The 2026 Michigan Lean Consortium Annual Conference brings together continuous improvement professionals from across industries to explore what it means to navigate Lean while staying anchored in connection — to our purpose, our people, and our community.

We’re excited to welcome a diverse lineup of speakers from across industries who will share real-world Lean experiences, practical strategies, and lessons learned to help you navigate continuous improvement in your organization.

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Keynote Speakers

Elisabeth Swan
President | Swan Consulting & Associates, Inc

Elisabeth is a co-founder of Just-in-Time Cafe learning nexus, and co-host of the Just-in-Time Cafe podcast with mission to lift all boats with a rising tide of continuous improvement.

She has consulted in the business process performance industry for over 30 years. Her experience spans from helping local non-profits expand their reach to guiding Fortune 100 companies through Lean Transformations. She has mentored thousands of people in improvement efforts generating millions in savings. She has deep experience coaching problem solvers and guiding leadership to operational excellence.

An innovative educator, she was the co-designer and instructor for Lean Six Sigma Leadership Course at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She is the Lead Instructor for the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt at UC San Diego Health, and she also designs and runs Lean Six Sigma courses at UC Davis, and the University of Denver.

She is the award-winning author of, Picture Yourself a Leader: Illustrated Micro-Lessons in Navigating Change, and the second edition of her co-authored, Problem Solver’s Toolkit: A Surprisingly Simple Guide to Your Lean Six Sigma Journey, is publishing in early 2025.

Andy Worshek
Expert on Intent-Based Leadership, Author & Former Sonar Chief on the

USS Santa Fe

Andy Worshek imagines a workplace where everyone engages and contributes their full intellectual capacity, a place where people are healthier and happier because they have more control over their work–a place where everyone is a leader.

Andy served in the navy for 24 years, and achieved the rank of Master Chief. Andy was assigned to the nuclear powered submarine USS Santa Fe with captain David Marquet – then ranked last in retention and operational standing. Together, they teamed up and turned that ship around by developing a new model of leadership that built leaders at every level. Intent-Based Leadership took the Santa Fe from “worst to first,” achieving the highest retention and operational standings in the navy.

Stephen R. Covey rode the USS Santa Fe and said it was “the most empowering organization he’d ever seen” and wrote about the USS Santa Fe leadership practices in his book, The 8th Habit.

Andy is prominently featured in the best-selling leadership book Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders which tells the turnaround story of the USS Santa Fe. Fortune magazine named it the #1 must-read book to read and USA Today put it on their list of the 12 best business books of all time.

Before joining the Turn the Ship Around Team, Andy practiced intent-based leadership as the director of Human Resources and Personnel Development at McGee, Hearne & Paiz, LLP, the premier accounting firm in Wyoming. Andy is a SHRM-SCP certified Human Resources Professional and lives in Pryor, Oklahoma with his wife.

Breakout Speakers

Jerry Browne

President | eLeanSixSigma

Jerry Browne is an experienced instructor that has been leading quality and continuous improvement trainings across the state of Michigan full time since May of 2023. He has over 14 years of experience in quality and continuous improvement roles in a variety of industries including vaccine manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, paper/plastics manufacturing, industrial manufacturing and hospitals.

Jerry has received his Masters of Education in Instructional Design from Western Governor’s University where is capstone focus was on the transfer of training from the classroom into work practice. He also currently holds associate and bachelor’s degrees in business administration. Jerry has conducted Dr Deming’s red bead experiment across the state of Michigan, including the Annual Deming Conference at MSU. He has presented at numerous Michigan Lean Consortium (MLC) events and has served as a member of the MLC Advisory Board. Jerry has a tremendous passion for educating others, particularly in quality and continuous improvement methodologies.

Charmaine Fuller

CEO | CLF Advisory Group

Charmaine Fuller is the Founder and CEO of CLF Advisory Group; a financial advisory firm built for service-based businesses that are generating revenue but losing ground to the financial complexity behind it.

With over 15 years across banking, bookkeeping, and financial operations, Charmaine works at the intersection of financial structure and operational reality. She helps owner-operators move from reactive cash management to systems that reflect how their business runs, gets paid, and grows.

Her work is built on one simple truth: your numbers should tell you what to do next, not just what has already happened.

Joel Kempisty

Sales and Customer Service | Fat American Manufacturing

I began my career as a broadcast director, partnering with producers and journalists to solve problems in real time and craft compelling, clear stories under constant deadline pressure. In that environment, success depended on precision, communication, and coordination across teams. After more than a decade in fast-paced broadcast operations, I transitioned into Sales and Customer Service at Fat American Manufacturing, where I now apply that same discipline to building a lean culture across our organization. I’m responsible for structuring our daily company-wide morning meetings and teaching our Lean 101 Training Program. By putting practical, repeatable structures in place like standardized meeting formats, while encouraging and curating interactive learning environments, we’ve created a stronger culture throughout our building from the shop floor to the front office, which has led to vastly improved collaboration, fewer defects, faster lead times, and a greater sense of ownership at every level, making continuous improvement a driving force in our daily work.

Kevin Rikkers

General Manager | Fat American Manufacturing

I am Kevin Rikkers, General Manager of Fat American Manufacturing. I have spent my career at FAM in leadership roles focused on managing teams, teaching, and helping people grow in their jobs. Much of my work centers on workforce development, continuous improvement, and making Lean practical and approachable. I also regularly speak with high school students about careers in manufacturing and the importance of lifelong learning. Today, I lead Lean 101 training at FAM, helping teams build strong fundamentals and develop the mindset needed for sustainable improvement.

Lisa Mininni

President | Excellerate Associates

Lisa Mininni is the President of Excellerate Associates and Founder of Business Innovation Lab CoWorking & Conference Center. She is recognized as a leading consultant and speaker on human wiring and business alignment, helping leaders understand how people are naturally wired to ideate, communicate, operate, and evaluate information.

Her core belief: organizational performance depends not just on strategy, but on understanding the people who execute it and the systems they work within.

She is the author of the best-selling book Me, Myself, and Why – The Secrets to Navigating Change, and has been featured on CNN, Good Housekeeping, CareerBuilder, and radio programs nationwide.

Brittany Parks

Founder | Brittany Parks Process Consulting

Brittany Parks is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Brittany Parks Process Consulting, where she helps organizations improve operations, align teams, and lead sustainable change. With experience across healthcare, manufacturing, and education, she brings a practical, cross-sector approach grounded in Lean Six Sigma and real-world leadership.

Known for simplifying complex challenges and making them actionable. Her work consistently centers on one core belief: Processes don’t fail on their own—they break down when the human dynamics within the system are overlooked.

In her session, “From Tools to Trust: How to Lead Lean Work When People Are the Real System,” Brittany challenges traditional views of Lean by bridging structured tools like A3s, RACI charts, and stakeholder mapping with human-centered practices. Participants can expect an interactive experience that surfaces real-world dynamics, builds practical skills, and reframes how improvement work is led—so that trust, not just tools, drives results.