Studying and Solving Critical Global Supply Chain Issues
Pursuing Excellence in
Supply Chain Management
History
Established in 2014, the Pitt Business Center for Supply Chain Management is dedicated to the study of critical issues in global supply chain management. Financial support from the Pittsburgh-based logistics provider GENCO (now FedEx Supply Chain) and Herb Shear, the company’s former CEO and executive chairman, made the creation of the center possible.
I have an entrepreneurial vision for the Center for Supply Chain Management. I see it being industry-centric. I see it as a place where students and faculty can engage with industry and where industry can engage with the University.
— Herb Shear, Former Executive Chairman and CEO, GENCO
Mission and Strategy
The center provides student and faculty interactions with industry representatives, oversees student experience-based learning activities in supply chain management courses, and generates intellectual leadership in supply chain management.
The mission of the center is to promote the pursuit of excellence in supply chain management research, education, and outreach in close collaboration with corporate sponsors, related professional organizations, other centers at Pitt Business, and other schools at the University of Pittsburgh.
Designed as an interdisciplinary unit, the center brings together faculty in business and engineering, covering such functional areas as operations, information technology, strategy, accounting, and customer insights and analytics. The interdisciplinary structure follows the synergistic role that diverse fields play in modern supply chains.
Industry Connections and Sponsors
In order to strategically advise the center, the center has created a Supply Chain Management Corporate Advisory Board composed of member companies with strong interests in supply chain management and a genuine concern for the future enhancement of the field. Our Advisory Board members provide crucial advice into programmatic initiatives of the center to help develop talent in the supply chain management profession. The center is also supported in its outreach activities by the Breakfast Series Planning Committee.
External funding for the center comes from our annual sponsor companies and organizations. Sponsors have enhanced opportunities to engage with supply chain management undergraduate and graduate students in experience-based learning projects, internships, employment options, and cooperative education programs. Furthermore, sponsors can host faculty members for lectures at their company and they have the first option to review supply chain management research facilitated by the center.
Find out how you or your organization can support the center »
Academic Programs
The center leverages strengths in supply chain management at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and the undergraduate College of Business Administration.
The center helps to develop the next generation of talent in supply chain management by offering students practical, hands-on experiences in issues such as logistics, sourcing and procurement, quality control, process improvement, project management, managing supplier relationships, information technology, sustainability, and risk management. Of particular interest to the center are the dramatic changes in supply chain management that are creating new paradigms, new partnerships, and new structures.
Corporate Advisory Board
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Thomas E. Balzer Senior Vice President and Head of Supply Chain Center, NAFTA, Covestro LLC |
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J.R. Ellis Vice President, Supply Chain Engineering, ARMADA Supply Chain Solutions |
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Charles Hammel III* President, Pitt Ohio *Board Chair |
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Anne Herman Vice President, Global Operational Excellence, MSA -The Safety Company |
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Jeffrey Inman Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty, Albert Wesley Frey Professor of Marketing, and Professor of Business Administration, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration |
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Jay Kent Managing Director, SLB Performance |
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Prakash Mirchandani Professor of Business Administration and Director, Center for Supply Chain Management, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration |
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Steve Myers Senior Vice President, Operations Planning and Engineering, FedEx Ground |
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Eric Paljug Clinical Associate Professor of Business Administration, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration |
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Lisa Scales President and CEO, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank |
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Herb Shear** Shear Family Office and Shear Family Investments, Former Executive Chairman and CEO, GENCO **Former Board Chair |
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Stan Sliwoski Solutions Development Manager, UPS Customer Solutions |
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James A. Szilagy VP and Chief Supply Chain Officer, UPMC |
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Adam C. Walker Chairman and CEO, Summit Packaging Solutions |
Our Distinguished Former Board Members
Arjang Assad
Henry E. Haller Jr. Dean, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
Jeff Borino
Vice President, Supply Chain Strategy and Transformation, Giant Eagle, Inc.
Carol Britton
Senior Managing Director, CBRE
Jan G. Dudiak
Chief Procurement Officer and Vice President, Westinghouse Electric Company
Joe Hurley
Senior Vice President Supply Chain, Sprouts Farmers Market
Joseph M. Klaja
Lead Client Service Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Thomas E. Merriman
Director, Global Supply Chain & Logistics, MSA
Faculty Advisory Board
Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
G. G. Hegde
Associate Professor of Business Administration, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
Jeffrey Inman
Associate Dean for Research and Faculty, Albert Wesley Frey Professor of Marketing, and Professor of Business Administration, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
James F. Kimpel
Clinical Associate Professor of Business Administration, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
Ravi Madhavan
Professor of Business Administration, Alcoa Foundation International Faculty Fellow, and Director, International Business Center, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
Prakash Mirchandani
Professor of Business Administration and Director, Center for Supply Chain Management, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
Eric Paljug
Clinical Associate Professor of Business Administration, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
Jayant Rajgopal
Professor and Graduate Program Director, Swanson School of Engineering
Jennifer Shang
Professor of Business Administration and Area Director for Business Analytics and Operations, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
Breakfast Series Planning Committee
Gregory DeLuca
Managing Director, Worldwide Services – Global – E-commerce/Retail at FedEx Services
Greg Kaiser Sr.
Principal at Greg Kaiser Consulting LLC
Mark Kush
Vice President, Customer Logistics & Order to Cash at The J.M. Smucker Company
William Lekse
Adjunct Professor, University of Pittsburgh
Daniel E. Leone
Director, AFS Global Compliance at Howmet Aerospace
Jack Martis
Adjunct Professor, University of Pittsburgh
Prakash Mirchandani
Professor of Business Administration and Director, Center for Supply Chain Management, University of Pittsburgh
Geoffrey Muessig
Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at Pitt Ohio
Eric Paljug
Clinical Associate Professor of Business Administration, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
Dhruv Raina
ESG Strategy & UN Advisory | Circular Business Enabler at Tarkett
Sandra Turko
Senior IT Manager PMO at Argo AI; Committee Cochair
Meredith Williams
Director & Global Automation Lead, Solution Design at DHL Supply Chain; Committee Cochair
Emeritus Speakers
SYMPOSIA TOPICS AND SPEAKERS
2023 SYMPOSIUM Transforming Supply Chain
Speakers
Jamie Bragg, Chief Supply Chain Officer, EVP, Tailored Brands
Surabhi Khuteta, Global Head of Transportation & Delivery, Wayfair
Heidi Landry, CPO, Enterprise Supply Chain, Johnson & Johnson
Rogerio Negrao, Program Purchasing Director, Battery Electric Programs, General Motors
Patrick Van den Bossche, Partner, Kearney
Garrett van Ryzin, VP, Distinguished Scientist, Supply Chain Optimization Technology (SCOT), Amazon
Event Presiders
Paul Page, Editor, Logistics Report, The Wall Street Journal
Lisa Scales, President and CEO, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
Meredith Williams, Senior director & Global Automation Practice Lead, DHL
2022 SYMPOSIUM Building Resilient Supply Chains
Speakers
Ivanka Janssen, Chief Supply Chain Officer, EVP, Philips
Arkajit Rakshit, Director, Supply Chain, Amazon
Ashwin Rao, Chief Science Officer, Wayfair; Adj. Professor, Stanford University
Hans Thalbauer, Managing Director, Global Supply Chain & Logistics Industry, Google Cloud
Lynn Torrel, Chief Procurement & Supply Chain Officer, Flex
Event Presiders
Paul Page, Editor, Logistics Report, The Wall Street Journal
Lisa Scales, President and CEO, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
Sandra Turko, Sr. Manager, Enterprise PMO, ARGO AI
2021 SYMPOSIUM Reimagining Supply Chains
Virtual Tour Hosts
Steve Myers, Senior Vice President, Operations and Engineering, FedEx Ground
Bob Pudlo, Vice President, Operations Support and Engineering, FedEx Ground
Marc Richter, Product Owner, Network Design and Analytics, FedEx Ground
Speakers
Michelle Eggers, Vice President NA Market Operations and Global Logistics Purchases, Proctor & Gamble
Spencer Levy, Chairman of Americas Research and Senior Economic Advisor, CBRE
Andy Walton, General Manager, Distribution Center, Walmart
Alex Zelikovsky, Former Vice President, Ecommerce Technology at Lowe’s
Event Presiders
Paul Page, Editor, Logistics Report, The Wall Street Journal
Lisa Scales, President and CEO, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
2019 SYMPOSIUM Supply Chains 20/20
Manik Aryapadi Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company
Annette Danek-Akey Senior Vice President, Supply Chain; President, Warehouse Education and Research Council, Penguin Random House
William Dempsey Chief Procurement Officer, Molson Coors Brewing Company
Kevin O’Meara Vice President Integrated Supply Chain, Shaw Industries
Brad Parrish Vice President of Engineering, FedEx Supply Chain
Elizabeth Radke NA SMO PS Innovation and Customization Director, Proctor & Gamble
2018 SYMPOSIUM – Supply Chains at the Cross Roads of Disruption
Mike Chamberlain, President, Simpler Consulting, an IBM Watson Health Company
Bill Chappuis, Senior Operations Manager, Freight Automation, Uber
Adrian Kumar, Solutions Design North America, Vice President, DHL Supply Chain
Spencer Levy, Head of Research, Americas, Senior Economic Advisor CBRE
Kate Messchelein, Vice President, Supply Chain Strategy and Deployment – Medical Devices, Johnson & Johnson
2017 SYMPOSIUM – The Evolving Responsiveness Cost Frontier
Tonya Jackson, Senior Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Lexmark International
Stephen Laaper, Principal, Strategy and Operations, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Chandra Narayanaswami, Principal Research Staff Member; Member, IBM Academy of Technology, IBM
Ryan Quinlan Head of Fulfillment, Google Express
Larry P. Smith, Former Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD)
John R. Tweardy, Principal, Cloud, Strategy and Operations, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Suzanne Valentine, Distinguished Engineer and Chief Data Scientist, IBM Watson Customer Engagement
2016 SYMPOSIUM – Supply Chain Management in the Digital Age
Bill Best, Divisional Vice President, Supply Chain Operations, REI
Andrew Downard, Research Director, Gartner, Inc.
Dr. Markus Ettl, Distinguished Researcher, Senior Manager, Commerce Advanced Analytics,
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
Daniel Gagnon, Vice President, Marketing, UPS Global Logistics and Distribution
Sanjeev Khanna, Senior Director, Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure and Operations, Microsoft
Stephen J. Szilagyi, Former Chief Supply Chain Officer, Lowe’s Companies, Inc.,
President, Szilagyi Leadership
BREAKFAST SPEAKER SERIES TOPICS AND SPEAKERS
| DATE AND TOPIC | SPEAKER(S) |
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Friday, January 31, 2020 Digital Supply Chain – Deliver Customer Desires in an Experience Economy
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Martin Barkman Senior Vice President Global Head of Solution Management Digital Supply Chain SAP |
Christopher J. Smith
IT Business Analyst Expert
ERP Center of Excellence – Supply Chain Planning SAP, APO & IBP
PPG
Friday, March 29, 2019
C-Level Challenges of Managing a
Global Supply Chain
Tonya Jackson
Senior Vice President
Chief Supply Chain Officer
Lexmark International
Friday, April 6, 2018
Managing a Global Supply Chain During a Chapter 11 Transformation
Jan G. Dudiak
Chief Procurement Officer and Vice President Global Supply Chain Solutions
Westinghouse Electric Company
Friday, February 23, 2018
The Evolving Role of 3PLs in Today’s Changing Retail Market
Ryan P. Kelly
Senior Vice President, Sales Strategy, & Communications
FedEx Supply Chain
Friday, April 7, 2017
Omni-Opportunities in Retail Supply Chain Management
George Giacobbe
Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management
DICK’s Sporting Goods
February 24, 2017
Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) Opportunities
Doug Harvey
Operations Manager, Consumer Supply Chain
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Director – Global Inventory Management
Westinghouse Electric Company
APICS Instructor
Moid Mohammed
Associate Partner
McKinsey & Company
April 8, 2016
A CEO’s Perspective on Supply Chain Management
Dawne S. Hickton
Director, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; Former CEO, RTI International Metals, Inc.
February 26, 2016
Sustainability in the Supply Chain in the Digital Age
Kevin L. McKnight
Chief Sustainability Officer, Vice President of Environment, Health and Safety
Alcoa
Aditya Sharma
Operational Director
Global Sustainable Operations Practice
Accenture
December 4, 2015
3-D Printing and Its Impact on the Supply Chain
Howard Kuhn
Ph.D., Adjunct Professor
University of Pittsburgh
Mark A. Henne
President
Marcus Machinery
John Barnes
Vice President
Advanced Manufacturing & Strategy
Alcoa Titanium & Engineered Products
Kirk Rogers
Technology Leader
General Electric’s Center for Additive Technology Advancement
September 18, 2015
Reverse Logistics: Implementation and Impact at Dell, Inc.
Herb Shear
Chairman
Shear Family Office
Matt Peterson
Supply Chain Director
Dell Inc.
Eric Smith
Strategic Account Executive
GENCO
May 8, 2015
Predictive Analytics in the Supply Chain
Greg Kaiser Sr.
Former VP Global Technical Solutions
Hershey Company
Patrick Flaherty
VP of Operations, BioTronics Inc.(UPMC’s Clinical Engineering Division)
VP of Integrated Technology & Performance Solutions
UPMC Supply Chain Management
Brandon Cox
Director, Enterprise Science
Deloitte
February 13, 2015
Technology Trends in Transportation
Steve MyersVice President
FXG Regional Operations – Canada Region
FedEx Ground
FAST, FOCUS FORUMS TOPICS AND SPEAKERS
| DATE AND TOPIC | SPEAKER(S) |
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November 4, 2022 Warehouse Automation in Healthcare: Challenges and Opportunities
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Alan Wilde, Senior Vice President Supply Chain & GPO at Allegheny Health Network and Providers PPI GPO Scott Meiser, Vice President Supply Chain, Allegheny Health Network Greg McGuiness, Director of Distribution and Logistics Allegheny Health Network |
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May 21, 2021 Managing Covid-related Unpredictability in the Grocery Industry |
Jeff Bornino, Vice President of Supply Chain & Transformation, Giant Eagle, Inc. Harrison Urash, Senior Director Supply Chain, Giant Eagle, Inc. |
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December 10, 2020 The Changing Impact of COVID-19 on Logistics and Distribution
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Geoff Muessig CMO and EVP PITT OHIO |
Jim Fields
COO
PITT OHIO
George Giacobbe
SVP Supply Chain
Dicks Sporting Goods
October 30, 2020
Volatile Supply and Demand: S&OP and Annual Planning in the COVID Era
Robert Bilger
Director, Global Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain
MSA – The Safety Company
Dan Jergel
Global SIOP Manager
MSA – The Safety Company
July 2, 2020
Risk Management in Supply Chains: Pre- and Post-COVID-19
J.R. Ellis
VP of Supply Chain Engineering
ARMADA
June 4, 2020
Impact of COVID-19 on Transportation: A Carrier and Shipper Perspective
Geoff Muessig
CMO and EVP
PITT OHIO
May 21, 2020
New Distribution Models for an Effective COVID-19 Response
Paul Page
Editor, WSJ Logistics Report
Wall Street Journal
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
I chose Katz because of the world-class faculty and students: the professors here are well-versed in their fields, passionate about teaching, and want to see their students succeed academically and professionally; the students are dedicated to excellence and form an excellent professional network.
I knew I could build on my strengths through the strong core curriculum with specific classes that would help me learn invaluable tactics and strategies for my career. The international community at Katz is eye-opening. Learning from individuals who come from all over the world is a valuable experience in and of itself.
