Speakers

Frederick Benaben is Professor at the Industrial Engineering Center of IMT Mines Albi. Since 2019, he is the head of the Safety and Crisis Management research team (around 20 researchers including professors, assistant/associate-professors, engineers, PhD and Post-Doc students) of the Industrial Engineering Center of IMT Mines Albi. He is also since 2019 the co-director (with Prof. Benoit Montreuil) of the Associated International Lab SIReN (Sentient Immersive Response Networks Lab) between IMT Mines Albi and Georgia Tech ISyE. Prior to that, he has been, between 2012 and 2019, the head of the Interoperability of Organizations research team (15 researchers).

His research works focus on data management, through model-driven engineering for decision support. He basically defined an Artificial Intelligence Framework dedicated to combine Data Sciences and Industrial Engineering. The main application domains concerns information systems for complex situation management in crisis management and supply-chain contexts.

His main scientific abilities mainly relate to Information System design (service-oriented architecture, event-driven architecture), System Engineering (model-driven engineering), Enterprise Modeling (business process management, knowledge base management, decision support systems), Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis (machine learning, principal component analysis, rule based systems). He stands at the crossroads of industrial engineering, information systems, and artificial intelligence applied to crisis management, supply chain management, and risk management.

Dr. Russell Clark is a Senior Research Scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is based out of the GT Savannah campus where he leads the environmental monitoring activities of the Coastal Equity and Resilience (CEAR) Hub. He holds a joint appointment with Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology and the School of Computer Science.  He received a bachelors degree from Vanderbilt University and masters and doctorate degrees from Georgia Tech. As a long time coastal resident, he has a lifetime of experiencing with the realities of climate change for our communities.

Louis Faugère is a Senior Applied Scientist at Amazon. He received a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Engineering at the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also received a "Diplôme d'Ingénieur" in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from Arts et Métiers ParisTech (France) and a Master of Science in Supply Chain Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Louis' research interests are at the intersection of the Physical Internet, Supply Chain Engineering and Logistics. In particular, his research contributions focus on designing and managing complex systems with Industrial Engineering, Operations Research and Artificial Intelligence techniques. 

Prof. Rod Franklin, PhD is Full Professor of Logistics and Academic Director of Executive Education at Kühne Logistics University. Professor Franklin, an engineer and operations manager by training and experience, received his Doctorate in Management from the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Professor Franklin has held management positions at Kühne + Nagel, USCO Logistics, ENTEX Information Services, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Cameron Iron Works.  In addition, he has been a consultant for Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Theodore Barry & Associates and Arthur Young & Co. Professor Franklin was also a development engineer for the Saginaw Steering Gear Division of General Motors Corporation.

Franklin’s research focuses on the application of modern management techniques to the efficient and effective operation of supply chains, sustainable business models, green logistics, corporate social responsibility and cloud based supply chain management. 

In his role as Academic Director of Kühne Logistics University’s Executive Education program, Franklin’s focus is on ensuring that executives educated at the University receive both the rigor and relevance in their academic training that they expect from a world class research institute like Kühne Logistics University.

Brian Greene oversees supply chain planning and strategy as well as IT infrastructure and development across the HMTX family of companies.

Running an efficient worldwide supply chain operation demands coordination of vast information and business systems. Brian’s “sales first” leadership style ensures that the company’s robust and dynamic global supply chain enables each division’s business objectives.

Brian joined Halstead in May 2002 as Vice President of the Southern division. Once the lone Georgia associate, he helped create initiatives that would eventually lead to three major offices in Georgia and an expanded supply chain footprint around the world. During that time, Brian moved from a merchandising role to the supply chain and IT-centric role he has today.

Brian’s 25-year career in the industry includes prior experience with major retailers, including The Home Depot, where he served as Import Merchant for flooring.

Brian earned a B.B.A. in International Business and Economics from Georgia Southern University and an Executive Masters in International Logistics and Supply Chain Strategy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is an avid percussionist and can be seen sitting in with bands from time to time. He resides in Marietta, Georgia with is his wife and two children.

Allen is an Associate Professor in the School of History and Sociology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a quantitative scholar whose main research areas are stratification and inequality, urban sociology, work and occupations, climate and disaster resilience, and immigration. He is currently conducting research on the effects of race/ethnicity and immigration status on homeownership, social and demographic change in Clarkston, GA (known as the most diverse square mile in America), and Principal Investigator for the Youth Advocacy for Resilience to Disasters Program research project funded by the National Science Foundation's Civic Innovation Challenge. He has also been Principal Investigator for a National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) grant. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at the University of Connecticut and has published research articles in journals like Social Science Research, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Social Currents, Environmental Sociology, Social Indicators Research, City & Community, and Sociological Perspectives.

Matthieu LAURAS is Full-Professor and Deputy-Head of the Industrial Engineering Center at IMT Mines Albi (France). He is Adjunct Professor at the Physical Internet Center, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) and member of the International Associated Laboratory SIReN (Sentient Immersive Response Networks Lab) between Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) and Institut Mines Telecom (France). He is the Pierre Fabre “Agile Supply Chain” Chair and the Scientific Director of various public-private joint research labs and research projects. He is the Founder and Director of the international MSc SCALE (Supply Chain And LEan management). He is Affiliate Professor at the School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University (China) and Toulouse Business School (France). He is also the scientific director of the Supply Chain Management consulting and training company AGILEA (France) which he cofounded in 2009.

His research works develop contributions to support collaborative networks’ stakeholders to better make their decisions in uncertain and/or disruptive environment. His research activities concern both industrial management systems and crisis management systems such as humanitarian supply chains. His main scientific abilities mainly relate to Operations Research (linear optimization, heuristics and metaheuristics), Discrete Event Simulation, Enterprise Modelling (business process and ontology management, performance measurement systems) and Data Analysis. He stands at the crossroads of industrial engineering; operations research; computer sciences; supply chain management; artificial intelligence; and risk management. His research works are systematically field-oriented and currently focus on the application of Physical Internet and Demand-Driven Adaptive Enterprise paradigms. He also has strong entrepreneurial and collaborative research experience with industry. He worked with dozens of industrial partners in various sectors such as cosmetic, pharmacy, automotive, aeronautic, healthcare, humanitarian, transportation, consulting, etc.

Michelle Livingstone has been actively engaged in the supply chain for 30 years and her passion is the transportation industry. She gained experience and honed her leadership skills at Kraft Foods, J.C. Penney, and C & S Wholesale Grocers, before joining The Home Depot where she served as Vice President of Transportation and was an officer for over thirteen years. She led a fantastic team of associates to ensure all domestic and international shipments arrived on-time and within budget to distribution centers and stores. She also has experience in direct-to-consumer final mile deliveries.

While at Home Depot, Michelle served as the founder and champion for Women in Supply Chain and was the Vice President advisor for Women’s Link, an associate resource group open to all women at the Store Support Center (corporate headquarters), and the Velvet Hammers, supporting female directors and above.

She retired from The Home Depot in March 2021 to focus on public and non-profit board activity. Michelle serves on the board of directors for Werner Enterprises and Mastery Logistics Systems. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Transportation & Supply Chain Institute of the University of Denver, as well as the Chair of the Transportation Executive Board of Indiana University. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Rainbow Village board, a non-profit focused on ending homelessness and poverty, primarily for women with children.

In 2022, Michelle launched a consulting business, M. D. Livingstone Consulting, LLC, where she provides actionable solutions to supply chain challenges and leadership insights. In September 2023, Michelle became an adjunct professor at the University of Denver.

Michelle earned her M.B.A. from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management with high honors. She holds a B. S. degree in Business, with a concentration in Transportation, from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.

Ofun Maja Egunjobi is a native of Savannah, Georgia, where he was born and raised. He pursued his education at Savannah State University and Georgia State University before earning a degree in Music Management from the Atlanta Art Institute. Spending two decades in Atlanta, Ofun became engaged in sustainable urban gardening through the Habesha Works program.

Returning to Savannah in 2012, Ofun worked in both the hotel/service industry and with the United States Postal Service. In 2015, he completed the Harambee House workers education and job training program, seeking avenues to contribute to community and environmental justice causes. Joining the Harambee House staff in January 2023, he assumed the roles of C.E.A.R Hub community liaison and Community micro-farm director.

Leon McGinnis is a Professor Emeritus in the Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech. 

Dr. McGinnis's research focuses on fundamental representation issues in discrete event logistics systems, on performance assessment models, and on the development of integrated computational tools. He has been a leader in developing and administering industry-focused and interdisciplinary education and research programs at Georgia Tech. He helped establish the Material Handling Research Center in 1982 and managed one of five research programs over the next decade. He also helped establish the Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems Program in 1983, which received a LEAD Award from ASME for excellence in graduate-level interdisciplinary manufacturing education, and served as Director from 1988 to 1998. As CIMS Director, he lead a team that competed for and won a $1 million TRP grant, resulting in the establishment of the Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing Institute within the Manufacturing Research Center. In 1994, he led a team of Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering faculty to win over $2 million in grants from the W. M. Keck Foundation to create the Keck Virtual Factory Lab as a focal point for IE systems design and control research.

The Institute of Industrial Engineers has recognized Dr. McGinnis with the Outstanding Publication Award, the David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award, and the Fellow Award. He has given the Inyong Ham Lecture at Penn State, the Jones Lecture at Dartmouth, and the Schantz Lectures at Lehigh.

Dr. McGinnis enjoys teaching students how to think like industrial engineers, particularly in developing and using mathematical and computational models to support design of facilities and control systems. 

He received his BS in IE from Auburn University, and MS in IE and PhD from North Carolina State University.

Josh Raglin is Chief Sustainability Officer at Norfolk Southern Corporation, one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Norfolk Southern connects customers to markets and communities to economic opportunity, with safe, reliable, and sustainable shipping solutions. The company’s network spans 22 states, every major container port in the eastern United States, and a majority of the U.S. population and manufacturing base.

Appointed Chief Sustainability Officer in 2020, Raglin leads Norfolk Southern's sustainability strategy by championing sustainable practices in the company’s daily operations to achieve efficiencies, control costs, generate revenue, and reduce environmental impacts. These efforts include close collaboration with department leaders company-wide, along with external stakeholders such as customers, investors, suppliers, and communities.

Raglin, a wildlife biologist, joined Norfolk Southern in 1996 as a Forest Ranger at Brosnan Forest, the company’s 14,400-acre conference and research facility in South Carolina. He would continue rising through the ranks at Brosnan Forest before being named General Manager Facilities in 2006. 

For two decades, Josh led the railroad’s efforts to create a nature-based solutions platform. This innovative approach optimizes multiple ecological assets such as forest carbon sequestration, wetland and stream restoration, and land conservation while generating revenues from both forestry and traditional land-management practices.

He shares his experience with the next generation of environmentalists by serving on college advisory boards for Auburn University, Clemson University, and Georgia Tech. He also serves the greater community as an active board member for the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities and The Longleaf Alliance. He is also a founding member and active advisor to Drawdown Georgia and Sustain SC.

Raglin earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Ecology from Oklahoma State University.

Marty Schlenker joined Parallel Systems as Head of Strategy in September 2023 after serving as a consultant to the company since 2021. Marty’s responsibilities include guiding the company’s offerings to best serve the needs of the global rail industry and supply chain, market selection, and financial and operational modeling.

Prior to joining Parallel, Marty conducted an independent transportation consulting practice, Schlenker LLC, offering services to the supply chain technology industry and to railroads, rail shippers, rail equipment suppliers, and rail oversight and development bodies worldwide. His clients have included major bulk material shippers, several US west coast ports, analytics and software development companies, and startups on multiple continents developing autonomous transportation technologies.

Marty brought 25 years of Class I railroad experience to his recent roles, the majority with BNSF. Marty held AVP roles there from 2012 to 2021 in service planning and information technology.

Marty led BNSF Railway's Merchandise Service Design team from 2010 to 2019, during which BNSF pioneered optimization tools for service planning and rewrote its systems and metrics for pickup and delivery service to industries, driving significant performance improvement. During the fracking boom, the team facilitated $2+ Billion in revenue growth by adapting service plans to rapidly expanding volumes of crude oil, gas, frac sand, and other materials supporting domestic energy production, and overseeing the design and connection of dozens of new customer sites into BNSF's rail network. As this market matured, Marty led multiple service plan rationalizations that decreased BNSF's operational costs by more than $50 Million per year. Marty was also the principal service planning liaison to connecting railroads and spoke at numerous industry meetings.

As a technology leader, Marty led efforts to apply machine vision systems and other advanced defect detection technologies to railway track and rolling stock, contributing to all-time best derailment performance. Marty established the vision to overhaul BNSF's operational metrics; began the transition of BNSF's data warehouse and other critical applications to the cloud; and led optimization, AI, and BI development and custom software development.

Marty has also served as an operations supervisor and financial analyst, and has provided analytic support to collective bargaining.

Marty began his career with Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman) and consulted to railroads on three continents, international shipping companies, and large freight shippers.

Marty holds a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago and a MS in Transportation from MIT, where his graduate research in advanced railroad service planning techniques was funded by the Association of American Railroads.

Marty is a member of the American Railway Engineering & Maintenance Association (AREMA) and serves on three AREMA technical committees. He is a member of the Institute for Operations Research & Management Sciences (INFORMS) and the Transportation Club of DFW.

Marty is an amateur French hornist, and is a former marching member of the World Champion Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps of Rosemont, IL. He serves on the board of directors of their parent organization, The Cavaliers Arts, Performance & Education.

Richard Sharpe is CEO of Competitive Insights, LLC, a professional Software as a Service (SaaS) company focused on driving business value through the adoption of process and technology innovation. Mr. Sharpe has extensive experience helping organizations gain a sustainable competitive advantage through Integrated Business Planning (IBP) solutions that transform large volumes of disparate data into fact based operational insights.

Richard is a frequent speaker at national gatherings of The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and other industry related forums. He actively promotes awareness of supply chain management, challenging executives to consider its role in gaining competitive advantage.

Richard has also authored articles in national publications including co-authoring an article in DC Velocity on Supply Chain Risk Management. He has also been designated as a "Rainmaker" by the same publication.

Richard is a founding member of the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), a non-profit consortium of 15 supply chain professional organizations serving Disaster Relief Agencies in times of crisis. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Warehouse Research and Education Council (WERC) as well as on the Advisory Board for Georgia Tech's Executive Masters in International Logistics (EMIL) Program.

He received his MS in Industrial Engineering in 1980 from Georgia Institute of Technology while doing graduate work for the U.S. Navy - Atlantic Fleet. He earned his BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Florida in 1977.

Richard was inducted into the Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni as part of the Engineering Hall of Fame and The Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni of Georgia Institute of Technology.