Supply Chain Game Changers, The

Michael H. Burnette is the Associate Director of the Global Supply Chain Institute (GSCI) at the University of Tennessee. Burnette comes to the University of Tennessee after a 33-year career as a Supply Chain executive at Procter & Gamble. Most recently, he was the P&G Global Supply Chain leader for Skin Care (owning 21 billion dollar Olay brand) and P&G Global Supply Chain Leader for Hair Care (owning 4 billion dollar Pantene and Herbal Essence brands). His supply chain leadership and expertise include supply strategy/design, manufacturing, logistics, innovation, acquisitions, and human resources.



Currently, Burnette teaches supply chain courses at the University of Tennessee, manages multiple GSCI projects (including the GSCI white papers), is a supply chain consultant, and is an event speaker.



J. Paul Dittmann is Executive Director of the Global Supply Chain Institute at the University of Tennessee. In addition, he teaches supply chain courses in the business school, and lectures in the executive education programs.

Dr. Dittmann comes to the University of Tennessee after a 32- year career in industry. He has held positions such as Vice President, Logistics for North America, and Vice President Global Logistics Systems, and most recently served as Vice President, Supply Chain Strategy, Projects, and Systems for the Whirlpool Corporation.



Dr. Dittmann also manages many of the special projects done for companies, including the supply chain audits. In managing these audits and projects, he has consulted or done executive education for numerous firms and organizations, such as Walgreens, Pfizer, Walmart, UPS, Boise, Tyco, Inmar, Honeywell, Genuine Parts, Cintas, Cummins, Cooper Tire, United Smokeless Tobacco, Rhodia, Radio Systems Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Estee Lauder, the United States Army, the Marine Corps, Michelin, Brunswick, Nissan, Lockheed Martin, RaceTrac Petroleum, GAF Corporation, Edison Schools, OfficeMax, Sony, Keller Group, GlaxoSmithKline, Cooper Tire, Lowes, Navistar, GAF Corporation, Fiskars, Edison Schools, and the United States Air Force.



He has also taught numerous public seminars in the areas of lean manufacturing, global business, and supply chain excellence, and has spoken at many conferences on these and other topics. He has been a certified instructor for the Project Management Institute.



Dr. Dittmann co-authored a recent Harvard Business Review article, Are You the Weakest Link in Your Supply Chain, and also co-authored the book, The New Supply Chain Agenda, published by Harvard Business Publishing. Another book, Supply Chain Transformation: Building and Implementing an Integrated Supply Chain Strategy, was published by McGraw Hill in August 2012.



He is on the Board of Directors of Kenco Group, a member of the University of Missouri Industrial Engineering Hall of Fame, was selected as a Rainmaker by DC Velocity Magazine, and was designated one of the Top Ten Supply Chain Thought Leaders in 2013.



Dr. Stank is the Harry and Vivienne Bruce Chair of Excellence in Business in the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee. He assumed the Bruce Chair following nearly 6 years in administration as Department Head for Marketing and Logistics, Associate Dean for Academic Programs, and Associate Dean of the Center for Executive Education. Prior to arriving at University of Tennessee, he served at Michigan State University (1997-2003), Iowa State University (1995-1997), and the University of Texas at El Paso (1994-1995). He holds a Ph.D. in Marketing and Distribution from the University of Georgia, an M.A. in Business Administration from Webster University, and a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy.



Dr. Stank's business background includes sales and marketing experience as an employee of Abbott Laboratories Diagnostic Division. He also served as an officer in the United States Navy prior to his industry and academic experience. He has performed consulting and executive education services for over 50 organizations, including: Dell, EDS, Kellogg's, IBM, Lowe's, Norfolk Southern, OfficeMax, Pepsi, Siemens, Sony, Textron, Walgreens, Walmart, Whirlpool, and the US Marine Corps. He is the current Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). He also serves as Educational Advisor for the Journal of Business Logistics and serves on the editorial review board of Journal of Operations Management and International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management.



Dr. Stank's research focuses on the strategic implications and performance benefits associated with logistics and supply chain management best practices. He is author of more than 90 articles in academic and professional journals, including Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of Operations Management, Management Science, Journal of Retailing, Supply Chain Management Review, and Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. He is also co-author of the books Global Supply Chains: Evaluating Regions on an EPIC Framework (Economy, Politics, Infrastructure, and Competence) and 21st Century Logistics: Making Supply Chain Integration a Reality, and co-editor of Handbook of Global Supply Chain Management. He has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, and was named a Logistics Rainmaker by DC Velocity magazine.