A Six Sigma Black Belt, Claudia has 25 years of laboratory medical experience. After graduating from Case Western Reserve University with a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology, she earned her MBA at the University of South Florida. She began her healthcare career as a medical technologist, advancing to laboratory manager and then director of operations, responsible for assuring that processes were in place for every phase of operations, as well as overseeing cost accounting in the laboratory. Since 2004, she has led many Lean implementation projects at healthcare facilities in the U.S. and Canada and frequently lectures on Lean and Six Sigma at healthcare meetings. Her operations experience and clinical leadership coupled with Lean and Six Sigma combine for tools and insight that can make dramatic operational improvements. She is also affiliated with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.

Dan has 30 years of healthcare experience in a series of clinical and management roles. After graduating from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy, he earned his MBA at the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business. He began his healthcare career in retail pharmacy and then earned a specialty certification in nuclear pharmacy. As a nuclear pharmacist, he was responsible for providing radiopharmaceuticals and consulting services to physicians and hospitals. He advanced to pharmacy manager and then to director of operations, responsible for 13 facilities and 300 employees as well as financial performance. Since 2005, he has led Lean and Six Sigma implementation projects in the pharmaceutical industry and at healthcare facilities across the U.S.

As marketing director for VALUMETRIX^® Services, Jo Ann creates the dynamic marketing strategies that promote Ortho’s Process Excellence-powered services to the health care market. Jo Ann has served in a variety of marketing and product management roles at health care companies with over 30 years of experience encompassing both marketing management and health care delivery. Prior to joining Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Jo Ann worked as Marketing Director for the Consulting and Services division of Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems. There, she was instrumental in expanding the Surgery Consulting and Operations Solutions service lines. As a marketing executive for a variety of product lines – including endovascular guide wires, blood collection bags and pneumatic compression devices – Jo Ann launched more than 12 new products, directed product training and developed highly successful marketing communication and promotional strategies. Jo Ann’s technical background includes experience as a medical technologist and as an assistant supervisor of a transfusion service for a mid-size community medical center. For more than 10 years, she performed complex immunohematology reference work in the world-renowned Philip Levine Reference Laboratory Blood Consultation Service at Ortho Diagnostics. She has also held positions in quality assurance and field technical support. Jo Ann is a member of the American Association of Blood Banks and has co-authored several papers. She maintains registration and licensure with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists as a Specialist Blood Bank and a Medical Technologist.

With over 30 years of medical laboratory experience, Martha has an in-depth understanding of laboratory operations and the challenges facing today’s clinical leaders. After graduating from Denison University with a BS in Biology, Martha began her career as a Medical Technologist in Naples, Florida. She served as the Manager of the local community blood center and transfusion services for a number of years, and then became the Laboratory Administrative Director of DSI Laboratories, part of the NCH Healthcare System, overseeing operations for two hospital laboratories. Since joining Ortho Clinical Diagnostics VALUMETRIX^® Services in 2008, Martha’s responsibilities include being a project leader for laboratory assessments and a team member of Lean implementation projects throughout North America using Process Excellence principles and tools. Martha is a six sigma yellow belt, and frequently lectures on Lean and Six Sigma at healthcare conferences.

With more than 15 years of management and leadership experience in business and academia, Norka is a certified Six Sigma Master Black belt. She was a member of the Johnson & Johnson worldwide team that developed an innovative, up-dated Lean Training curriculum with a modular design. As a Process Excellence trainer, she developed and delivered virtual online training for Lean 5 S, Six Sigma Awareness, Project Sponsorship and Analytical Primer, conducting 18 sessions with 283 participants in 2006. She also developed Yellow Belt Training tailored to the Environmental Health and Safety community and delivered sessions in the U.S., Europe and Puerto Rico. Prior to joining the corporate world, she served as an assistant professor at the University of Puerto Rico, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the School of Engineering, Industrial Engineering department.

With more than 30 years of direct clinical operational laboratory and hospital experience in public, private, corporate, and government run organizations of variable sizes, Rodney can contribute thoughtful insights from a variety of perspectives. Rodney holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, as well as a MBA in Finance and Health Services Administration that is reinforced with 13 years of management positions in the areas of quality improvement and performance, the blood bank, the core laboratory, and microbiology. Rodney has served as a CAP-trained inspector and played significant roles in Joint Commission, American Association of Blood Banks, and FDA regulatory and accreditation preparation inspection processes. He has been an active material and resource panelist for Advance for Medical Laboratory Professionals as well as an Editorial Advisory Board member for CLMA.

Rick Malik is responsible for overall management of the VALUMETRIX^® Services Organization. He credits his experience in the manufacturing field – where Six Sigma was born – for helping him to internalize the principles of Process Excellence and recommend effective workflow and change management solutions to his clients. Rick worked as a registered medical technologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Laboratories, where he served as assistant supervisor in the Immunoassay/Tumor Marker Lab. Rick then spent several years as a Regional Health Systems executive at Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, during which time he focused on managing OCD business within the large integrated delivery systems in the Pennsylvania and New York areas. Prior to joining VALUMETRIX^® Services, Rick served as an account executive for Parametric Technology Corporation, where he specialized in Web-based enterprise information management and computer-aided design solutions. Rick is a graduate of Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology. He received his medical technology certification from St. Vincent Hospital School of Medical Technology, also in Pennsylvania. Rick is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

With more than 20 years of experience in the field of healthcare, Steve has demonstrated expertise in sales, marketing, corporate contracting and business development. For the past 14 years, he has held sales and management positions at Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, focusing on corporate accounts, customer service, and now the VALUMETRIX^® Services Group. Steve joined the Clinical Diagnostics sales organization in 1991. As one of the founding members of a new Health Systems Executive team, he managed a group of accounts in the Southeast U.S. In 2001, he oversaw a group expansion and became responsible for the eastern half of the country. Many of the early pilot projects using Process Excellence in hospital labs were implemented within this group of accounts. Prior to joining Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Steve represented products for cardiology and the clinical laboratory in the hospital and physicians' office markets. He is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He has multiple certifications in management, high-performance team development and negotiation skills.