Michael A. Orzen, MBA, has a consulting and coaching career spanning more than 20 years. He received the BA degree in economics from Stanford University and the MBA degree in finance and management from the University of Oregon. He has gathered a unique blend of lean, IT, finance, and operations experience, which he uses to coach organizations in their pursuit of enterprise excellence. His personable approach and people-first philosophy have inspired leaders and empowered workforces to successfully apply conscious awareness, lean, and enterprise excellence practices in many complex work environments.

He is the coauthor of the award-winning book, Lean IT―Enabling and Sustaining Your Lean Transformation (CRC Press, 2011), and recipient of the Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award. He holds degrees from Stanford University and the University of Oregon. Mike teaches with the Lean Enterprise Institute, the Shingo Institute, and The Ohio State University Fisher School of Business.

Thomas A. Paider, MBOE, is an IT executive for Nationwide, a Fortune 100 insurance and financial services company. He received his BS degree in business administration from Ohio Dominican University and his master’s degree in business operational excellence from the Ohio State University. His teams work across Nationwide to foster Lean thinking and improve software development capability. He is also a Lean coach in the Masters in Business Operational Excellence program at The Ohio State University.

Tom is the cofounder of the IT Leadership Network at the Center for Operational Excellence at The Ohio State University, a partnership between industry and academic leaders focused on helping member companies collaborate and sustain their Lean journeys. Tom has consulted with dozens of companies, ranging from startups to large enterprises, on their Lean transformations.