The nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), a global leader in lean management thinking and practice, is pleased to announce that Darlene M. Dumont, DBA, has joined its team as director of learning. As the head of LEI’s Learning and Education value stream, Dumont will lead the development and delivery of new educational offerings and take responsibility for research.
She brings over 23 years of diverse business experience with demonstrated results in organizational transformation, designing and implementing enterprise-wide strategic training initiatives, engaging and coaching leaders at multiple levels, utilizing data to drive decisions, and integrating cultural/behavioral change initiatives in a variety of industries.
Her accomplishments implementing continuous improvement initiatives in manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and the military include:
- Designing, launching, and managing a lean operating system at a large healthcare system in order to transform the culture by engaging everyone in problem solving. The effort included developing a training program for leaders and facilitators in lean concepts, tools, and behaviors.
- Managed lean projects at a medical center that saved approximately $6 million and recouped 35,000 hours for clinicians to use for patient care.
- Redesigned financial services call center processes to measurably improve customer and employee satisfaction.
- Led a broad range of continuous improvement activities, including kaizen events and engaging senior executives, at a large aerospace company, along with its global customers and suppliers. The program involved the application of techniques such as value-stream mapping, quality function deployment, root-cause analysis, six sigma, failure mode effects and analysis, and others.
- Mediated conflicts and improved the work environment as commanding officer in charge of the Equal Opportunity Office, 103 Airlift Wing, Connecticut Air National Guard.
- Created a transformational model integrating lean concepts with relationship-based care philosophies
“In addition to that all-important practitioner perspective, Darlene’s experience and interests will help us improve the ways we think about designing, delivering, and continuously improving our educational offerings,” said John Shook, LEI chairman and CEO. “I’m pleased to welcome her to LEI where she will be a valuable contributor to achieving our mission of making things better through lean thinking and practice.”
“As someone who has been studying and practicing continuous improvement for many years, I am thrilled to be here at LEI, working with those people whom I believe to be some of the most influential thought leaders in this industry,” said Dumont.
Dumont holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and also economics, master’s degrees in management information systems and quality systems management, and a doctorate in quality systems management.
About the Lean Enterprise Institute
Lean Enterprise Institute Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Cambridge, MA, makes things better through lean research, education, publishing, and conferences. Founded in 1997 by management expert James P. Womack, PhD, LEI supports other lean initiatives such as the Lean Global Network, the Lean Education Academic Network, and the Healthcare Value Network. Visit LEI at https://www.lean.org for more information.