Instructors

Ralph Smith, vice president, strategic services for Orion Development Group, holds a master`s degree in operations research from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor`s degree in mathematics and statistics from the University of Georgia. He has personally supervised the performance improvement efforts in more than fifty organizations worldwide.Most recently, Smith facilitated the development of Strategy Maps and Dashboards for six functional groups within a major domestic insurance company. Prior to that, he led the strategic redesign and deployment effort for a Bermuda-based insurance company. This engagement included the creation of a new performance management system based on the Balanced Scorecard. He has provided similar Balanced Scorecard and strategic planning support for the Alcoa Packaging and two departments of the State of Michigan. Smith also assisted Toshiba America and Memorial Blood Center of Minnesota plan the deployment of their Balanced Scorecard systems.Over the last decade, Smith has utilized this experience and expertise for a diverse group of clients, including Delta Air Lines, Texas Children`s Hospital, J.L. Clark, NYNEX, City of Tacoma, Evangelical Community Hospital, Crowley Foods, and the Cobb County Board of Health. He has designed training solutions, facilitated team activity, and served as a consultant to management. His efforts helped the quality improvement teams at Texas Children`s Hospital achieve dramatic gains in efficiency. At Alcoa, the Scorecard efforts Smith facilitated led to a dramatic business turnaround and return to market leader status for their packaging division.As an instructor, Smith consistently receives ratings that average over 9.2 on a scale of 1 to 10. Seminars he teaches include “Process Mapping,” “Linking Strategy & Process,” “Facilitating High-Performance Teams,” “Using the Balanced Scorecard,” and “Statistical Process Control.” Participant reviews include:"I learned a great deal and can see where we need to make changes in our scorecard. I wish I had taken this course a year ago." --Margo Schmidt, Consultant, Michigan Department of Transportation"Entertaining, enlightening and involved class with valuable examples and tips!" --Eric J. Gall, Manager-Global Quality Programs, Ford Motor CompanyPrior to becoming a consultant, Smith was an internal quality resource for Kawneer Company, a manufacturer of architectural aluminum products. He coordinated the improvement efforts in 23 facilities throughout North America and Europe. He is a member of the American Society of Quality.

Alice Wilken, MA in organizational management, The George Washington University, and BA, University of Northern Iowa, is also certified by ASQ as a Quality Auditor. Wilken is a process and project management advisor for Orion Development Group, with more than 15 years of experience providing consulting services in quality, project, and business process management.Wilken has taught process mapping, analysis, and improvement techniques for corporate clients, including BAE Systems, BankUnited, Akzo Nobel, Qwest Telecommunications, Wyeth Bio-Pharma, Jacksonville Electric Authority, CNA Insurance, and the Texas Department of Insurance. She also teaches Orion`s suite of project management seminars.Prior to becoming a consultant, she held management positions in corporate quality and logistics management for MCI. She has served as chair of the Telecommunications Industry Benchmarking Consortium, and conducted internal audits for successful IS9000 certification efforts. She began her career as a computer programmer and analyst with John Deere.