Volunteering – Lean Six Sigma and the Environment

Hosted by Brion Hurley: Lean Six Sigma for Good

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Latest episode

Apr 2026

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About the show

Applying Lean Six Sigma to the Environment

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April 23, 20261 hr 0 min

E134: Quality Improvement for Society with Dr. Yvonne Howze

In this episode, I share an interview with Dr. Yvonne Howze from December 2025. She specializes in Personal Mastery Leadership along with Organizational and Operational Excellence. She shares her remarkable journey from kindergarten lessons to becoming a nationally recognized leader in education, quality, and nonprofit improvement. With professional experiences spanning education, healthcare, transportation, and major Continue Reading

February 1, 202659 min

E132: Lean Six Sigma for Corporate Giving with Anthea Rowe

In this episode, I share an interview with Anthea Rowe, corporate communications and PR expert. She discusses her career trajectory and the application of Lean Six Sigma principles to non-technical fields like communications and philanthropy. She details a major project she led at 3M, where she utilized the DMAIC process and a Pugh Matrix to Continue Reading

September 11, 202542 min

E128: Transforming Lives Using Lean with Patrick Adams

In this episode, I share an interview with Patrick Adams, founder of Lean Solutions based in Michigan. We met virtually during the pandemic in the Lean Communicators Network, and later in-person at the Lean Six Sigma World Conference. He hosts an annual conference called Lean Solutions Summit that will take place in a few weeks Continue Reading

August 27, 202544 min

E127: Applying Kaizen in Developing Countries with Sammy Obara

In this episode, I share an interview with Sammy Obara, Founder and Senior Partner at Honsha, a consulting firm made up of former Toyota employees. He recently presented a topic called “Kaizen without Borders” at the 2025 UCSD ProcessPalooza, and I invited him on the podcast. We discuss applying these powerful concepts to NGOs and Continue Reading

July 7, 202531 min

E126: Using Lean Six Sigma to Make Wishes Come True with Kristle Bulleman

In this episode, I share an uplifting interview with Kristle Bulleman, Process Manager at Make-A-Wish. She shares insights into her process improvement role at this well-respected nonprofit, outlining the impactful work done by Make-A-Wish to grant wishes for children with critical illnesses. We dive into her experiences in using Lean and Six Sigma tools to Continue Reading

May 18, 202545 min

E125: Using Lean Six Sigma to Change Lives with Luke Chesla

In this episode, I share an inspiring interview with Dr. Lucas Chesla, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with Value Added 616, and founder of the nonprofit, Full Armor Ranch. In a world where continuous improvement leads to transformative change, he stands out as a master in blending Lean Six Sigma methodologies with meaningful purpose. Continue Reading

February 19, 202544 min

E123: Driving Lean Leadership into Government with Andrew Rowe

In this episode, I share an interview I had with Andrew Rowe, former CEO and Executive Chairman of AllMed Healthcare Management in Portland, Oregon. After 20 years of leading AllMed through a Lean transformation, he is now focusing his time on bringing Lean and quality principes into the Portland metro area as a community service Continue Reading

December 23, 202423 min

E121: Using Lean Principles for Non-Profits and NGOs – ASQ Lean Division

In this episode, I share a webinar I gave to the ASQ Lean Enterprise Division I share examples of how Lean tools like process mapping, 5S, and Kanban boards helped improve efficiency and effectiveness for nonprofit organizations focused on societal or environmental challenges. I also share my favorite real-world examples from the City of Denver, Continue Reading

April 8, 202448 min

E111: Apply Lean to Nonprofit Boards with Sally Toister

Sally worked many years in the hospitality industry applying Lean Six Sigma, and she shares her experiences to improve the guest experience. She also shares an example of a project that determined the optimal reward points to get customers to agree to reduced or no housekeeping, which was good for the environment, resulting in less Continue Reading

February 20, 202427 min

E110: Lean for Community Projects with Lean Portland – Lean Global Connection 2023

In this podcast, I share the presentation given by my peers who helped us create the Lean Portland group back in 2015. They gave this presentation at the Lean Global Connection on November 30, 2023. It is a free annual online event put on by the Lean Global Network (LGN). The event took place over Continue Reading