Furterer, Sandy

Biography

Greetings! I'm a Professor of Practice in the Integrated Systems Engineering Department. I've applied Lean Six Sigma, Systems Engineering, and Engineering Management tools in healthcare, banking, retail, higher education and other service industries, and achieved the level of Vice President in several banking institutions. I previously managed the Enterprise Performance Excellence center in a healthcare system.  I am a Fellow in the American Society for Quality (ASQ).  Before joining Ohio State, I was a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Dayton in the Engineering Management, Systems and Technology Department.  I received my PhD in Industrial Engineering with a specialization in Quality Engineering from the University of Central Florida in 2004. I received an MBA from Xavier University, and a Bachelor and Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Expertise

I have over 25 years of experience in business process and quality improvements. I am an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence, a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, a Certified Quality Engineer, a Certified Manager of Quality / Operational Excellence, an ASQ fellow, and a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.  I have published 9 textbooks in the areas of systems engineering, lean six sigma, design for six sigma and quality engineering methods and tools, as well as 6 textbook chapters, with the latest being a Lean Systems in Engineering Management chapter in the 6th edition of the Maynard Industrial Engineering Handbook. I have published 21 peer-reviewed research articles, 39 peer-reviewed conference proceedings, and presented 8 invited presentations and panels, and 98 conference presentations.

My research and teaching interests include systems engineering modeling, lean six sigma, leadership and diversity, and change management.