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Distinguished Guest Speaker Series

The Saint Louis University Center for Supply Chain Excellence Distinguished Guest Speaker Series hosts experts in the field to discuss the various challenges and innovations in the supply chain industry. 

Current Events

Spring 2024

Friday, April 19Thomas Goldsby, Ph.D.

Join the SLU Center for Supply Chain Excellence as we welcome Prof. Tom Goldsby for a talk: Supply Chain Agility: Pivoting Away from Risks and Toward Opportunities. 

Breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m. with a presentation at 8:15 a.m.

Cook Hall Room L30

About the Talk

In this session, we will explore how companies are seizing the opportunities found in widespread disruption and building the supply chains of the future. The key to achieving these outcomes is designing supply chains that can readily pivot to the demand and supply circumstances they face. The session features research conducted at the University of Tennessee over the past four years that examines how companies leveraged different aspects of agility to not only navigate uncertainty but to seize unprecedented market advantages through enhanced supply chain processes that are both smart and nimble.

About the Speaker

Professor Thomas J. Goldsby is the Dee and Jimmy Haslam Chair in Logistics at the Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Evansville, an M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in marketing and logistics from Michigan State University. He is immediate past co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Business Logistics and former co-editor-in-chief of Transportation Journal.

He serves as faculty co-director for the Global Supply Chain Institute at Haslam College. His research interests include logistics strategy, supply chain integration, and the theory and practice of lean and agile supply chain strategies. He has published more than 90 articles in academic and professional journals and serves as a frequent speaker at academic conferences, executive education seminars, and professional meetings. Prof. Goldsby has authored and co-authored five books:

  • Logistics Management: Enhancing Competitiveness and Customer Value (MyEducator, 2015)
  • The Definitive Guide to Transportation (Financial Times, 2014)
  • Global Macrotrends and Their Impact on Supply Chain Management (Financial Times, 2013)
  • Lean Six Sigma Logistics: StrategicDevelopment to Operational Success (J. Ross Publishing, 2005)
  • The Design and Management of Sustainable Supply Chains (Cambridge University Press, under development)

Prof. Goldsby is a recipient of multiple best paper awards, and he has received recognition for excellence in teaching at the University of Tennessee, The Ohio State University, the University of Kentucky, and Iowa State University. In 2019, he was recognized as a “Rainmaker” by DCVelocity magazine and received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from Supply Chain Leaders in Action (SCLA). He delivered a course on business operations for The Great Courses’ Critical Business Skills series in 2015, which continues to rate as a bestselling nonfiction/business title at audible.com and was rated among the top 50 bestsellers (#27) among all audiobooks during summer 2020 by Newsweek.

During his career, Prof. Goldsby has supervised more than 100 Lean/Six Sigma supply chain projects with industry partners, chaired eight Ph.D. dissertations, and served as an investigator on multiple federally funded research projects, exceeding $3.5 million in grant proceeds. In his spare time, he competes as one the top masters (over-30) runners in America for distances between the mile and the marathon.

Register Here

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Past Events

Fall 2023

Friday, Dec. 15Mark Baxa

Featuring Mark Baxa, CEO and President of Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and Fernia Creek

Join SLU's Center for Supply Chain Excellence as we welcome prominent industry expert Mark Baxa. 

Mark’s vast experience, coupled with the global membership view of CSCMP, comes to light in a full-room discussion that takes on the question: What do the supply chain leaders of tomorrow look like, and what is the development path to get there? You won’t want to miss this rare opportunity to have an exclusive conversation that engages you in meaningful dialogue with Mark that sets a trajectory toward leadership success. We will get past the hype and move instead into real meaningful dialogue together. Since taking on the role as CSCMP's chief executive officer, Mark has instituted the Executive Supply Chain Leadership Academy and the Executive Inner Circle, better known as the EIC. He has also forged the way to industry vertical agreements where CSCMP has become the source of supply chain excellence.

More About Mark Baxa

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Spring 2023 Series

Headshot of Dmitry Zhdanov, Ph.D.
 

Friday, April 28

Featuring Dimitry Zhdanov, Ph.D.

Join SLU's Center for Supply Chain Excellence and the ASCM Midwest Gateway Chapter on Friday, April 28, as we welcome a renowned academic expert on cybersecurity, Dmitry Zhdanov, Ph.D.

Learn about implications for supply chains in the current cybersecurity landscape:

  • Latest threats and events (ransomware, cyber warfare)
  • Emerging solutions (zero-trust, blockchain)
  • Timeless security fundamentals (risk management, cyber hygiene)