Penn State Supply Chain Podcast

Celebrating Neurodiversity Acceptance Month

In honor of Neurodiversity Acceptance Month, we are pleased to welcome Natalia Lyckowski back to the podcast! Nat is the Global Neurodiversity Advancement Leader, and Supply Chain Inventory Transformation Lead at IBM and she joined us previously on season two of the podcast. We are happy to have her back to share more about neurodiversity and answer a few questions that came in from supply chain students at the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
About
Proudly neurodivergent (ND) and parent of an autistic IT Professional, Nat enables businesses to see the value in embracing ND talent to attain highly skilled and dedicated professionals that may otherwise be overlooked. 1:20 individuals are ND and 1:50 are autistic. This talent pool brings 32% new skills, 66% higher job loyalty, and more, improving corporate citizenship and revenue.
Nat has driven culture change, improving trust and allyship through:
Global Acceptance Training across >30 Countries
Speaking Engagements >10,000 Audience
Youth Self-Advocacy Initiatives > 2,500 Audience
Safe-spaceThink Tanks to ensure representation >300 Members
Nat is also experienced with intersectionality across PWD/PWDA, LGBT+, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and other identity groups. Nat is also a Business Transformation Leader with IBM for over 25 years.

Agile Supply Chain and the Marine Corps Fellows

In the ever-evolving landscape of higher education and military training, partnerships between academic institutions and the armed forces have become increasingly crucial. Penn State has one such partnership with the Marine Corps in the form of a fellowship program. Today we are joined by Lieutenant Colonel Michael ‘Adam’ Taylor and Major Sean O’Rourke to discuss Penn State’s Marines Corps Logistics Fellowship Program and how it has honed their professional skillsets and helps support their military strategies for agile supply chains.
 
About Guest(s)
Lieutenant Colonel Michael “Adam” Taylor
Lieutenant Colonel Taylor attended the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After graduation, he attended Officer’s Candidate Course in Quantico, VA and was commissioned to Second Lieutenant in March 2005.
Lieutenant Colonel Taylor’s education includes: Officer Candidate School, The Basic School, Ground Supply Officer’s Course, Combined Logistics Captains Career Course, Air Force Command and Staff College, Logistics Support to Sensitive Activities, U.S. Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape School, Finnish Defence Forces Civil Military Cooperation Course, Theater Special Operations Command Course, Recruiter Management Course, and the UNC LogTech Advanced course. 
Most recently, from June 2021 to June 2023, LtCol Taylor served as the Commanding Officer of Combat Logistics Battalion 2 in Camp Lejeune, NC. During his tenure, his command participated in cold-weather exercises in Norway, Sweden, Bridgeport Ca, and deployed to Quantico, VA to set up a sustainment camp and provide all logistical support for 5,000 Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban rule in 2021.
After relinquishing command in June 2023, LtCol Taylor reported to Pennsylvania State University as a Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow to pursue a Master in Science in Supply Chain Management.
Major Sean O’Rourke
Major Sean O’Rourke is a Logistics Officer from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a graduate of the University of Minnesota.  Over his 15 years of active service, he has served in command and staff positions in all elements of the MAGTF, including two combat deployments to Helmand Province Afghanistan and a sea tour in the Pacific. 
His previous Fleet Marine Force units include 1st Battalion, 8th Marines; the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit; 3d Maintenance Battalion; and Marine Aircraft Group 26; serving as a Company Commander and Group Executive Officer. His logistics billets include Maintenance Management Officer, Motor Transport Officer, S-4A, S-4, and Intermediate Maintenance Company Commander.  In the Supporting Establishment, he served as a Faculty Advisor, Academics Officer, and Company Commander at Logistics Operations School and Officer Candidates School. He is currently attending Penn State as a Marine Corps Logistics Fellow.

IBM’s Approach to Leveraging CSCR’s Sponsorship Portfolio

Get a first hand look at how corporate sponsors of the Center for Supply Chain Research use their partnership with Penn State and the center to gain a competitive advantage. Brenda Berg, Supply Chain Project Leader for IBM Systems, and Lianne McPherson, Global Operations Organizational Integration and Enablement Leader for IBM, join the podcast to discuss ways they have used their member benefits in terms of IBM's business strategy, employee advancement, and more.
About
Brenda BergBrenda leads the development of supply chain management systems, consults on supply chain disruption strategies and resiliency planning, while driving employee up-skilling initiatives.​
She has broad and deep supply chain knowledge with over 30 years of operations and transformation experience. Brenda has delivered supply chain solutions in areas of product announce planning to product end of life, inventory management, supplier relationships, Business Partner relationships, contract management, business controls, cost management and financial impacts.  Her strong project management and Agile skills along with IT Application knowledge makes her a valuable resource to the Supply Chain industry.  As an Adjunct Faculty member, she enjoyed sharing her experience and knowledge with college students.​
Brenda has an MBA degree from Winona State University.  She has also earned a plethora of certifications, including First Plateau Inventor/IBM, Project Management Profession (PMP)/Project Management Institute, and various Agile certifications.
At home in Minnesota, Brenda enjoys spending her weekends with family and friends at their lake home.
Lianne McPhersonOver 20 years Supply Chain and Leadership experience, Lianne has held and managed roles in various business areas across the supply chain including: 
Distribution Operations, Global Logistics, Finance, Inventory Management, Business Controls, Sourcing and Supplier Relationship. 
Through-out her tenure, Lianne’s passion continues to be leadership and the development of others through collaboration and mentorship.
She is the Co-Chair of WING Canada (Women in IBM Networking Group) connecting women to the resources and employee groups that broaden their network and align to their values. Leading 9 chapters and 24 women across the country in creating spaces and moments of impact championing for the women’s community, allies and other business resource groups. 
From a Supply Chain perspective Lianne is currently responsible for amplifying our IBM Supply Chain  Communications, Skills and Eminence.  She is the Program Manager for the Supply Chain Engagement Squads initiatives and actions.  Beyond her professional achievements, Lianne has an active family life of sports and enjoys taking some time for herself exploring nearby hiking trials.

ESG Compliance in the Supply Chain

Today our host dive deep into a topic that's at the intersection of business ethics, the environment, and social responsibility – Environmental, Social, and Governance, or ESG, standards in supply chain management. In today's globalized world, supply chains are the lifeblood of business operations, connecting products and services to consumers worldwide. But the question we're asking today is this: How can businesses ensure that their supply chains not only deliver profits but also uphold their ethical and environmental responsibilities? We are joined by Sophia Schuster, a recent MBA and Master’s in Supply Chain Management graduate of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
About
Sophia Schuster, who holds an MBA and a Master’s in Supply Chain Management from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, has a diverse background in the retail and education sector. Propelled by a desire to understand the impact of the way we communicate, combined with her personal interest in sustainability topics, Sophia sought to look more closely at firm ESG behavior and how that behavior is conveyed to the public. In her Master’s paper, Sophia explored the importance of procurement in setting and upholding firm ESG standards and the saturated market of ESG ratings indices that firms use to gauge their progress, between which is a misalignment that calls into question the value of the ESG ratings industry to firms’ internal and external stakeholders. 

The Role of Rail in the Supply Chain

Learn more about the role of rail in the supply chain with our latest episode featuring a true industry expert, Jim Pang, Vice President of New Services Development and Innovations at Trinity Rail. In this episode, we explore the pivotal role of rail transportation in the modern supply chain landscape. From cost-effective solutions to sustainability benefits, Jim offers insights into how rail networks drive efficiency and strategic advantages of integrating rail into your supply chain. 
About
Jim has worked in both rail operations and rail car manufacturing. He has led strategic transformations from ideation and innovation road mapping to scaling proven disruptive solutions resulting in enhanced profitability and increased customer stickiness. Transformation initiatives have ranged from Trinsight, a next-gen Shipment Visibility, Exception, and Assist platform; Last Mile industry initiative (AIM); Mobile RailPASS app; Machine Vision Inventory Management; to Touchless Automated Gate system. Jim has a passion for creating extraordinary customer experiences.

Innovations in Supply Chain Technology

Advances in supply chain technology continue to transform businesses worldwide. Paula Natoli, Director, Supply Chain & Logistics Industry Solutions for Google Cloud, joins the Penn State Supply Chain Podcast to discuss the latest tech advancements and trends shaping the supply chain industry – specifically innovations at Google Cloud.
About
Paula Natoli leads Google Cloud’s Supply Chain & Logistics Industry Solutions for the North America and Latin America regions, partnering with customers to deliver exceptional customer satisfaction through supply chain excellence. Prior to joining Google Cloud in 2020, Natoli spent the last 23 years in enterprise supply chain software with Blue Yonder (formerly known as JDA Software) where she most recently served in leadership roles within the product management organization. Natoli is a Penn State graduate and a former CSCR Advisory Board member.

Meet the CSCR Co-Research Directors

Research is vital to identifying organizational challenges and discovering long-term innovation in supply chain models. The Center for Supply Chain Research is committed to advancing the field of supply chain through relevant research and ever-evolving expertise. Brent Moritz and Hui Zhao, Co-Research Directors for CSCR, join us to share more about how the center accomplished that goal. Moritz and Zhao are professors at the Penn State Smeal College of Business in the Supply Chain and Information Systems Department.
About
Hui Zhao is a professor of supply chain management and a Charles and Lilian Binder Faculty Fellow. Zhao’s research applies analytics to the healthcare systems with interests in pharmaceutical supply chains, public policy, and innovative design of healthcare systems. Most of her work looks at the incentive misalignment in the healthcare value chain, seeking solutions to resolve such problems. Her work has been published in the top journals in her field and has received multiple awards including a finalist for the prestigious Pierskalla award by INFORMS in 2015, the runner-up for the Ralph Gomory Best Industry Studies Paper Award by the Industry Studies Association (ISA) in 2018, winner of the SCOR innovation award from Smeal/Penn State in 2018, and finalist for the Industry Studies Dissertation award for her PhD student in 2020. In addition to academic contributions, her work also seeks to help government agencies and industry to make informed decisions. Zhao is also actively involved with industry consortiums such as Xavier Health’s Artificial Intelligence Applications in Healthcare Initiative.
Brent B. Moritz is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management. Brent earned his PhD from the Operations and Management Science Department of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He also holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University and an MBA (concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship) from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Prior to obtaining his PhD, Brent held positions in operations and supply chain management at BorgWarner, Eaton and Parker Hannifin. This also included international experience working in Mexico, England and Germany.
 

Emerging Technologies: Revolutionizing your Supply Chain

Organizations are always looking to improve their supply chains, whether it’s to prepare for future disruptions, improve the bottom line, or outpace competitors. Anthony Roath, assistant professor of supply chain management in the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University, joins us to discuss how emerging technologies will affect future supply chains.
About
Anthony Roath focuses on understanding how supply chain networks respond to global environments. This study approach explores the interaction of companies as they react to and work with each other to compete and develop sustainable mechanisms, such as technology and innovation. The foundation to this research is grounded in logistics and international business research and practice; the findings and insight from these research studies have been published in outlets including: The Journal of Business Logistics (earning two paper of the year awards) and the Journal of International Business Studies. Subsequent research in these areas have expanded into interest in supply chain sustainability, which was enabled with a Fulbright Scholarship in the United Kingdom and a subsequent grant to help establish a study of supply chain efficiency with a large UK retailer.
Prior to academia, Roath served in the Air Force and in the private sector in management consulting. These experiences are applied to the classroom to help impress upon the students the need to develop a broad understanding of global supply chain challenges to companies and communities and the important role of critical decision-making to help navigate challenges and explore opportunities.