As the Chair of the Michigan Lean Consortium (MLC), Debra Levantrosser Setman leads the drive to use lean principles to positively impact Michigan’s economy. She firmly believes it is these principles that will encourage innovation and make MI competitive as a business player in the new economy. Residents of Jacksonville, FL have stated they want Jacksonville to be the first lean county in the US and Setman believes MI can be the first lean state.
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Bob Hemrick is the Director of Continuous Improvement and the CI Strategy Group at DTE Energy. He has over twenty 24 years of experience in varying industries from aerospace, manufacturing and energy, having been previously employed with General Dynamics, Westinghouse, Dana Corporation and most recently DTE Energy. He has held positions in product engineering, manufacturing engineering, quality assurance, and operations management. Before joining DTE, Bob was the Global Director of Operational Excellence responsible for the development and deployment of the Dana Operating System that included over 100 facilities across 26 countries. In 2008, Bob joined DTE Energy bringing his most recent experience in applying continuous improvement, where he was helping companies across the automotive industry as the Co-Chairman of the BAMA Education Committee. At DTE Energy, Bob is responsible for the continued development and deployment of DTE’s continuous improvement methods defined in the DTE Operating System framework. Bob works with and guides DTE’s extended CI community of 100 plus professionals in their pursuit of bottom-line savings through improvement of safety, customer satisfaction, and operational performance. Additionally, Bob supports, guides and coaches c-suite executives and operational leaders towards the development of a distinctive CI culture at DTE Energy. During Bob’s career he has served as a Malcolm Baldrige type program Examiner, Lead Examiner and Associate Judge for both Dana Corporation and the state of Oklahoma. He holds certifications as a CQE and a CQA from the American Society of Quality and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. Bob’s diverse background includes degrees earned in Manufacturing Engineering (BS) and Business (MBA).

Mike Taubitz spent 43 + years with General Motors in a variety of engineering and human resource positions. He held every safety position from plant safety supervisor to Global Director of Safety and Ergonomics. In the late 90s, he learned lean and continuous improvement thinking for office and business systems and used that as a foundation when he developed and led GM’s emerging issues process from 2000 until retirement in 2008.

He is a frequent speaker at professional and industry group meetings and is often referenced in articles, magazines and technical papers. He is co-chair of the National Lean & Safe Network. Mike joined FDR Safety in 2010 where he manages issues impacting continuous improvement and sustainable growth.

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Lean Experience/Training:

A graduate of Michigan Technological University with a BSME, Robert has worked as a Quality Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Manufacturing Launch Engineer, Six Sigma Black Belt, and Continuous Improvement Manager in the Automotive, Office Furniture and Aerospace industries. He has earned a Lean Bronze Certification through SME. As a graduate and serving multiple times as a graduate assistant for Dale Carnegie, Robert integrates the cultural aspect of interfacing with individuals with the technical side of manufacturing. From five years of Air Force ROTC experience, Robert has applied the importance of servant leadership to the manufacturing environment.