Rick Fernandez Author

Frank Voehl is an expert in the application of the business improvement tools and innovation methods to public and private organizations, including city, country, community government, and non-profit operations, a  Grand Master Black Belt Instructor in Lean Six Sigma and Performance Management, and noted author and series editor of over 30 books and hundreds of business management and improvement articles and technical papers. In addition, he has provided input on the original design of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and facilitated its crossover to other nations and regions, including the Bahamas, South America, Europe and the Czech Republic. Specialties: (1) Certified (Six Sigma) Application Expert, JUSE (2) Lifetime Master Instructor, QualTec Institute (3) Lean Six Sigma Grand Master Black Belt, Harrington Institute; PPN; IQF (4) ISO 9000 Lead Auditor, ASQ; Quest; Eagle (5) TQM Quality Counselor/Advisor, Crosby Quality College (6) Certified Management Consultant, CMC. Dr. H James Harrington now serves as the International Quality Advisor for Ernst & Young and Chairman of the Board of Emergence Technology, Ltd., a high tech software manufacturer and developer. He also serves on the Board of Directors of a number of national and international companies. Dr. Harrington is past Chairman and past President of the prestigious International Academy for Quality and of the American Society for Quality control. He is an "A" level member of ISO’s T.C. 176 that wrote the ISO 9000 Quality System standards and T.C. 207 that wrote the ISO 14000 environmental standards. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the 14000 Environmental Management Foundation. Since joining Ernst & Young, Dr. Harrington has divided his time between working with executives to develop and implement performance improvement plans, and developing new approaches to performance improvement. As a member of the National office he has been directing his efforts to using new, creative approaches to keep Ernst & Young at the leading edge in the quality consulting field. Rick Fernandez is managing principal at the Advent Group, Inc. He builds key internal and external supplier relationships in a team environment to provide mutual availability, service, quality, cost reduction, and productivity improvement. Rick has successfully lead international and domestic executives in procurement, hospitality, facilities maintenance operations, government, water management, healthcare, education, logistics, engineering, construction, and manufacturing to meet measurable strategic goals. He is a creative and strategic thinker with proven measurable results directly affecting the bottom line ($110 Million/yr) through integrated Strategic Sourcing, Information Technology Integration, Strategic Organizational Transformation, Lean Six Sigma Methodology and Program & Project Management approaches and focuses on alignment of corporate resources toward the goals of the organization in order to redesign or improve the business processes and create performance measures that can be used to determine success. He has comprehensive business expertise with a Masters in Quantitative Business, a Bachelor in Industrial Engineering, Lean Six Sigma Education, a Registered Professional Engineer, a Certified Purchasing Manager, an Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and a Senior Examiner for the Sterling Award for the State of Florida. In addition, he has authored authoritative book entitled Total Quality in Purchasing and Supplier Management focusing on an integrated Supply Management System including Strategic Sourcing and Category Management methodologies, Supplier Relationship Management, and Supplier and Procurement Performance Measurement. National expert in Supply Management as recognized by ISM (NAPM) national conference “Leading Edge” presentations, and articles in Supply Management magazine. Dr. Brett Trusko is the president and chief executive officer of the International Association of Innovation Professionals (http://www.iaoip.org). He is also an assistant professor at Texas A&M University. Dr. Trusko has been a thought leader in healthcare, technology, and innovation for the past 15 years. He is also a world-renowned futurist who speaks and writes about trends in most major industries. He has served in positions of leadership advising several governments and large corporations. The International Association of Innovation Professionals was founded by Dr. Trusko on the belief that all civilizations should be prepared to innovate in an effort to solve the world’s problems. The association organizes, defines, and prepares professionals for certification in innovation in an effort to assure employers that their hires are qualified, to guide higher education in the preparation of innovation professionals, and to collaborate with consultants in the preparation of these individuals. Dr. Trusko is also an adjunct faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Baylor College of Medicine. He’s an independent consultant and professional speaker/futurist. With his responsibilities with the association and his numerous writings, he has quickly become a global expert on innovation strategy. The majority of Dr. Trusko’s career was spent with large international consulting firms, finishing that career as a managing director. He has been an academic for the past eight years and founded the International Association of Innovation Professionals in 2013. Inasmuch as the association is the only independent innovation certification organization in the world, he is enjoying the process of building this global confederation. Dr. Trusko has a bachelor’s degree in biology, a bachelor’s degree in accounting, an MBA in new product development, and a doctorate in business administration. He has been certified as a project manager and a Six Sigma Master Black Belt. He is also a fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association. As the association begins the certification process, he expects to earn a credential as a Certified Innovation Professional. Dr. Trusko has been published several hundred times in journals and magazines around the world. He is the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Innovation Science and the editor and author of the Global Innovation Science Handbook. His journal, the International Journal of Innovation Science, has an international subscriber base of several thousand.