Driving change with vision, innovation, and a true entrepreneurial spirit.
Verna Fitzsimmons has driven business change and manufacturing process improvement through almost 30 years as an engineering executive, senior faculty member, aggressive applied researcher and successful consultant. Her successes include a variety of critical initiatives that demonstrate her unique ability for vision, innovation, and the true entrepreneurial spirit that lies at the heart of lean manufacturing and operations management.
Verna has demonstrated her keen intuition for integration and effectiveness through her work with General Electric Medical Systems, Kenner, and Ohmeda. Her leadership has guided national and international organizations and institutions including the Engineering Technology Leadership Institute; the American Society for Engineering Education; the National Association of Industrial Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering; the Governor’s Ohio Women’s Business Advisory Roundtable; the Governor’s Wisconsin State Steering Committee on ISO 9000; the Cleveland Chapter of the Institute of Industry Engineers; and Kent State University College of Technology.
As Associate Professor in the College of Technology at Kent State University, Verna recently put her comprehensive skill set to work as the Interim Dean and she currently co-chairs the advisory board for the Office of International Affairs. Verna develops courses and teaches on core manufacturing technology topics that include process control, facility design and material handling, project management, lean manufacturing, industrial practice, quality systems, computer integrated manufacturing, managing quality in organizations, management of technology and innovation, and process and operations improvement in terms of total resources management.
In her work as a consultant and independent researcher, Verna has developed and presented workshops on critical topics such as rapid prototyping, sustainability and accident investigate for the Ohio Department of Development, Manufacturing and Technology Small Business Development Center as well a for individual companies including GoJo, Jet Rubber and Energizer Battery Company. For these companies, Verna regularly achieves results typical of those she logged for Vintage Wine Distributor where she coached the client through a warehouse move to a 100% larger facility, thereby facilitating a substantial increase in product lines as well as directing improved processes for as 33% increase in productivity. She achieved similar results in a second facility as well.
Verna holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fellowship, University of Cincinnati, where she also completed her Master’s and undergraduate studies in Industrial Engineering. She is an advisory board member for the Six District Educational Compact and for the Maplewood Career Center for Information Technology. She is a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME); the American Society of Quality (ASQ); the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE); the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE); Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE); and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
