Tim Israel
GROUP MANAGER – PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
Tim Israel is the manager for both the Lean and Quality services groups at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. He helps organizations reduce waste and improve manufacturing operations.
Israel is a RABQSA certified Quality Systems Lead Auditor and RABQSA certified Environmental Systems Lead Auditor. He has trained more than 2,500 individuals representing 300 companies on all aspects of Lean, ISO 9000, and ISO 14000.
Israel holds both M.S. and B.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Larry Alford
SOUTH METRO ATLANTA REGION MANAGER
Larry Alford is the south metro Atlanta region manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. As the primary contact for 11 counties, he helps fulfill client needs through using the Institute’s vast array of resources. Alford leads the south metro region of the Georgia Tech Lean Consortium, which seeks to accelerate the rate of learning and implementation of Lean principles.
Alford has a B.S.I.E. from Auburn University and an MBA from Columbus State University.
David Apple
NORTHWEST REGION MANAGER
David Apple is the northwest region manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. Based out of Cartersville, his primary focus is connecting northwest Georgia manufacturers to the services of Georgia Tech. He has over 20 years experience in manufacturing operations, engineering, and quality systems in engine manufacturing and heavy industry.
Apple has led dozens of kaizen events and improvement projects, including value stream mapping, set-up reduction, 5S, cellular manufacturing, capital equipment purchases, new plant starts, and relocations.
Apple holds an M.B.A. from Georgia State University and a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech. He has worked for Georgia Tech since 2001.
Alan Barfoot
CENTRAL REGION MANAGER
Alan Barfoot is the central region manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute and provides engineering services to manufacturers and economic development organizations.
His manufacturing areas of expertise include cellular manufacturing, set-up reduction, Kaizen blitz, plant layout, and general problem-solving. He has experience in manufacturing control systems, such as production and inventory control, costing, capacity analysis, and manufacturing management. In the economic development arena, he is proficient in industrial site selection, prospect recruitment, and local economic impact modeling (LOCI™).
Prior to his work at Georgia Tech, Barfoot worked at Scientific Atlanta and led the conversion of large-batch process to Lean.
Barfoot has an industrial engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina.
Tara Barrett
PROJECT MANAGER
Tara Barrett is a project manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. She works with companies to improve processes in manufacturing, service, healthcare, and government applications by implementing continuous improvement techniques and Lean manufacturing principles.
Since 2001, Barrett has covered a wide range of roles and responsibilities, including facility-wide implementation of Lean techniques and leading teams through kaizen events to implement tools such as 5S, setup time reduction, cellular production, and visual workplace. She has worked with a wide variety of industries and most recently with customer service initiatives for the State of Georgia. She also worked as a project manager implementing Lean training with U.S. firms near Shanghai and Beijing.
Barrett obtained her B.S. in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech.
Sam Darwin
PROJECT MANAGER
Sam Darwin is a project manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. He helps companies initiate successful Lean programs, recover from import competition impacts, and provides logistics expertise.
Previously, Darwin was a leader in the Lean transformation at Schlumberger Industries in South Carolina. Since 1985, he has been a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officer and currently serves as Brigade Deputy Commander in the Army National Guard.
Darwin has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University and Master of Science in Management from Georgia State. He is also a registered P.E. and earned a Certified Logistics Professional from Georgia Tech.
Danny Duggar
PROJECT MANAGER
Danny Duggar is a project manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. He conducts on-site training and implementation of Lean manufacturing principles to improve company process flow, facility layout, and productivity.
Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Duggar was employed for 25 years in the industrial sector with assignments as vice president of manufacturing, director of engineering, and plant engineering. He also owned and operated his own business. Duggar has vast experience and skills in engineering, manufacturing, and environmental fields.
Duggar holds a B.S. in electrical engineering technology from Southern Polytechnic State University.
Kelley Hundt
PROJECT MANAGER
Kelley Hundt is a project manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, specializing in helping the Healthcare industry, specifically hospitals, adopt Lean principles to improve their processes. A project that she recently worked on for Piedmont Newnan Hospital’s operating room won a prestigious VHA Georgia award for Operational Efficiency.
Prior to her current position, Hundt worked within Georgia Tech on both assisting manufacturing companies in Lean implementation and helping companies with ERP software, including the selection and implementation of software systems. She also spent 10 years working with various Fortune 500 companies including The Quaker Oats Co. (now part of PepsiCo), Avery Dennison, and Siemens Energy & Automation.
Hundt holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and an M.B.A. from the University of Memphis.
Dr. Richard Mitchell
Dr. Richard “Dick” Mitchell is part of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. Primarily, he interacts with senior hospital staff and medical doctors to educate them on the benefits of utilizing Lean techniques for their process improvement efforts. In addition, Mitchell leads project teams and facilitates kaizen events.
Previously, Mitchell served as associate medical director at Piedmont Healthcare, where he was responsible for Piedmont Fayette and Piedmont Mountainside Hospitals. He served as vice president for medical affairs, chief medical officer, and chief quality officer for Piedmont Fayette Hospital and then as a Lean facilitator for Piedmont Fayette.
Mitchell was named Physician of the Year at Piedmont Hospital in 2004 for clinical excellence. He has served as chief of obstetric services at Piedmont Hospital and was actively involved in the hospital’s electronic medical records initiative. He is a member of the Medical Association of Georgia, American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Georgia Obstetrical & Gynecological Association and Medical Association of Atlanta. Mitchell is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and previously was in private practice.
He received a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology and a medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Mitchell completed his residency and internship at Emory University.
Bill Ritsch
NORTH METRO ATLANTA REGION MANAGER
Bill Ritsch is the north metro Atlanta region manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. He assists Georgia manufacturers with Lean implementations and training to improve their processes. His primary area of focus is acting as a change agent to develop cultures that support and drive continuous improvement. He has assisted organizations in Manufacturing, Government, Healthcare, and Service implement improvements.
Ritsch has a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina.
Tom Sammon
PROJECT MANAGER
Tom Sammon, based in Carrollton, is a project manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. He focuses on implementing Lean manufacturing practices and helping companies develop capital equipment applications.
He has 15 years of experience in the industrial automation and machine building fields. He worked as a project manager implementing equipment systems into Lean environments throughout North America. Previously Sammon’s work focused on discrete manufacturing, ranging from metalworking and welding with the Panasonic Robotics Group, to high-speed packaging for companies like Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive. He is an active member of the faculty group Robotics & Intelligent Machines at Georgia Tech (RIM@GT) and is on the Board of Advisors at West Georgia Technical College’s Industrial Electronics degree program.
Sammon holds an M.S. in management of technology from Georgia Tech and a B.S. in industrial engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University.
Paul Todd
PROJECT MANAGER
Paul Todd is a project engineer with Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. He teaches and assists companies within various industries, the application of Lean principles, process improvement tools, and change management through workshops, kaizen events, and shop-floor coaching.
Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Todd spent 13 years in the textile and apparel industry, holding a variety of manufacturing, industrial engineering, and materials management positions at various business units of Russell Corporation in the US and Europe.
Todd holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a certificate in Economics. He is a certified Training Within Industry instructor and a member of the Board of Examiners for the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence.
Derek Woodham
WEST REGION MANAGER
Derek Woodham serves as the west region manager for Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. He is a Lean expert with over 17 years of experience in various engineering, operations, and corporate leadership roles. Woodham coaches national and international corporations on the Toyota Production System or ‘Lean Enterprise’. His work spans across key industries such as Automotive, Textiles, Printing and Packaging, Healthcare and Hospitals, Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul, Military, Government Agencies, and various Job Shop environments. Woodham is a national Shingo Prize examiner and a certified Growth Coach for MEP. He serves as a CEO PeerSpectives Roundtable Program facilitator.
Woodham holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from LaGrange College. He is also a 2006 Leadership Troup graduate.
