Pillar Management Associates – Training Team
Vivian Harper
Vivian L. Harper has been a Technical Specialist for the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP), a not-for-profit organization serving small and medium-sized manufacturers for over twelve years. The SCMEP is supported by the National Institute for Standards and Technology as well as the State of South Carolina. She has extensive experience in developing energy, environmental, health, and safety programs that demonstrate a bottom line impact for companies wanting to achieve compliance while improving profitability.
Ms. Harper is an expert at training, implementation, and auditing of management systems: ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental), ISO 18001 (safety and health), and ISO 50001 (energy). She is the Director of South Carolina’s Industries of the Future program for energy users in the State, managing and implementing energy services through grants from the Department of Energy and the State Energy Office.
Ms. Harper is a professional trainer and an authorized OSHA instructor whose seminars include: ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 Lead Auditor Training, Team Building, 8-D Problem Solving, A3 Problem Solving, Lean and Green Value Stream Mapping, Environmental/Safety Laws & Regulations, Leadership Development, and the NIST Suite of Lean Manufacturing Tools.
Ms. Harper spent eight years on the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) as an Environmental, Safety, and Health Coordinator for the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. She played a vital role in the implementation of the SRS certification for ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems. Prior to that, she was a Research and Development Chemist/Hazardous Materials Manager for Amoco in Augusta, Georgia.
Ms. Harper graduated from Marshall University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. She has an Associate’s Diploma in Environmental, Health, and Safety Management and a Bronze Certificate in Lean Manufacturing from the Society for Manufacturing Engineers. She is a Certified Environmental Manager and a NIST Professional Business Advisor.
Stan Maughan
Audit experience since the early 1990’s has been nearly entirely ISO Standards’ Management Systems based. Qualified as an instructor of RABQSA-Certified courses since June of 1999. Instructor of QMS, EMS, OHSAS, AS, and TS16949 courses
February 1993-June 1999: Co-owner of an ANSI-RAB Accredited provider of QMS and EMS courses. Completed numerous ISO Standard’s courses: 9001 Certified Lead Auditor Course, 9001 Internal Auditing Course, 9001 Documentation Course, 9001 Implementation Course, 14001 Internal Auditor Course
During the 1993-2009 timeframe: completely involved in ISO 9001, TS16949, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, and courses’ development and/or revisions throughout all of the discussions, planning and feedback sessions; evaluator of all new and revised course materials. This, in combination with attendance at the courses and evaluating and instructing nationally- delivering ISO 9001, TS 16949, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and AS9100 courses, provides an excellent background and understanding of all of the courses and the large body of knowledge of International Management System Standards.
Consultant to small and medium-sized companies in a variety of Management Systems, Actively manage numerous consultants and trainers on ISO clients’ implementation projects, gap assessment audits, etc.
Continuing, steady Management System Gap, Registration/Certification and Surveillance audits since 2002
Markand Dave
Mr. Dave, currently the CEO of Visionfore Management Services, has over 40 years of extensive background in engineering and management consulting. With core expertise in Naval Architecture and Maritime Safety, he encompasses vast experience in several industry sectors including marine and offshore industry, boilers and pressure vessel manufacturers, plastics and metals manufacturers as well as fire suppression and life-saving equipment manufacturers.
Entrepreneurial by nature, he pioneered development and implementation of quality, environmental and health and safety management systems with leading Shipping and Fabrication companies in India. Prior to starting his own consulting company in 1997, he had been the Director and Head of the Indian operations for ABS Industrial Verification Pvt. Ltd. (Industrial Division of American Bureau of Shipping) where he had also been Authorized Inspector (AI) for Boiler & Pressure Vessel Inspection under ASME/ NBBI. In addition, deputed by ABS, he was the Manager of Quality Assurance for NKK’s Ethane Propane Recovery Project on the west coast of India.
Graduated as Naval Architect from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT, Kharagpur), he started his career in warship-building and heavy fabrication assignments. Highlights of his past achievements include leading projects in engineering designs of self-propelled ships as well as marine safety systems. By the virtue of his leadership and in-depth engineering background, he has successfully steered several technical and turn-key projects related to offshore structures that include execution of offshore pipelay barge for oil & gas industry.
Mr. Dave has extensive experience in the development and implementation of management systems (specific and integrated) based on international standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and ISM (Maritime) Code. He is qualified RABQSA instructor for conducting Lead Auditor courses in Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental Management Systems on behalf of Pillar Management Associates in the US.
Mr. Dave continues to be actively involved in Professional Institutions and has been a Guest Speaker at various occasions. He is a Fellow of Institution of Naval Architects and a Fellow of Institute of Marine Engineers.
Rand E. Winters, Jr.
Rand Winters offers technical and hands-on knowledge in metal processing, plastic injection molding, silicone rubber compounding and assembly processes. He is known for imparting knowledge in an interesting and understandable way.
Rand has worked with a wide range of industries, service-based firms, and government agencies to successfully develop and maintain business management systems based on ISO 9001, ISO/TS 16949, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, and ISO 17025. His work with quality systems extends to the heat treat industry and the automotive specific (CQI-9, CQI-11 and CQI-12) assessment criteria.
Rand is a senior instructor with the American Society for Quality and the Metal Treating Institute. He is a developer of web-based courses and has published several quality management system books. He is a RABQSA-accredited lead auditor and AS9100 auditor. Rand regularly conducts third-party manufacturing and service industry registration and surveillance audits. In addition, he conducts ISO/TS 16949 audits for automotive supplier clients. Rand holds ASQ certification as an HACCP auditor, quality auditor (CQA) and quality engineer (CQE).
Prior to forming his company in 1989, Rand worked “on the factory floor” as a quality control manager, production manager, and plant manager for several Michigan manufacturing firms. Rand holds a master’s degree in industrial technology from Western Michigan University.
- M.S. Industrial Technology, Western Michigan University
- RAB/QSA ISO 9001 Lead Auditor since 1993 (#Q03570)
- RAB/QSA AS9100 Auditor (#Q03570)
- ASQ-Certified Quality Auditor, Quality Engineer, HACCP Auditor
- Certified Lead Auditor Instructor: ISO 900, ISO/TS 16949, ISO 14001
Shayla Barrett
Shayla Barrett has been a Process Engineer at the Indiana Clean Manufacturing Technology and Safe Materials Institute since March 1995. He, along with other process engineers, is responsible for aiding Indiana manufacturers in achieving clean manufacturing through technical assistance. Mr. Barrett focuses primarily on the metal coating and electroplating sectors and has seventeen years of experience as an Environmental Engineer at several electroplating manufacturers.
Mr. Barrett is leading CMTI’s EMS initiative by coordinating all EMS activities. He is responsible for all EMS training, both external and internal, and maintenance of RABQSA Auditor Certification. Mr. Barrett has conducted twenty-five ISO 14001 EMS Lead Auditor classes, seventeen ISO 14001 EMS Internal Auditor classes, twenty-four EMS Awareness classes and five ISO 14001 EMS Implementation classes. He has participated in ninety-six ISO 14001 EMS audits.
In recognition of his commitment to assist in the reduction of industrial waste, Mr. Barrett received the prestigious John M. Craddock Award in 2003 from the Indiana Water Environmental Association.
Mr. Barrett majored in Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and holds an Indiana Waste Water Treatment Operator’s Class C License and is a RABQSA Certified Environmental Management System Lead Auditor (Certification: E052396).
Phillip E. Barnes, Ph.D.
Pillip E. Barnes, Ph.D. is a Research Professor in the School of the Environment at the University of South Carolina (USC).Barnes has held the positions of Director of the Center for Manufacturing and Technology and the Director of the Industrial Ecology Program with USC. Barnes has over 20 years experience in working with organizations in business plan development and quality and environmental management. In 1994, Barnes received the South Carolina Governor’s Pollution Prevention Award for his work with a commercial printer on the reduction of hazardous waste.
Barnes has worked in the field of environmental management systems with the chemical, steel, automotive and electronics industries, as well as with federal and state agencies. He has been an EMS and QMS auditor for the past seven years. Barnes holds an International Ph.D. in Cleaner Production and Industrial Ecology from Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and a Master of Earth and Environmental Resources Management from USC. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of West Florida (UWF) where he received a fellowship to attend Westinghouse Productivity and Quality College in Pittsburgh, PA, to work with industrial engineers on the cost/benefit of quality teams. Barnes was trained in the United Kingdom through BS 7750 (British EMS standard) in January 1996 and the ISO 14001 EMS standard in May 1997. In addition to EMS assessment and implementation in various types of organizations.
Barnes has been a lead auditor and audit team member in the U.S., Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Barnes’ research focuses on international quality and environmental management system standards, and eco-industrial development. He is a certified ISO 14001 EMS Lead Auditor through the U.S. Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB) and instructor of an RABQSA certified EMS Lead Auditor Course.
Leigh Brand
Leigh Brand is an IRCA certified Quality Management System Lead Auditor (#A008984) and a Senior Member of the American Society of Quality (ASQ). He is a graduate of Boston University (BA) and New York University (MA) and is the founder and Chairman of Brand Consulting Group, Inc.
Since the company’s inception, Leigh has developed quality assurance training, auditing, and consulting services for many of the world’s most popular quality assurance and environmental management system standards. These standards include: ISO 9001, TS 16949, ISO 14001, AS 9100, CE Marking and the EU Directives, US FDA cGMP’s, Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), SA 8000, Six Sigma, LEAN, American Institute of Baking, and Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
Leigh began his quality assurance career as the ISO 9001 Coordinator for a steel and aluminum processing company in Pittsburgh, PA. Since then, he has provided training for ISO 9001 to more than 5,000 people, including executives, managers, and union employees. He has consulted, trained, and audited organizations in a diverse group of industries including basic steel making, plastics, data measurement, respirator manufacturing, hardware products, chemical processing, healthcare compliance and healthcare providers, food and drug manufacturing, food safety and grading, information technology, medical devices, software developers, automotive, service providers which include banking, cashiering, disbursements, payroll, and payment processing, shipping and customs, logistics management, IT customer service and help desk support, telephone operations, facility maintenance, human resources, architecture and design, and environmental management, to name a few.
Through Leigh’s efforts, Brand Consulting Group, Inc. has obtained clients such as: General Motors-Delphi Thermal Systems, IBM de MEXICO, IPRO, Tissue International, Allegheny Performance Plastics, Con Edison, Simplot, US Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control, US Department of State, Federal Reserve Bank of New York and San Francisco, US Air Force, and the New York City Transit Authority (MTA).
Leigh has co-authored two articles published in the Journal of cGMP Compliance entitled Harmonizing the Medical Device Directive, Current Good Manufacturing Practices, and ISO 9001 and Mutual Recognition Agreements. Over the past two years, Leigh has conducted more than twenty-five (250) quality management system audits on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Department of State in ten countries and six continents. Leigh is a private pilot and PADI certified Advanced SCUBA diver. He is married with four children who manage to see him once in a while when he is not traveling to exotic destinations teaching the principles of quality assurance. Although he spends much of his time in sales, marketing, and service development, Leigh maintains direct contact with clients in the field as a senior trainer, auditor, and consultant for ISO 9001 quality assurance systems. During the past 36 months, Leigh has conducted more than forty (45) RAB accredited ISO 9001:2000 Lead Auditor Courses on four continents.
Gerardo Barboza
Gerardo has 20+ years of experience contributing to operation and integrity of quality management system within oil industry through outstanding management, engineering, Fabrication and external auditing expertise. Accomplished and versatile manager, auditor, and consultant with ability to guide QA/QC departments and projects internationally, with specialization in oil industry assignments. Talent for defining project goals and objectives, solving problems and situations from diverse prospectives, and creating and executing targeted strategies. Articulate and collaborative communicator, negotiator, and leader with a talent for establishing productive and trustful relationships with clients, colleagues, and subcontractors and building strong, motivated teams. Fluent in English and Spanish.
He has conducted third part registrations and surveillance audits of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. Served companies that specialized in upstream, midstream, and downstream operations, as well as metal fabrication process. Demonstrated expertise and strong work ethic by leading 500+ ISO 9001 third parts audits days and at least 200+ ISO 14001 third part audits days. Also managed 30+ ISO 9001 and 8+ ISO 14000 system implementations in 8+ countries.
Jose Lugan
Jose R. Luján has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Syracuse University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. He is a registered (IRCA & RABQSA) Lead Auditor and ISO/TS 16949:2009 Certified (IATF).
At present, he is an approved Lead Auditor for several internationally Accredited Registrars. During his 15 years of experience, e has held administrative positions in Shop Operations, Materials, Quality, Accounting and Finance in various industries and countries. He has taught facilitated ISO / TS 16949 courses in the United States and Latin America. Jose is a senior member of the American Society for Quality and the American Institute of Industrial Engineers.
Nancy Lopez
Ms. Nancy Lopez, CEO of QMS International in a joint venture with Pillar Management Associates offers RABQSA / IRCA certified courses for: ISO 9001:2008 Lead Auditor, ISO 14001 EMS Lead Auditor, OHSAS 18001 Lead Auditor and ISO 9001 Internal Quality Auditing. Ms. Lopez offers on-site QMS Internal Auditor training for companies that would like to train their employees to be Internal Auditors to ensure conformance to the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 EMS and OHSAS 18001 as well as to the organization’s policies and procedures.
As an experienced and recognized 3rd party RABQSA Lead Auditor, she also offers an internal audit service to companies that have a need to outsource their internal audit process. Ms. Nancy Lopez, CEO of Quality Management Systems since 2002, is a RABQSA Lead Auditor (#Q09017), trainer and consultant and is currently working for several international Registrars as a contract RABQSA Lead Auditor/Assessor. She also is a consultant advising companies on procedures, policies, documents and operational management with the final goal of ISO 9001:2008 certification.
Ms. Lopez continues to work with her clients on continual improvement projects and realization of quality objectives and other goals that management has established for the company. Ms. Lopez speaks fluent Spanish and has experience in many fields including the semi-conductor industry, plastics industry, printing industry, metals industry, wholesaling industry and transportation industry. As President of Quality Management Systems since 2002, Ms. Lopez continues to seek clients that are interested in achieving ISO 9001:2008 Certification as well as achieving Lead Auditor or Internal Auditor status.
Ms. Lopez has conducted over 500 audits totaling over 1500 days of on-site audits for several national registrars since 2000. As past-President of an import/export corporation, Ms. Lopez represented Mexican corporations in the import of food and sundry products. She provided technical assistance for product labeling requirements, FDA regulations advertising and retailing of various products. She successfully placed products in 600 grocery stores in 5 states as well as major wholesalers. She managed operational and marketing budgets, coordinated logistics for promotions and trade shows. She coordinated freight movement with freight forwarders ensuring regulatory import licenses, bonding and insurance. As a partner of PIB Network, Ms Lopez developed and marketed an Executive Suite management Company that offered turnkey services for secretarial, courier, fax, desktop publishing and accounting. Ms. Lopez gained experience in the wholesale/retail industry while working for a fortune 500 Corporation as an account executive in the sale of giftware and plush to retailers. She successfully maintained sales and new account quotas consistently increasing sales from 250K to 400K annually.
Carl Peterson
Carl Peterson has 37 years experience in Quality Management in a manufacturing environment. He has worked for major Fortune 500 companies such as: Nabisco, Frito-Lay, Merck, Monsanto, and Berry Plastics. He also has experience with small businesses with less than 5 employees.
Carl has been involved in ISO 9000 based Quality Management Systems for the past 22 years functioning as a Management Representative, Auditor, Trainer, and Consultant. He is an RAB/QSA certified Principal Auditor and has performed numerous 2nd party audits. His experience has been in the food industry, plastics, machine shops, and educational systems.
He is a certified AIB Food Defense Coordinator and has completed Lean Manufacturing and HACCP training. He has experience on both sides of an ISO based QMS functioning as a Management Representative for several companies, but then performed numerous 2nd party audits gaining experience from a widespread base of clients ranging from food and plastics manufacturing to machine shops to educational institutions.
Carl has a BS degree in Biochemistry from Purdue University. He has also completed numerous US Army Leadership courses, including Advance courses in 3 branches (Field Artillery, Chemical, and Adjacent General) and the Command and General Staff College. He is a retired LT. Colonel from the US Army Reserve with over 29 years service.
Gil Lugo
Gil has over thirty five years of extensive and diversified experience helping companies reach exponential profitable growth. Known for “Fixing Broken Companies and Making Good Ones Better”. As an English-Spanish Bi-Lingual who is an accomplished Leader, Mentor and Trainer, Mr. Lugo has set up, owned and operated facilities around the world and was awarded “The Above and Beyond Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Vitality and Prosperity of American Manufacturing” by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) program Florida MEP. Mr. Lugo has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering is an Expert Trainer and Implementer of LEAN Enterprise, Theory of Constraints, Six Sigma and ISO based Management Systems.
Ed Hornback
Quality and Environmental Management System Training, Consulting and Auditing [consulted to complete more than one hundred twenty (120) ISO9000, AS9100, API and VCAP quality management system certifications]; Team Development; Chemical Laboratory Process Auditing; Technical Agriculture Training; Quality Testing Laboratory Management; Small Business Management; Material Handling Systems Design and Installation; Production Agriculture; Metal Fabrication and Manufacturing of Dedicated Equipment; Educational Teaching and Administration; and Industrial Contracting [automotive and aviation manufacturing].
Experiences include senior operations management; general management; program administration; contract management; project management; quality and environmental management systems trainer, consultant and auditor (IRCA Certified Lead Auditor 1184183). Trained more than four thousand (4,000) quality and environmental auditors.
Industry experience includes: manufacturing, industrial contracting, education, aviation, automotive, chemical testing, governmental, military, and agricultural. Experienced with large and small projects for all types of organizations including: Eglin AFB, U.S. Navy Top Gun Fallon, U.S. Navy Jacksonville, Crane Naval Warfare Center, U.S. Army Corps. Of Engineers, Sierra Army Depot, U.S. Army Recruiting Ft. Knox, U.S. Coast Guard, Chrysler Corp., Guide Division G.M., Delphi Corporation, Fisher Body, G.M. Truck, Exide Corporation, Rockwell Collins, Motorola, Toyota Industrial Equipment, Subaru-Isuzu, Bethlehem Steel, Praxair, CBS/Sony, Dupont, Allied Motion, Boeing, ICx Technologies, FW Murphy and more than three hundred (300) additional organizations.
Aviation/Aerospace experience includes serving as the Director for Indiana’s Center for Aviation Technology. This Center included the Airframe and Powerplant Program along with an aviation incubator. Also, served as the Project Manager to install a new assembly line for Allison Gas Turbine and Detroit Diesel Allison. ISO 9000 Management Representative for OSU-Boeing Quality Verification Center.
Education and training program management experience with projects exceeding $50M involving more than 4,000 trainees, e.g. Subaru-Isuzu and G.M. Truck. Leadership skills for creation and expansion of college business and industry program to an $8M enterprise enrolling more than 35,000 students annually.