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Melissa Dixon is the Senior Manager of Associate Development at Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, LLC; and is responsible for leading associate development, engagement, onboarding, and training, along with university engagement, co-op program, and ISO compliance for the Purchasing and Supply Chain Center. Melissa is committed to associate satisfaction and development, executing Honda’s commitment of “Respect for the Individual”.

Prior to her role in Associate Development, Melissa held several positions in the NA Automotive Purchasing Division within Honda. She has had the opportunity to lead multiple teams in supplier candidate investigation and strategic sourcing, supplier cost and negotiations, long-term strategy creation, crisis management, and mass production cost management, as well as building strong supplier partnerships.

Prior to joining Honda in 2002, Melissa spent several years of her career at two Tier One suppliers in the Supply Chain Field. Melissa earned her bachelor’s degree in Finance and Purchasing from Bowling Green State University. She is married with two grown children and a son-in-law. In her free time, Melissa enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Mike Dudzinski is the General Manager of Freight Management at ODW Logistics, and is responsible for managing ODW’s enterprise-level transportation management accounts. ODW Logistics is a 3PL provider with a full suite of warehousing and transportation management services.  At ODW, we relentlessly pursue optimization and provide the visibility and execution to enable our customers to focus on their core business. Mike Graduated from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Operations and Supply Chain Management and completed the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) Certified Transportation Broker certification in 2020.  Throughout Mike’s career, he has gained an incredible amount of experience and knowledge in many facets of Logistics, particularly client implementations, technology and innovation, and on-site customer support across many parts of the country.  Named General Manager of the Freight Management division in 2020, Mike’s experiences have been valuable in building the program and trust with his clients. Mike has been recognized by ODW Logistics, as the 2018 Trust Award and 2021 Innovation Award recipient.

Mike Gardner is a native of Cincinnati, OH. He studied at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú of Ohio under the late Tom Speh. He began his 40+ year career as a second shift supervisor working for Ken Ackerman at DCI (which was the foundation of the DHL Supply Chain Platform).  Mike has had a series of progressive leadership positions with GATX Logistics, APL Logistics, DHL Supply Chain and his most recent as CEO of Kane Logistics. Mike retired a few months ago and he is currently working in an Advisory capacity in the 3PL and Real Estate industries. He is a Founding Board Member of ALAN. In addition, he was just named to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University’s Supply Chain Center Board.

Mike has been married for 37 years. He and his Wife, Cynthia, have 3 daughters and 7 grandchildren. He is a Marathoner and long distance cyclist with no time for Golf. Mike is active in his church and a number of local charities including Pelotonia.

Seth Harms is a proud graduate of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University where he studied Supply Chain and Operations Management. Upon graduation in 2008, he joined Procter & Gamble and, while there, has enjoyed a number of roles within their supply chain organizations. Early P&G assignments provided Seth the opportunity to collaborate with many P&G customers on inventory and transportation optimization. He later shifted assignments and began working with internal manufacturing sites and distribution centers across North America. This has helped Seth develop mastery in inventory, capacity, and initiative management. The skills he developed allowed him to lead the NA Customization Planning organization through multiple significant supply chain transformations, some of the largest in company history. Currently, Seth serves as a Director for Global Innovation Supply Network Operations and is responsible for delivering end-to-end synchronized supply chain solutions that integrate product innovation and business operating strategies while optimizing cost, cash, and service.

Seth married in 2011, and he and his wife have two amazing children. Most of his free time is spent doing volunteer work and coaching his children’s sports teams.

Steven Katzfey is Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) for Stanley Black & Decker. He is responsible for the company’s digital procurement strategy that supports customer success, enables capabilities across our supply network and builds supply chain resiliency.

Prior to joining the company in November 2021, Steve held varying roles in supply chain and procurement, product marketing and product management. He has held increasing roles of responsibility most recently at Dover Corporation where he last served as Chief Supply Chain Officer. While there, he led responsibility for direct, indirect and logistics spend across all operating companies, locations and functions.

Steve earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University and an MBA from DePaul University.

Dennis Lutwen is President, Consumer North America at DHL Supply Chain and is based in the North America Headquarters in Westerville, Ohio. DHL Supply Chain, a division of Deutsche Post DHL Group, is the world’s largest contract logistics specialist creating a competitive advantage for customers through customized logistics solutions based on globally standardized warehousing, transportation and integrated services components.  

The Consumer sector is focused on delivering these solutions to customers in the Consumer Products industry.   Since joining DHL Supply Chain in 2003, Dennis has held a number of Executive ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúhip roles within Operations and Finance at DHL Supply Chain.  Prior to joining DHL Supply Chain, Dennis spent ten years with Ernst & Young LLP and Abbott Laboratories, primarily focused on Mergers & Acquisitions. 

Dennis holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University and a Master of Business Administration from University of Toledo. 

Ken Matheson is the Sr. Director of Supply Chain at Henny Penny in Eaton, Ohio. Henny Penny is a manufacturing and service company focusing on industrial kitchen equipment and serves some of the biggest names in the food service industry. Ken is responsible for all aspects of supply chain strategy and execution including procurement, planning, logistics, and warehousing/distribution operations. Ken has had a long career focusing on all areas of supply chain and operations management at various companies covering the automotive, high tech, and retail consumer goods industries. Ken holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Wright State University.

Brett Smith is currently Enterprise Partnerships Vice President at Arrive Logistics. Brett joined Arrive Logistics in 2014 as one of the original ten employees. Before Arrive Brett worked in sales and management at two well-known large freight brokerages in Chicago. Brett has played a key role in driving growth for the organization by developing and leading high-performance teams that oversee and support Enterprise-level shippers.

Brett earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in Political Science with a minor in Business Legal Studies. Brett and his wife, Allison, have a two-year-old son Carter, and reside in Dublin, OH, after spending the past 15 years in Austin, TX, and Chicago, IL.

Thomas Stallkamp is the founder and Principal of Collaborative Management, LLC, a private business consulting firm. Previously, from 2004 thru 2010 he was an Industrial Partner with Ripplewood Holdings LLC a New York based private equity firm where he concentrated on the automotive industry. From 2000 to 2004, he was Chief Executive Officer of MSX International, a business outsourcing firm. Prior to becoming Vice Chairman of DaimlerChrysler Corporation in 1999, Tom was its president and a member of its board of management. During his tenure at Chrysler, the company achieved the highest profit per unit of any major automobile manufacturer.

During his 40 year career in the auto industry, Tom became known for developing new business processes and enhanced partnerships with the supply community, thereby improving product quality and cost efficiencies. Under his leadership, Chrysler developed its Extended Enterprise™ concept and introduced SCORE (Supplier Cost Reduction Effort) as a structured approach to working jointly with suppliers in cost, product and process improvements. He is the author of “SCORE – A Better Way To Do Business,” (Wharton School Publishing, 2005) which details how firms can implement collaborative relationships, and co-author of “Getting Bigger by Growing Smaller,” Prentice Hall 2004.

Tom holds a BS in industrial management and economics and a MBA from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University (Ohio). He has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Georgetown University and ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University. He has served on several public and private boards, most recently Baxter International and Borg Warner.

Tom and his wife, Ann, have two grown sons and they divide their time between residences in Florida and Michigan.

Adam Wise is currently serving as a Supply Chain Manager at Swagelok, a renowned manufacturer of fluid system solutions and components. With a strong foundation in business and a degree from the Farmer School of Business earned in 2013, Adam embarked on his career journey with Swagelok through their Career Development Program.

Over the past decade, Adam has honed his skills in individual analytics roles across different functional areas within the supply chain, showcasing a keen understanding of the intricacies involved in managing complex systems. Adam's leadership journey at Swagelok has encompassed distributor-facing responsibilities, corporate strategy and analytics, and operations planning. In his current capacity as Supply Chain Manager, Adam oversees internal operations supply chains, planning systems, and supply chain analytics, contributing significantly to Swagelok's efficiency and effectiveness in delivering high-quality fluid system solutions and products to clients worldwide.

Adam is committed to Swagelok’s excellence in navigating the dynamic landscape of supply chain management, maintaining a strong organizational culture, and coaching young professionals in the ever-evolving supply chain field.

Adam earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University and an MBA from John Carroll University.

David Woodworth is President at Cincinnati-based Terillium, Inc. Terillium is a specialized consulting firm focused on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for Oracle software products including JD Edwards, ERP Cloud and Netsuite. Terillium helps businesses implement, upgrade and maintain Oracle ERP Software. ERP is business management software including accounting and operations that enables organizations to use a single system to manage business processes.

David holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University and is a board member of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s Center for Supply Chain Excellence.

Emily Armstrong - As a Supply Chain Supervisor on the Global Digital and Advisory Services team at McDonald’s Corporation, Emily Armstrong is responsible for Global Annual Spend and Cost Savings reporting, Global Food and Paper forecasting projections, and overseeing category support. She is based in Chicago, IL working on a global team where she is constantly collaborating with her colleagues in countries all over the world. Emily graduated from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Supply Chain and Operations Management, a minor in Mandarin Chinese, and a certificate for Business in China. Emily works cross-functionally with sourcing, digitalization, finance, and crisis management teams.

Mackenzie Baumgartner - As a senior buyer in Honda’s North American Automotive Purchasing department (NAAP), Mackenzie Baumgartner manages the cost negotiation, strategic sourcing, crisis management, and long-term strategy for both Honda and Acura vehicles. Senior Buyers are challenged with managing a specific commodity of the vehicle and Mackenzie supports sourcing of sunroofs with previous experience in interior buttons and switches, rubber seals, and exterior lights. Given the current automotive industry environment, the role is constantly changing with exciting opportunities coming with electric and autonomous vehicle initiatives. Honda is a Japanese automaker that has grown in US manufacturing capabilities over the last 30 years, with their largest manufacturing presence in Marysville, Ohio. Honda strives to balance creating a high-quality product at a reasonable price for all global customers. Mackenzie’s career started at Honda through two internships in NAAP in the summer of 2017 and 2018. After graduating from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú with a bachelor’s degrees in Supply Chain and Operations Management in 2019, Mackenzie joined Honda full-time as the exterior lighting commodity buyer. In 2021, Mackenzie was promoted to senior buyer and recently is taking on a new role as the senior sunroof commodity buyer and internal cost management lead for future vehicle development.

Katherine Cavanaugh - Business Analyst on the Real Estate Portfolio Strategy and Analytics team at Liberty Mutual Insurance in Boston, Massachusetts. Katherine graduated from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in May of 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain and Operations Management from the Farmer School of Business. During her time at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, Katherine was a Resident Assistant in Morris Hall, a member of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Business Consulting, and participated in Alternative Spring Break. During summer breaks, Katherine completed two internships with Liberty Mutual. In July of 2019, Katherine joined Liberty Mutual full-time in the Human Resources Development Program. After completing three rotations, Katherine accepted a role as a Business Analyst on the Real Estate Portfolio Strategy and Analytics team. In her role, she conducts analyses based on operational, financial, and real estate data and supports the development of tools to identify strategic and consolidation opportunities in the Real Estate Portfolio. In addition, Katherine is an active member of WE@Liberty, where she serves as a liaison to facilitators participating in the Engaging Men as Allies discussion sessions.

Riley Christianson - Strategic Sourcing Specialist, Marketing Services at Medtronic. In her global indirect sourcing role for Medtronic, Riley is responsible for developing sourcing strategies and managing suppliers that support print, promotional branded items, and primary market research services needs of Medtronic business teams. Medtronic is a healthcare technology company that innovates solutions for more than 70 health conditions across 150 countries, serving over 76 million patients and improving the lives of two people every second. After graduating Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor’s in Supply Chain & Operations Management and a minor in Sport Management from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in 2020, Riley began at Medtronic in a sourcing rotational program which she now co-leads. In her current role, Riley enjoys supplier relationship management, negotiating shared value in partnerships, and building trust while advising Medtronic business teams across the world.

Evan Crew - Supply Chain Staff Consultant at Terillium. As a Staff Consultant, Evan is responsible for assisting Terillium teams in the implementation of Oracle Fusion Cloud Software for various clients. Terillium is an award-winning ERP consulting firm that specializes in implementing Oracle Fusion Cloud, JD Edwards, and NetSuite Consulting solutions. They are an Oracle Platinum Partner, whose mission is to deliver their clients’ vision of their business operations. Evan graduated from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in 2022 with a degree in Supply Chain & Operations Management. After starting his career with Terillium in August, he has been working to become certified in Oracle Implementation skills across multiple functional modules, as well as beginning his first on-site implementation.

Claire Edwards - Master Scheduler at T. Marzetti Company In her supply chain role at T. Marzetti, Claire is responsible for creating the weekly production schedules for 2 frozen pasta plants. Prior to this role, Claire spent 3.5 years as a production planner at J.M. Smucker, working with both domestic and international coffee plants. She graduated from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain & Operations Management. Claire attributes much of her early supply chain success to the mentors and opportunities that ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú offered. Since graduating, Claire has enjoyed balancing work and outside of work interests, such as getting her yoga teacher certification and becoming a wellness content creator where she motivates and educates others on the small ways to take care of ourselves.

John Oldfield - DHL Supply Chain is the world’s largest third-party contract logistics firm with over 160,000 associates and 150 MM square feet of storage. We provide warehousing solutions, integrated packaging solutions and end to end transportation visibility solutions for our customers products. DHL Supply Chain is an essential part of everyday life, and the company continues to live and breathe the motto of ‘Connecting People & Improving Lives’. John graduated from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in December of 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain and Operations Management from the Farmer School of Business. During his time at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, he was a fellow at the Isaac & Oxley Center for Business ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúhip and attained his Six Sigma Green Belt certification. He spent two summer internships (2018 & 2019) with DHL Supply Chain. In 2018, he had an operations role at a retail customer site managing 40 associates and oversaw the kitting lines within the warehouse. In 2019, he was with the operations excellence team at the North American Headquarters in Columbus, OH supporting the standardized LOGICS and Power BI reporting for all the sites across North America. As the Life Sciences Healthcare sector analyst for DHL Supply Chain, John is responsible for working with the Customer Development VP and Directors on identifying market trends and new sub sectors to help the team grow their pipeline. He also supports the team on new business pursuits from initial customer communication, warehouse design, proposal presentation, and commercial contract negotiations. He continues to grow and develop in his career and is excited to spread the word about how DHL Supply Chain is an essential part of everyday life. Please feel free to reach out to John with any questions, comments or if you just want to chat.

Emma Roane - Sourcing and Supply Chain Consulting Associate at Grant Thornton LLP As an Associate, Emma Roane is responsible for managing communications with project clients, assisting in configuration and presentation of procure to invoice software. Grant Thornton LLP is one of the world’s leading independent audit, tax and advisory firms working to make business more personal. At Grant Thornton we understand the value of strong relationships and challenge the expectations of business. Emma Roane graduated from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain and Operations Management and was the VP of Communications for the Supply Chain Management Association for 2.5 years. Through SCMA, Emma received the CPIM scholarship from the Dayton ASCM Chapter and is currently working towards completing this certification. Since starting her position in September of 2022, Emma has gained a great deal of knowledge and experience in the consulting industry. Emma also became certified in the business spend management software, Coupa, during her first month at Grant Thornton.

Caroline (Rodgers) Walsh - Director of Site Operations-Elanco Terre Haute My name is Caroline Rodgers and I am the Director of Site Operations for the Elanco Terre Haute Facility. I am responsible for management of all the facility operations including production, quality, procurement, warehousing, maintenance, and financial health. Our plant produces an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (“API”) that is used downstream in other pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. A major overarching point of emphasis is to challenge the team to optimize and improve operational efficiency to support growing demand of our API.

Morgan Seaman graduated from the Farmer School of Business in 2021 with a degree in Supply Chain and Operations Management and has had a variety of experiences since joining the workforce. Starting out in manufacturing sales, she sold portable CMMs and supported customers throughout the entire sales process from initial contact to the integration of the system. After pivoting into the tech world, she was able to learn about product design by working for a startup company. With a focus on research and design she contributed to the development of their carbonCAD platform that helps manufacturers track their carbon emissions. Most recently she has joined a private wealth management firm, assisting with investments and specializing in researching manufacturing and logistics companies for clients to add to their portfolios.

Jack Watson graduated from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University in May of 2022, earning degrees in Supply Chain Management and Accounting. He currently works as a process engineer at HFW Industries, a Buffalo, NY-based manufacturer and rebuilder of precision industrial equipment. HFW’s work keeps the industrial world running through building and repairing equipment for the chemical, paper and pulp and power generation industries, among others. In his role, Jack assists in the implementation of HFW’s new ERP system, conducts continuous improvement projects and works with the sales team to find, develop and retain long-term customer relationships. He also leads the company’s entry level recruiting efforts and is passionate about developing the next generation of allstars in the blue collar world. Jack, the oldest of four boys, is also the fourth generation to work for the family business. In his free time, Jack enjoys hiking, spending time with his family and, of course, cheering for the Buffalo ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉús!