a team of professionals

Our Instructors

RICHARD J WELLS, PHD

RICHARD J WELLS, PHD

Chairman of the Board

Richard J. Wells, PhD serves as a Principal Consultant. Originally, a Mergers and Acquisitions Professional and subject matter expert, Dr. Wells’ interest evolved in serving the public sector as an advisory consultant and educational partner.

Dr. Wells has worked independently as a project manager on large scale projects with government entities as well as Fortune 500 companies.  His hobby is tutoring students in the area of practical statistics and advanced mathematics.

Dr. Wells has over 20 years of consulting experience with government entities, such as the USDA and FDA as well as the States of Texas, California, and Colorado.   Areas of consulting have included executive coaching, process improvement, and project management.

Dr. Wells speaks fluent Spanish and Japanese.  To reach Dr. Wells directly call or text:  202-466-1662.

TERRA VANZANT STERN, PHD

TERRA VANZANT STERN, PHD

CHANGE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT & FACILITATOR

Terra Vanzant Stern, PhD., PMP, SPHR/GPHR. is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and the principal of SSD Global Solutions, Inc. She has held a number of board positions to include: Chair, ASQ Lean Enterprise Division, Chair, Strategy and Development for Colorado Human Resource Association, Chair, ASQ Denver, Chair, Rocky Mountain Quality Conference and Curriculum Chair for Projects with Industry (who worked placing developmentally disabled adults in the workforce community).

Dr. Stern is a USAF veteran who has written several books and articles on problem solving, process improvement and leadership. Her most recent book, Lean and Agile Project Management was released as a second edition in May 2020.

Other publications by Dr. Stern include: Lean Six Sigma: Practical Bodies of Knowledge, HR Concepts for Project Managers, Leaders Asleep at the Wheel, and her dissertation: “The Paradox of Corporate Darwinism – Why the Fittest Don’t Always Succeed in Corporate America.”

Current Clients/Partners of SSD Global Solutions include TVA, SCE, AHOLD, Jefferson County, Colorado, NG, and Fidelity. Recent partnerships include Cross Knowledge, Francis & Taylor Publishing, New Horizons Learning Centers and IT Pro TV. Dr. Stern also offers personal business coaching as well as training for middle managers interested in making the next step to the “C” Suite.

FIRMIN NDEGES, MEA

FIRMIN NDEGES, MEA

INTERNATIONAL LIAISON & LrSS INSTRUCTOR

Firmin Ndeges is a native of Cameroon who is currently a consultant in the United States of America. He has over fifteen years experience in manufacturing and process integration, total quality management, enterprise reengineering and leading cross-functional teams towards higher product/process quality and performance.

Ndeges has worked in many industries to date including but not limited to paper fabrication, nanotechnology manufacturing, purchasing shipping and logistics, music production and execution, telecommunications design and testing, and education services. His experience analyzing KPIs and solving complex problems with his many years of data mining expertise has contributed to the success of many optimization projects across multiproduct fabrication facilities in North America and Asia. A recently documented and verified half a million dollars monthly ROI is an example of outcome attributed to his work.

A French and English Speaker, Ndeges is Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, (trained) Project Manager, and Certified Quality Auditor. He is a Virginia Tech Masters Graduate in Engineering Management & Systems Engineering. He also holds a Graduate Certificate in Nanotechnology from George Mason University plus two Bachelor’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

FRANK PAHLKE

FRANK PAHLKE

PMP Instructor

Mr. Pahlke has a background that includes in-depth experience in both the private and public sectors in line positions and consulting assignments involving various technologies. With over forty years of industry experience, the past seventeen years has focused on large-scale project planning and management but assignments have also included PMO start-ups, technology assessment, data center management, and project management training. Certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Green Belt Six Sigma and ITIL V3 Foundation.
MARK MAIS

MARK MAIS

Mr. Mais has over 35 years experience with Fortune 500 companies in sales, marketing, training, and business development in various senior leadership positions. He is currently the Director of Marketing for Ricoh Corporation in the technology sector. He leads their Project Management office for the Marketing organization. His experience includes leading a wide array of cross-functional process improvement and project management initiatives in the public and private sectors.

Mark has also served on multiple non-profit boards and is currently on the board of the Audio Information Network, which provides services for the visually impaired. He, and his wife Holly, also own Eagles Nest Home Group a residential Real Estate brokerage with Keller Williams Executives Realty in the Colorado area.

Mark’s certifications include; Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and Project Management Professional (PMP). He also has his Master of Business Administration degree and Certified Technical Trainer certification from Comptia.

DAVE HARRY, PMP® CSSBB, LBC CSM®

DAVE HARRY, PMP® CSSBB, LBC CSM®

Mr. Harry, a.k.a. “The Process Whisperer®”, has more than 30 years’ experience as a project manager, business process improvement instructor and expert problem solver.  He is an Associate Instructor for SSD Global Solutions teaching process improvement, project management, and team excellence courses.  Following his military career, Dave taught hundreds of Lean and Six Sigma “Belt” and project management classes for various companies including KPMG Consulting, Northrop Grumman, Rolls-Royce Energy, the University of Tennessee, Training Modernization Group (TMG), and SimpliLearn.  He was an Expert Trainer at Northrop Grumman and the Manager of Continuous Improvement at Rolls-Royce Energy.  Dave is a retired U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, International Agreements Negotiator, and a U.S. Defense Attaché.  He is also a Black Belt trainer and CEO of Process Whisperer® Consultants LLC in Greeneville, TN.

Dave has served on several leadership Boards of both the ASQ Lean Enterprise Division and the Institute of Industrial Systems (IISE) Operational Excellence (Lean) Division.  He is also the Secretary of the IISE Nashville Chapter and served several years on the Conference Committees for the IISE Engineering Lean Six Sigma (ELSS) Conference and the ASQ Lean & Six Sigma Conference in Phoenix (March 2021).  Dave has been awarded three Masters-level degrees in Management and in Systems Management.

Dave’s certifications and interests include:  PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP®), ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB), Lean Bronze Certification (LBC) from the SME/Shingo/AME Alliance, Agile Certified Scrum Master (CSM®), ASQ International Team Excellence Awards Final Round Judge.  Dave is also a Kata “Geek” and has attended seven Toyota Kata Conferences.

Jasbir Kumar CSSB, MBB

Jasbir Kumar CSSB, MBB

Jasbir Kumar has extensive general management and project management experience. He has managed large plants and complex industrial projects spanning more than 40 years while applying Lean Six Sigma practices for maximum productivity and efficiencies. Through his work, he was able to improve the operations at several organizations, including major Fortune 500 companies, and he has helped bring a variety of well-known consumer products to the marketplace. His work includes creating team-based, high-performance cultures in “Greenfield” plants, and managing kaizen offices. Jasbir has earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering and ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt Certification. Today he spends his time as a consultant and trainer in lean Six Sigma culture and practices.