The Shingo Institute Announces 2026 Shingo Academy Inductees and Shingo Rising Star Award Recipients
January 26, 2026 – the Shingo Institute
Logan, Utah—January 26, 2026— The Shingo Institute, a program in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, is proud to announce the 2026 inductees into the Shingo Academy and recipients of the Shingo Rising Star Award.
The Shingo Academy is a distinguished community of professionals who have dedicated their careers to advancing organizational excellence. Honored for their leadership and contributions to industry best practices, Academy members serve as ambassadors of the Shingo Institute, promoting the Shingo Model and championing cultures of continuous improvement. Through speaking, research, mentorship, and resource development, these individuals actively help organizations progress on their journey toward excellence.
Alongside welcoming new Academy members, the Shingo Institute is also honored to recognize emerging leaders with the Shingo Rising Star Award, which is given to individuals who, though early in their careers, have already made meaningful contributions to the Lean community. These recipients have demonstrated a deep commitment to Lean principles and have significantly influenced their organizations using the Shingo Model and the mission of the Shingo Institute.
“Together, the Shingo Academy and the Rising Star Award represent the full spectrum of excellence within the Shingo community,” said Ken Snyder, Executive Director of the Shingo Institute. “The Academy honors those who have made lasting, influential contributions to organizational excellence, while the Rising Star Award celebrates emerging professionals who demonstrate remarkable commitment to the Shingo Principles early in their careers. We are thrilled to recognize both our newest Academy inductees and our Rising Star recipients at this year’s Shingo Connect.”
These distinguished individuals will be recognized at the Shingo Connect Awards Gala in San Diego, CA, on March 19, 2026. To learn more about the event, please visit https://shingo.org/events.
Shingo Academy Inductees
Stephen Dargan is an enterprise excellence leader with over 30 years of experience in financial services and mining. Stephen is known for driving large‑scale process and cultural transformations grounded in Lean Six Sigma, governance, and the Shingo Model. His Shingo journey, which began in 2013, has shaped his systems‑focused leadership approach, including driving major productivity and cultural improvements at Bankwest and pioneering virtual Shingo assessment work within the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Now a Senior Leader Coach at BHP’s Centre of Excellence, Stephen supports more than 50 senior leaders and has led the deployment of the BHP Operating System, a Shingo-inspired, purpose-driven cultural framework that has contributed to record production years and sustained leadership mindset shifts.
Brad Jeavons is a globally recognized advocate for enterprise excellence and has senior leadership experience across technology, supply chain, and manufacturing. In addition to working with companies and government agencies worldwide to apply the Shingo Model and strengthen organizational systems, including BHP, Santos, and PepsiCo, Brad founded the Enterprise Excellence Podcast and leads a global learning community. An author and speaker, Brad continues to advance understanding of enterprise excellence through his books, thought leadership, and ongoing research. He believes that aligned cultures of continuous improvement and innovation build stronger organizations and contribute to a better future.
Don Tracy retired as the Vice President of DENSO in January 2022 after a 33-year career with the organization. As the director of one of the world’s largest automotive parts manufacturers, Don was responsible for the ongoing success of the Body Electronics Division. He joined DENSO in 1989 and eventually led the company to receive the Shingo Prize in 2007. In addition, Don was responsible for leading the Tennessee site through its cultural transformation and changing leadership behaviors and practice, which led to improved business results year-on-year in an ultra-competitive market. He has worked in America and Japan to develop world-class Lean organizations, and he served on the Shingo Executive Advisory Board from 2015–2021.
Shingo Rising Star Award Recipients
Dr. Richard Campbell, MD, has served as a steadfast leader in vascular surgery for more than 20 years, inspiring curiosity and creative thinking in both his peers and mentees. He has held multiple leadership roles and is regarded as the regional expert in the evaluation and treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome. As Assistant Physician-in-Chief of Surgical Services at KP Sacramento, Dr. Campbell has been instrumental in developing a strong partnership with Kaiser Foundation Hospital leaders. He also provided pivotal guidance in capital planning for the Sacramento Railyard Hospital and well as visionary leadership in creating the Ambulatory Surgical Hub in Natomas. Using his situational leadership style, outstanding communication skills, and relationships across departments, Dr. Campbell develops solutions that balance the needs of physicians, patients, and the organization.
Jason Feng has more than 18 years of experience driving Lean and Six Sigma transformations across industries, including medical devices, aerospace, and elevators, and leads Global Lean and Six Sigma for Abbott’s Rapid and Molecular Diagnostics Division. He has advanced strategic operational excellence initiatives rooted in the Shingo Model and played a pivotal role in Abbott RMDx Hangzhou’s Shingo journey, culminating in the site receiving the Shingo Prize in 2025. As Abbott’s first certified Industry 4.0 SIRI Assessor and an ASQ‑ and PMI‑certified professional, Jason integrates digital transformation with Shingo principles to deliver sustainable results and inspire high‑performing teams across regions.
Dr. Jasmin Kollar is the Manager of Global Operational Excellence at Abbott Diagnostics, where she leads a global network of three transfusion sites and drives divisional initiatives that embed operational excellence at the core of business strategy. With a Ph.D. in Biology and a career spanning scientific research, manufacturing, compliance, and global transformation, she applies rigorous, people‑centered, systems‑focused leadership grounded in the Shingo Guiding Principles. A strong advocate for modern applications of the Shingo Model, Dr. Kollar integrates operational excellence with digital innovation to shape new behaviors, inspire engagement, and build purpose‑driven cultures.
Elvis Abad Miranda is an industrial engineer specializing in operational excellence and Shingo‑based cultural transformation. He currently serves as Superintendent of Operational Excellence at Consorcio Minero Horizonte, where he leads the design and deployment of the company’s Shingo‑inspired SUMA model. Elvis has driven major transformation initiatives across the mining sector, including at Minsur, Marcobre, and Glencore, and played a key leadership role in Minsur Smelter and Refinery in Pisco achieving the 2023 Shingo Bronze. With extensive training in operational excellence, leadership, and coaching, Elvis supports professional development through the Community of Excellence Peru (COMEXO) and EducaTEC, helping leaders design systems that model ideal behaviors, strengthen culture, and generate sustainable value for people and organizations.
Samantha Squires is the Manager of Mine Surface Production and Continuous Improvement at BHP’s Olympic Dam in South Australia, where she leads more than 200 employees and contractors and manages a $160 million operational budget, sponsoring one of Olympic Dam’s most transformational capital projects. Known for her inclusive, authentic, and purpose-driven leadership style, Samantha has become a role model in the deployment of the BHP Operating System (BOS), shifting BOS from a tool-driven approach to a people- and purpose-led system aligned with the Shingo Guiding Principles and reigniting momentum at one of BHP’s most complex operations. Her leadership has driven measurable improvements in safety, diversity, and productivity, helping reposition Olympic Dam as a reliable and sustainable copper producer. Recognized as a South Australian Premier’s Award Young Achiever for Energy and Mining, Samantha exemplifies how values-based leadership and operational discipline can deliver lasting excellence in mining.
Emily Swaney is the Senior Director of the Lean Promotion Office at OhioHealth, where she is responsible for ensuring OhioHealth’s Lean Roadmap is driving toward an advanced management system. Under her leadership, OhioHealth has received international recognition for their focus on creating a culture of 35,000 problem solvers. With 15 years of continuous improvement experience in healthcare, Emily is highly skilled in kaizen facilitation, A3 and executive coaching, Lean Daily Management, Hoshin Kanri, and enterprise roadmap development, and she frequently collaborates with leading Lean organizations to share insights through publications and presentations. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and owns Advance Lean Consulting LLC, coaching and inspiring organizations to build a more mature and impactful cultures.
Fabiana Trevizani is the Operational Excellence Manager at Vale, where she leads continuous improvement efforts across railways, ports, mines, and plants, translating corporate strategy into actionable plans and developing aligned, capable leaders. Since joining Vale in 2014, Fabiana has supported Six Sigma, Agile, and Kaizen initiatives; conducted internal and ISO 9001 audits; and driven improvements in efficiency, quality, and operational performance. With a background in Civil Engineering and a specialization in Quality Management and IT, Fabiana combines technical expertise with people‑centered leadership to foster cultures of innovation, discipline, and sustainable results.
Chase Wachendorf serves as the Leader of Operational Excellence at Discount Tire, driving transformative change across more than 1,150 retail locations. Chase has advanced through multiple leadership roles, building expertise in developing and integrating systems that strengthen safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance (SQDC). He also applies his continuous improvement skills in his role as a paralegal in the Army Reserve. Chase holds a Master of Science in Management with a specialization in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Colorado State University. He is committed to building systems that empower people, eliminate waste, and enable high-performing teams to thrive.
About the Shingo Institute
The Shingo Institute is home to the Shingo Prize, an award recognizing organizations that demonstrate an exceptional culture fostering continuous improvement. Part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, the Shingo Institute is named after Japanese industrial engineer and Toyota adviser Shigeo Shingo, one of the world's thought leaders in the Toyota Production System.
Drawing from Dr. Shingo’s teachings and years of experience working with organizations worldwide, the Shingo Institute developed the Shingo Model, the basis for its various educational offerings, including workshops, study tours, and conferences. Workshops are available in multiple languages through the Institute's Licensed Affiliates. For more information on workshops and affiliates or to register to attend an event, please visit https://shingo.org.
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