Nightingale, Deborah

LAI Co-DirectorProf. Deborah Nightingale

Director, Sociotechnical Systems Research Center (SSRC)

Professor of the Practice of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems

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Professor Deborah Nightingale has broad-based experience with academia, the private sector and the government.  Professor Nightingale joined the MIT faculty in 1997 and holds a dual appointment in the Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Engineering Systems Division.  At MIT she serves as the Director of the Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development as well as the Co-Director of the Lean Advancement Initiative, a joint industry, government, and MIT consortium.  Her research interests are focused on lean enterprise integration, enterprise architecting, and organizational transformation. She has led several executive lean transformation engagements in both industry and government.

Prior to joining MIT, Professor Nightingale headed up Strategic Planning and Global Business Development for AlliedSignal Engines.  While at AlliedSignal she also held a number of executive leadership positions in operations, engineering, and program management, participating in enterprise-wide operations from concept development to customer support.  Prior to joining AlliedSignal, she worked at Wright-Patterson AFB where she served as program manager for computer simulation modeling research, design, and development in support of advanced man-machine design concepts.

Professor Nightingale has a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in Industrial and Systems Engineering.  In addition, she holds MS and BS degrees in Computer and Information Science from The Ohio State University and University of Dayton, respectively.  She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Past-President and Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, and co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Enterprise Transformation.  She is a co-author of the books Lean Enterprise Value: Insights from MIT’s Lean Aerospace Initiative and Beyond the Lean Revolution: Achieving Successful and Sustainable Enterprise Transformation.  Prof. Nightingale serves on a number of boards and national committees, where she interacts extensively with industry, government and academic leaders.

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