Team
The Gemba Academy team operates out of offices in California and Texas. We work hard to practice what we preach, especially with regards to the "respect for people" principle of lean, and have developed an innovative Culture Code.
Founding Partners
The founding partners of Gemba Academy come with lean consulting, lean and six sigma training, and executive-level lean transformation experience. This is the Gemba Academy difference: we're lean and six sigma experts first, who then learned how to create great training videos.
Ron Pereira
Co-Founder and Managing Director
Ron has more than 25+ years of experience in various manufacturing, supply chain, and senior leadership roles. Ron has held the titles of process engineer, engineering manager, master black belt, and director of manufacturing & continuous improvement. In 2002 Ron was the first American to win the Nokia Global Six Sigma and Overall Quality award in Helsinki, Finland. Ron holds a bachelor's degree in automated manufacturing and an MBA in technology management.
Jon Miller
Co-Founder and Head of Content Development
Jon has dedicated his 25+ year career to the field of kaizen, continuous improvement, and lean management. Jon spent the first eighteen years of his life in Japan, then graduated from McGill University with a bachelor’s in linguistics. He worked as an interpreter with the Shingijutsu company for eight years, traveling the world as they taught kaizen and the Toyota Production System.
In 1998 Jon co-founded the consulting and training firm Gemba Research and served as its President and CEO. Jon led dozens of Lean transformation projects in a wide range of organizations, large and small across more than 20 countries. While collaborating on projects with Ron Pereira and Kevin Meyer, the three co-founders saw a common vision of transforming continuous improvement learning and established Gemba Academy in 2009.
In 2011 the Gemba Research consulting operations merged with the Kaizen Institute. Jon served as its global CEO and board member, leading the firm in the application of kaizen into new markets and sectors. In 2015 Jon left the consulting field to support the Gemba Academy startup full-time.
Today Jon applies his experience in continuous improvement to advise clients on their deployment strategies, and in developing learning solutions for Gemba Academy.
Kevin Meyer
Co-Founder
Kevin has over 35 years of manufacturing leadership experience in the automotive lighting, telecom electronics, and medical device industries. He has been responsible for lean transformations at Sylvania, Abbott Laboratories, Newport Corporation, and most recently as President of Specialty Silicone Fabricators. He guest lectures on business, manufacturing, and leadership topics at his alma mater Rensselaer as well as CalPoly.
Customer Care & Success
Making sure our customers are successful is how we measure success at Gemba Academy. Your dedicated account managers will help guide your journey with using Gemba Academy.
Tomii Adebayo
Customer Success Assistant
Tomii Adebayo is a valued member of our team serving as a Customer Success Assistant. With a strong background in customer-facing roles, Tomii is dedicated to delivering exceptional support and assistance to our clients. She leverages professional experience in customer support and internal and external support roles to provide personalized solutions. Prior to joining our team, she held administrative and support roles within different industries.
Ashley Faith
Account Manager
Ashley is a senior customer success professional with 15+ years of experience specializing in continuous improvement, client relations, and cross functional leadership. With a proven track record of building strong client relationships, she excels at identifying opportunities to enhance the customer experience from a 360 degree perspective. Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and a Master of Science degree in Human Relations and Business.
Victoria Kurth
Account Manager
Victoria Kurth is a tech-savvy professional and seasoned customer advocate with over 25 years of customer support experience from various industries including the airline industry, manufacturing industry and education industry. As an Account Manager at Gemba Academy she provides post-sales support.
Brita Quella
Director of Customer Success
Brita is responsible for post-sale support of Gemba Academy customers. She previously held positions in Human Resources for both large and small companies. Brita has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration; major in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management.
Diane Rodriguez
Account Manager
Diane is responsible for post-sale support of Gemba Academy customers. She has over 13 years providing customer support. She previously held positions as a Technical Trainer and Strategic Account Manager.
Business Development and Marketing
Our sales reps are here to guide you to the right solution, and ensure that we answer the most important question: "What problems are you trying to solve?".
Tiana Banes
Business Development Manager
Tiana joined Gemba Academy in 2017 and is a member of our business development team. She uses a consultative approach to help identify customers’ needs to assist them in finding the best continuous improvement training solution for their business objectives. Prior to Gemba Academy, she gained over 17 years of experience in the financial industry and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas.
Natalie Bush
Marketing Manager
Natalie is a Marketing Specialist known for her innovative approach. With a strong foundation in graphic design and a keen entrepreneurial mindset, she specializes in crafting impactful email marketing campaigns, coordinating engaging events, and managing social media platforms, significantly contributing to enhanced brand visibility and deepened customer engagement.
Andrew Davis
Inside Sales Rep | Live Instructor Training
Drew joined our team in 2023, leading efforts in our newly developed Live Instructor offerings. He utilizes a collaborative approach with customers to develop training sessions that center around their organizational goals. Working with our expert coaches, we are able to deliver workshops at your facility or the Gemba Academy facility here in Texas. Prior to Gemba Academy, Drew held sales roles in industries such as commercial real estate, medical devices, and finance.
Laurel Marden
Inside Sales Rep
Laurel is responsible for post-sale support of Gemba Academy customers. She has a vast professional experience in customer facing roles ranging from Human Resources, Payroll, and Business Administration. Laurel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Western Governors University.
Nichole Mayer
Sales and Marketing Coordinator
Nichole has vast experience in Sales and Marketing including digital media, coordinating events, creative thinking, and customer engagement with a Bachelor's degree in Cinema & Televisions Arts. Her diverse skills and new ideas are a great asset to our sales & marketing department with a creative approach to enhance our brand.
Leslie Moles
Business Development Manager
Leslie joined Gemba Academy in 2013 and is a member of the Business Development team. She specializes in assisting clients worldwide in identifying Gemba Academy solutions that will enhance their continuous improvement initiatives. Prior to joining our organization, she accumulated substantial experience in administrative and accounting roles within the SaaS and call center sectors. She received her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification in April 2023.
Jennifer Scott
Director of Sales & Marketing
Jennifer is responsible for business development activities with enterprise-level and global customers. She has over twenty years experience developing such relationships. Prior to joining Gemba Academy, she held positions as an Enterprise and Strategic Accounts Manager.
Coaching & Certifications
Our coaching team is here to guide you 1-1 through the toughest issues, as well as to help facilitate your way through our Lean Six Sigma certification programs.
Alen Ganic
Senior Coach
Alen Ganic is a Senior Lean and Six Sigma Coach at Gemba Academy with over 24 years of experience in transforming businesses through the power of team capabilities. Renowned for his exceptional training, coaching, and mentoring skills, Alen has a proven track record of driving continuous improvement and operational excellence.
Before joining Gemba Academy, Alen held various key positions, including Regional Continuous Improvement Manager, Continuous Improvement Engineer, Inventory and Asset Manager, and Operations Manager.
Alen is passionate about coaching, teaching, and mentoring, dedicated to enhancing the skills of individuals and positively impacting their lives.
John Knotts
Senior Coach
As a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, John has over 30 years of experience in operational excellence. He served 21 years in the US Air Force -- 11 as an internal coach and consultant. He led strategy and change efforts with Booz | Allen | Hamilton for 18 clients. He was an internal coach and consultant for Fortune 100, United Services Automobile Association. And, he’s been a solopreneur growing, scaling, and improving companies for over 12 years. In addition to multiple certifications in change management, project management, agile, and information technology, John has a Bachelor’s in Management, a Master’s in Quality Systems Management, and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Content Development
Our production team is always hard at work on the next great course, and making it look its best!
Megan Achilleos
Content Development Project Manager
Megan Achilleos joined Gemba Academy in 2022 and is the Project Manager for the Content Development team. Prior to joining Gemba Academy, Megan moved to Texas following her passion for Project Management and Analytics within the hospitality industry. Megan has over 3 years of experience leading projects in a variety of programs across several platforms and holds a B.A. degree in Communication Design from the Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Dimitrius Beck
Final Cut Pro X Editor
Dimitrius is a visual storyteller who is responsible for editing Gemba Academy videos, making them visually appealing, engaging, and enjoyable to watch. Beyond his editing skills, Dimitrius is a skilled cinematographer, technical director, and motion graphics artist, with more than 25 years of experience in broadcast news, TV commercials, concert production, music videos, and documentaries. Dimitrius has developed his skills of bringing images and stories to life while working at the highest levels of production and post-production in many countries around the world. Dimitrius is originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Jessica Bush
Senior Content Editor
Jessica is responsible for the editorial aspects of Gemba Academy’s content, focusing on course materials, podcast production, social media, and other copywriting efforts. An avid advocate of entrepreneurship, Jessica has worked with two technology startups as co-founder and head marketing strategist. Jessica received her BS in Business Administration from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, with a minor in Music.
Greg Nickell
Director of Studios
Greg has over 25 years of experience in Operations, Quality, and Engineering. In 1998, he developed a media center within a corporate setting and began to train his employees with the use of in-house produced video. Training expanded company-wide and he began receiving requests for larger and larger projects. In 2006, Greg started his own media production company where later, Gemba Academy became a client. In 2013, Greg became a full-time Gemba Academy staff member. His current responsibilities focus on pre-production, production, and post-production of all Gemba Academy media products.
Rex Reyes
Final Cut Pro X Editor
Rex is responsible for editing video content for Gemba Academy. Beyond his editorial role, he also participates in a variety of activities within the content development team, from production to final delivery. Rex is also involved in the development of our video workflows and processes. Because his father was stationed overseas, Rex grew up in Italy until the age of 8. Rex received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Carlos Rivero
Director of Content Development
Carlos Rivero has over 30 years of advertising, production, and post-production experience focusing on creative direction and most recently content development. Prior to Gemba Academy, Carlos led dozens of full advertising campaigns for clients such as McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz Financial, and Nestlé. Carlos leads the content development team and is responsible for every step of our content development process from ideation to final delivery.
Carlos is based in our Gemba Academy office in Keller, Texas. Carlos holds a bachelor’s degree in film and video production from The Ohio State University.
Karla Silva
Content Development Coordinator
Karla Silva is a skilled professional specializing in Spanish content translation and revision. With five years of experience in the education field, she brings a keen eye for detail and a strong commitment to problem-solving in every project. Karla holds a bachelor's degree in Bilingual Education from the University of Texas at Arlington and a MicroMaster's degree in Instructional Design from the University of Maryland. In addition to her role, she contributes to a local magazine by writing articles in Spanish. Karla is instrumental in ensuring the delivery of high-quality content, while also providing essential support to the project manager and production team.
Operations
Keeping Gemba Academy running smoothly and efficiently day-to-day.
Anthony Gomez
Director of Information Technology
Tony is a 20 year veteran of the computer and software engineering space. Today, Gemba Academy's IT infrastructure relies on his knowledge and experience to produce meaningful experiences for our customers, and a smooth day-to-day working environment for our staff.
Michael Granado
IT Administrator
Michael has spent over 15 years in the Information Technology sector for organizations in the aviation and auto industry. Currently he supports Gemba Academy's hardware and software infrastructure & implementation while providing technology support where needed.
Holley Seifert
Business Manager
Holley is responsible for the back-office business activities of Gemba Academy, including invoicing, accounts payable/receivable, contracts management, and asset management. She has over twenty years of customer service experience. Prior to Gemba Academy, she obtained executive leadership experience as the Customer Care Manager at a medical device manufacturer.