Dr. Kenneth Sullivan is the new director of UAH's Office for Operational Excellence (OOE).
Michael Mercier | UAH
Dr. Kenneth Sullivan is the new director of the renamed Office for Operational Excellence (OOE) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).
Formerly the Office of Enterprise Innovation and Sustainability, OOE operates within the UAH Research Institute. UAH's Research Institute carries out applied research and engineering programs, principally to meet the needs of Dept. of Defense customers, but with significant related work for NASA and private industry.
As an Institute office, the OOE serves the Dept. of Defense, the U.S. Dept. of Energy, NASA, healthcare, and manufacturing and industry. Clients have included Huntsville Hospital, the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command, the Defense Logistics Agency, the Army Contracting Command-Redstone, the Missile Defense Agency, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) ManTech and PPG Aerospace. OOE can be followed on LinkedIn.
"The title change more accurately reflects the focus and current activities of our office. It is also more in line with the language of the industries we serve," Dr. Sullivan says.
"Operational Excellence describes both what we do and what our customers are striving to achieve. Whether it is economic development support to organizations moving to the region, continued support for government and commercial industries, or new industry sectors that are seeking to apply these proven concepts in a new and innovative ways, the products and services we provide enable organizations to achieve their objectives of affordability, efficiency and customer satisfaction."
Operational Excellence describes both what we do and what our customers are striving to achieve.
Developing a more holistic approach to meeting customer needs by working with other research organizations and the academic departments within the university as well as expanding research in non-defense related sectors are two main proprieties of the new director.
"In addition to changing the name of the office, we've experienced changes in key personnel and are revitalizing our marketing efforts. We are in the process of creating a new face to the markets we serve and utilizing ongoing student support from the College of Business Administration. The student teams are working in our office to develop and promote our capabilities as part of a practicum they are taking for credit."
OOE offers services involved with continuous improvement, including Lean and Six Sigma; supply chain management and industrial base sustainment; energy efficiency and environmental sustainability; and process mapping and modeling and simulation.
The OOE staff has broad experience:
- Director Sullivan's doctorate is in Industrial & Systems Engineering and Engineering Management with career experience at NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Micro Craft Inc. and United Technologies – Carrier Corp. He is vice chair of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Manufacturing Division, chairman emeritus of the NDIA Manufacturing Division Supply Chain Network Committee, a certified Lean trainer and a Six Sigma Green Belt. Dr. Sullivan is a registered professional engineer.
- Rodney Lee, research scientist and operational excellence specialist, has a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and career experience at Alabama Metal Industries Corp. and Lozier Corp. He is a certified Lean trainer, a Sigma Six Black Belt and a certified Maynard Operation Sequence Technique (MOST) practitioner.
- Joe Paxton, a principle research scientist and operational excellence specialist, has a Master of Science degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering and Engineering Management and career experience at Weyerhaeuser, Fastec Engineering and Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT). A graduate of the Supply Chain Strategy and Management Program at MIT's Sloan School of Management, he is a certified Lean trainer and a Sigma Six Green Belt. Paxton is also a certified Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Professional, a certified Green Generalist and a certified EdNet Lean Healthcare Simulation practitioner.
- Brian Tucker, a research scientist and operational excellence specialist, has a Master of Science degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering and Engineering Management and career experience at Weyerhaeuser, Federal Mogul, General Electric and Reynolds Metals. A graduate of the Supply Chain Strategy and Management Program at MIT's Sloan School of Management, he is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, certified in the UAH Lean Enterprise Series, a certified SCOR Professional, a Purdue University certified Green Generalist, a graduate of the DuPont Safety Training Observation Program and a certified EdNet Lean Healthcare Simulation practitioner.
