The Fujio Cho Department of Engineering Technology in the University of Kentucky Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering will launch a new, full-day lecture series this fall. The inaugural Fujio Cho Leadership Lecture Series will be held on Nov. 5, organized around the theme, “The Future of Manufacturing: Lean Thinking in a Digital World.”
Focused on the future of manufacturing leadership, the series will bring together leaders from industry, government, and academia to examine how traditional manufacturing and service delivery principles are evolving in an increasingly digital world.
The new initiative is designed to create an ongoing forum for high-level dialogue on manufacturing innovation, leadership and transformation. It will explore how Lean principles continue to shape operational performance while emerging technologies — including data systems, automation and intelligent processes — create new possibilities for modern manufacturing.
The inaugural program will examine Lean as a leadership system in the digital era, the integration of the Toyota Production System (TPS) with smart manufacturing technologies, and the implications of technological change for workforce transformation and leadership development.
The lecture series also aims to strengthen connections between the university and manufacturing and service industries while giving students and emerging professionals opportunities to engage with real-world leadership challenges.
The initiative, which reflects a shared commitment to manufacturing and service excellence and workforce development between the University of Kentucky and Toyota Motor North America, emphasizes:
The series is part of the university’s broader effort to strengthen its role in manufacturing innovation and workforce development. By bringing together perspectives from industry, academia, government, and leading manufacturing and service organizations, organizers envision the lecture series as a long-term platform for exchanging ideas and building relationships across the manufacturing ecosystem.
Executive Fireside Conversation: Kevin P. Voelkel, senior vice president, manufacturing operations & Susann Kazunas, group vice president, manufacturing business operations, roduction engineering, executive engineering officer and executive safety officer at Toyota Motor North America
Topic: Leading the Future of Manufacturing: Integrating Lean Leadership, Engineering Excellence and Smart Industry
Featured Speaker: Randy Carr, president & CEO at World Emblem
Topic: Scaling Manufacturing Excellence: Leading Through Innovation, AI and Operational Discipline
Panel Discussion: Tonya Jackson, former senior vice president and chief people officer at Lexmark & Jeannetta Burbridge McNeill, former worldwide supply chain management & manufacturing professional at Lexmark International and Delphi Automotive
Topic: Leading Transformation: Digital transformation, resilient supply chains, workforce development, organizational change and AI.
Panel Discussion: Neil Thornbury, CEO at T.J. Regional Health & Jeff Stryker, owner/operator at Chick-fil-A Lexington
Topic: Cross-Industry Leadership Lessons: Applying insights from healthcare and service industries to advance operational excellence, servant leadership and people development in manufacturing.
Featured Speaker: Ian McClure, J.D., vice president for innovation at UK HealthCare and associate vice president for research, innovation and economic impact
Topic: Building Kentucky's AI-driven manufacturing innovation ecosystem through university-industry partnerships.
Panel Discussion: Laura Hunt, provost and chief academic officer at Bluegrass Community and Technical College & David Parsley, Ph.D., assistant professor and a True Lean System Program instructor in the UK Fujio Cho Department of Engineering Technology
Topic: Industry–education partnerships, workforce pathways, experiential learning and preparing the next generation of manufacturing leaders
Full descriptions of each lecture are available on the event information page.
The Fujio Cho Leadership Lecture Series is designed for industry leaders and professionals, manufacturing engineers and managers, engineering and technology students and partners in workforce and economic development.
At its core, the program provides a forum to consider a central question facing manufacturers: How can the principles that have driven manufacturing performance for decades be applied in a world increasingly shaped by digital technologies?
Participants will explore that question while connecting established manufacturing practices with the technologies, leadership approaches and workforce strategies shaping the industry’s future.
Advanced registration and a fee of $100 are required to attend. Register and learn more here.
