheels manufacturing, military platform refurbishment and enhancement, and industrial equipment design and fabrication.

Mark Eclavea

• BA Managment, Indiana Wesleyan University
• MBA University of Georgia
• Management Certficate, Goizueta Business School
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt

Mark Eclavea joined Wells Fargo in 2013. Serving as the Chief Control Management Executive Organization site leader in Atlanta, GA, he is driving efforts for the enterprise design, implementation, and ongoing management of key risk management programs. Prior to this role, Mark served as a Strategist for the Small Business Premium Segment. During his tenure with Wells Fargo, he has also held roles in Commercial Banking Risk, Wholesale Control, Marketing, and International driving process transformation and effective risk management.

Mark has over 20 years of operational, risk management, and business experience. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, he held similar roles at Assurant Specialty Property, Cingular Wireless, and as a management consultant.

Mark holds the Associate in Risk Management designation, is a graduate of the Wells Fargo Diverse Leaders Program and is a Wells Fargo Global Fellow. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Georgia, and the Management Certificate from the Goizueta Business School. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Terry College of Business MIS Department and is a mentor to veterans transitioning to the private sector through the Hire Heroes organization. Mark is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and is an instructor for Emory University. He enjoys traveling with his wife Melody, golfing occasionally, being a serious foodie, and serving others. 

Matthew Enright

• BS Industrial Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology
• MS Industrial Engineering with Concentration in Health Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Six Sigma Black Belt Certification, Georgia Institute of Technology

Matt Enright is passionate about helping healthcare organizations drive business value by increasing efficiency while simultaneously improving quality and safety. He partners with C-Suite and Physician Leaders to realize their vision by creating practical strategies and tactics to ensure measurable of results. He leverages his experience in consulting, change management, systems engineering, lean six sigma, information technology, and analytics to guide cross-functional teams to solve the most complex problems facing healthcare today.

Matt has taught Lean Six Sigma to healthcare organizations across the country. He is currently facilitating Piedmont's Value Based Care Leadership Team to update our strategy to leverage current strengths and is responsive to this rapidly evolving market. Matt is leading a system-wide project that uses predictive analytics to forecast preventable emergency department visits and inpatient admissions. The output of this project will be sent to clinical team members to proactively reach out to patients and bend the cost curve for preventable visits.

Matt is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and has be a speaker at conferences for Society of Health Systems, Health Connect Partners, and other professional healthcare organizations. He is an active member of Georgia Academy of Healthcare Executives’ (GAHE's) Programs Committee and has moderated several programs.

Matt holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering with a concentration in Health Systems from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology. He recently earned his Six Sigma Black Belt Certificate from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a Certificate in Business Analytics, a Certificate in Data Science for Business from Harvard Business School Online. Prior to joining Piedmont, he consulted to healthcare organizations as an independent consultant, as well as at Deloitte and Booz Allen.

Jarvis Gray

• BS Industrial Engineering, University of Miami
• MHA University of North Carolina
• MPH Western Carolina University
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Manager of Quality & Organizational Excellence (CMQ-OE)
• Certified Six Sigma Black Belt

Jarvis Gray is the Founder and CEO of The Quality Coaching Co.; and offers 14+ years of quality improvement and project leadership experience in the healthcare industry. He has an extensive background in planning and managing cross-functional business operations and technology projects. He is an analytical and a conceptual thinker who effectively partners with organizational leaders to assess opportunities, facilitate strategic decisions, and drive successful implementations.  

Jarvis’ ability to evaluate complex situations and identify appropriate solutions underscores his ability to gain meaningful insight and follow-up with thorough analysis. He is particularly skilled at group facilitation and enjoys forging consensus among people with diverging ideas and opinions. Jarvis has managed a broad array of projects across a variety of healthcare settings, ranging from inpatient to ancillary services, to primary care settings and more.  

Prior to launching The Quality Coaching Co., Jarvis held many senior leader positions centered exclusively on quality and process improvement leadership, project management, and strategic plan execution. Over the past decade, Jarvis has coached 60+ management and executive leaders in quality and process improvement fundamentals; and has amassed over 6,500+ hours of course lecture, training, networking events and public workshops that promote foundations of achieving organizational excellence.  

Jarvis is also the host of the Healthcare QualityCast, an audio podcast spotlighting today's most exciting and inspiring quality professionals within the healthcare industry. Through his podcast show, Jarvis has recorded over 100+ episodes with healthcare leaders spanning 4 different continents. His show is currently followed in 60+ countries across the globe, with his "Quality People" community growing larger every day; and was recently celebrated as a Top 20 Patient Safety podcast to follow in 2021, by Feedspot.com.

Jarvis earned his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering (BSIE); holds a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) degree, as well as a Master of Project Management (MPM) degree. Jarvis is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Manager of Quality & Organizational Excellence (CMQ-OE) through the American Society of Quality (ASQ). He is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (LSSBB) and Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Examiner.  

Matthew Muga

• PhD Information Systems & Technology, Claremont Graduate University
• MS Information Security and Assurance, Carnegie Mellon University
• MS Global Business Leadership, University of San Diego
• BS Information Systems, University of Redlands
• BA Psychology, UC San Diego
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt – LSSBB
• PMI Project Management Professional - PMP
• Professional Scrum Master - PSM I

Dr. Matthew Muga is a Senior Technology Leader and Educator based in Atlanta, Georgia. He specializes in Lean Continuous Improvement, IT Program & Project Management, and Strategic Technology Planning focused on driving Transformation. He received his PhD in Information Systems & Technology from Claremont Graduate University where he was a Jones Fellow. He also holds an MS from Carnegie Mellon University in Information Technology and an MS from the University of San Diego School of Business in Global Leadership. Prior to that, he attended the University of Redlands and UC San Diego where he obtained undergraduate degrees in Information Systems and Psychology.

Matthew has held several Executive positions in the areas of Engineering Operations and IT for over a decade. He ran International IT Operations for multiple companies and has extensive field expertise having led complex, multimillion-dollar global IT projects on the ground in over 34 countries across six continents. He has lectured in both the academic and corporate arenas throughout the world. While within the Fortune 500, he taught numerous seminar and technical training classes in areas such as Technology Leadership, IT Project Management, International IT Operations, Application Development, Process Engineering, and Engineering Operations Management.

Matthew has worked for Customers such as Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Microsoft, Google, and Motorola and he is a long-standing member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Before Emory, he has served as Lecturer and Adjunct Professor in Information Systems at San Diego State University specializing in the areas of Systems Development and Project Management. When he is not at work, Matthew loves spending time with his family and friends, cooking, writing, exploring the Great State of Georgia, and enjoying life.

Noel Ransom

• MS Accounting and Financial Management, Clark Atlanta University
• BA Communications, Clark Atlanta University
• LSSMBB, Georgia Tech
• PMP

Noel Ransom's background includes over 15 years of process improvement in the financial services and logistics industries. Noel has conducted and advised on numerous process improvement projects and speaks on topics related to Lean Six Sigma and project management. She has been a consultant for several companies in Atlanta with specialties in Kaizen facilitation, data analytics, control systems and statistical analysis.

Noel is double certified as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt from SunTrust Bank (now Truist) and Georgia Institute of Technology (Ga Tech). She holds a dual Master of Science degree in Accounting and Financial Management and has also earned the designation of PMP. In her spare time, she is completing her Doctorate in Business Administration with a specialty in Project Management and Operational Excellence.

Maurice Spann

• BS Business Management, Albertus Magnus College
• Total Quality Management Certification, Central Connecticut State University
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Central Connecticut State University
• Six Sigma Master Black Belt, International Six Sigma Institute
• Six Sigma Black Belt, Central Connecticut State University
• ISO 9001 Lead Auditor-Quality Certification, Central Connecticut State University
• Lean, Central Connecticut State University

Maurice is an experienced Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Leader with a proven track record of leading and advising corporate leaders and business owners on process improvement initiatives, complex system implementations, and organizational change management. He is skilled in identifying, managing, and mitigating business risk. As the owner of Quality Management & Leadership Academy, his main goal is to build and facilitate high quality training for leaders and individual contributors wanting to advance their knowledge in Lean, Six Sigma, Team Dynamics, Leadership and business Acumen.

Maurice has spent the last fourteen years teaching, coaching, and certifying professionals seeking a certification in Lean and Six Sigma. Maurice is an experienced facilitator with the ability to solicit innovative ideas from companies looking to transform into high performing organizations. Influencer of change, he possesses the knowledge and expertise to lead exploratory conversations with key stakeholders to identify and implement operational and organizational improvements. As a Process Improvement Practitioner and Performance Instructor for Emory Continuing Education, his primary objective is to train, certify, and coach quality professionals and leaders.