Board of Directors
The Center is led by an independent board of high-profile leaders from around the world who are focused on value in healthcare. This board is responsible for organizational governance.
- Daniel T. Ariens, Ariens Company
- Maureen Bisognano, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
- Gary L. Convis, Dana Holding Corporation
- Dean Gruner, MD, ThedaCare
- George Koenigsaecker, Lean Investments, LLC
- Randy Linton, MD, Luther Middlefort Mayo Clinic
- Arnold Milstein, MD, Worldwide Partner of Mercer
- Paul O’Neill, US Department of the Treasury
- Walt Rugland, ThedaCare
- Michael Sachs, Sg2
- John Torinus, Serigraph
- James P. Womack, Ph.D., LEI
Daniel T. Ariens, President and CEO of the Ariens Company
Daniel T. Ariens is the president and CEO of the Ariens Company a manufacturer of quality lawn products, snow-throwers and outdoor power equipment. He also serves on the company’s board of directors.
Under Ariens’ leadership, the company received several state and national recognitions for innovation and excellence. In 2007, Ariens received the Eli Whitney Productivity Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Ariens also is involved with a number of Wisconsin companies including the Green Bay Packers, U.S. Oil Company, Nicolet State Bank and the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.
Maureen Bisognano, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
Maureen Bisognano is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Bisognano oversees all operations, program development and strategic planning for IHI, advising healthcare leaders around the world. She is an unrelenting advocate for the needs of patients and a passionate crusader for change.
Since 1990, Bisognano has served on the boards of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Lean Enterprise Institute, the National Initiative for Children’s Health Care Quality, the Center for Health Design, the American Society for Quality and the National Center for Healthcare Leadership. She currently serves on the board of the Luther Midelfort Clinic and is a member of the Commonwealth Fund’s Commission on a High Performance Health System.
Gary L. Convis, Vice Chairman for Dana Holding Corporation
Convis currently serves as vice chairman for Dana Holding Corporation, a global leader in the design, engineering, and manufacture of value-added products and systems for automotive, commercial, and off-highway vehicles.
Convis has more than fifty years of experience in the automotive industry. He previously served as senior vice president of Toyota Motor North America, executive vice president with Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America and chairman of Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Kentucky. In his position, Convis hopes to connect with leaders who practice lean principles and spread the “Toyota Way.”
He graduated from Michigan State University.
Dean Gruner, MD, President and CEO, ThedaCare
Dean Gruner, MD, is the president and CEO of ThedaCare, Inc. ThedaCare is a community-owned health system consisting of Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, New London Family Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca, ThedaCare Physicians, and other health care services. Since 2003, he has served as chief medical officer and sr. vice president of ThedaCare, which is the largest employer in Northeast Wisconsin with nearly 5,400 employees. ThedaCare's service area spans 14 counties.
Dr. Gruner has served in multiple leadership positions with ThedaCare or its affiliates since it was founded as Novus Health Group in 1987. He was one of the founding physicians of Touchpoint, and was a practicing family physician with Family Doctors, S.C., which affiliated with ThedaCare in 1994.
Along with Dr. John Toussaint, former ThedaCare president and CEO, Dr. Gruner participated in the design and formation of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Health Care Quality (WCHQ), which publicly reports on the performance of healthcare organizations in Wisconsin.
George Koenigsaecker, President of Lean Investments, LLC
George Koenigsaecker is a principal investor in several lean enterprises. In addition to the Center, Koenigsaecker is a Board Member of the Shingo Prize, the international award for “lean enterprises,” The Association of Manufacturing Excellence, Ariens Outdoor Power Equipment, Baird Capital Partners, Watlow Electric Corporation and Xaloy Incorporated. He also serves at the executive vice president and a board member at Simpler Consulting.
From 1992 until 1999, Koenigsaecker led the lean conversion of the HON Company, a $1.5 billion office furniture manufacturer. Under his leadership, the organization’s volume tripled and it was named by Industry Week Magazine as one of the “World’s Best Managed Companies.”
Prior to 1992, Koenigsaecker served as President of the Jacob’s Vehicle Equipment Company and Group President of the Tool Group with Danaher Corporation. Koenigsaecker’s lean conversion at Danaher is featured in the book “Lean Thinking” by Jim Womack and Dan Jones. In addition, Koenigsaecker has held senior management positions in finance, marketing and operations with Rockwell International and Deere & Company. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School.
Randy Linton, MD, CEO, Luther Middlefort-Mayo Clinic
Randall L. Linton, MD, is the president and CEO of Luther Midelfort-Mayo Health System in Eau Claire, Wis. With the overriding goal of continually increasing value to patients through a systematic approach to healthcare delivery, Dr. Linton has focused on leading Luther Midelfort through cultural change and building a climate that encourages collaboration and innovation.
Today, Luther Midelfort is a national leader in healthcare quality improvement. In 2006, the company was awarded the Wisconsin Forward Governor’s Award for Excellence—the highest award given for performance in any industry.
A practicing pediatrician, Dr. Linton received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, his medical degree from the University of Nebraska and completed his pediatric residency at the University of Iowa. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the American College of Physician Executives and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Arnold Milstein, MD, Worldwide Partner of Mercer
Arnold Milstein, MD is the medical director of the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH) and the chief physician at Mercer Health & Benefits. PBGH is the largest employer health care purchasing coalition in the U.S.
His work and publications focus on private and public sector health care purchasing strategy, clinical performance measurement and the psychology of clinical performance improvement.
Milstein co-founded both the Leapfrog Group and the Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project. He also heads performance measurement activities for both initiatives and is a MedPAC Commissioner. The New England Journal of Medicine’s series on employer- sponsored health insurance described him as a pioneer in efforts to advance quality of care. In 2005, he was selected for the highest annual award of the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), which cited his nationally distinguished innovation, results in health care cost reduction and quality gains. In 2006, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Paul H. O’Neill, former Secretary of the US Treasury
Paul O’Neill most recently served as the 72nd Secretary of the US Treasury from 2001 to 2002.
Previously, O’Neill was the chairman and CEO of Alcoa from 1987 to 1999 and retired as chairman at the end of 2000. Prior to joining Alcoa, O’Neill was president of International Paper Company from 1985 to 1987, where he was vice president from 1977 to 1985.
Formerly, O’Neill worked as a computer systems analyst with the U.S. Veterans Administration from 1961 to 1966 and served on the staff of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from 1967 to 1977. Additionally, he was the deputy director of OMB from 1974 to 1977.
A Saint Louis, Mo. native, O’Neill received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Fresno State College and his master’s degree in public administration from Indiana University. He is currently retired.
Walt Rugland, Board Chairman, ThedaCare
Walter S. Rugland is the non-executive chairman of ThedaCare, Inc., a Wisconsin healthcare corporation.
He retired December 2002 as executive vice president of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, Wis. and Minneapolis, Minn. Thrivent Financial is an organization resulting from the 2001 merger of Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) and Lutheran Brotherhood (LB), and is among America’s largest non-stock life insurers. Rugland joined AAL in 1998 as chief operating officer. While at AAL, he managed internal operations and co-led the $55 billion merger of AAL with LB.
Rugland currently serves as a director of FaithLife Financial in Canada and is vice president of the Wisconsin Historical Foundation. He also is a director and secretary/treasurer of the board of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Previously Rugland served as treasurer of the Hartford Stage Company, chairman of the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region and as a governing regent of Luther College. A Rotarian, he also is past chair of the Luther Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Actuarial Foundation.
Michael Sachs, Chairman and CEO, Sg2
A noted healthcare industry strategist and visionary, Michael Sachs currently serves as the chairman and CEO of Sg2. Under his leadership, Sg2 analyzes the impact of changes in the business and technology of healthcare. Sg2’s goal is to continually scrutinize new technologies and business practices to keep its clients positioned for success in a rapidly changing healthcare industry.
Sachs is a frequent lecturer on the future of healthcare and the impact of business and technology changes on the delivery of care. He has made presentations to executive teams, boards of trustees, industry groups and physicians across the United States and abroad. Sachs also has contributed articles to journals and magazines, and as co-authored books and periodicals on healthcare.
Before founding Sg2, Sachs was the chairman of Sachs Group. Prior to forming Sachs Group, he was a consultant with Ernst and Whinney and with AT Kearney. Sachs also served on the management team of Hurley Medical Center. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in science and Master of Science degree in public health from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He began his healthcare career working in the University of Missouri Medical Center’s emergency department.
John Torinus, Chairman, Serigraph
Since 1987, John Torinus has been the CEO of Serigraph, a global provider of innovative printed decorating solutions. He previously served as president for Competitive Wisconsin, an organization that measures the economic health and competitive position of the state, where he continues as director.
Torinus is a former business editor with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and currently writes a business column for the paper. He also co-chairs the Milwaukee Task Force on Health Care Cost Concerns.
Torinus earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial administration from Yale and graduated from the University of Stockholm with a masters’ degree in international relations.
James P. Womack, Ph.D., Founder and Chairman, LEI
James P. Womack, Ph.D., is the founder and chairman of the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), a nonprofit training, publishing, conferencing, and management research organization chartered in August 1997 to advance a set of ideas known as lean production and lean thinking, based initially on Toyota's business system. LEI helps organizations transform themselves into lean enterprises. Its management seminars and books help executives and managers develop the leadership behaviors that sustain lean enterprises.
Between 1975-1991, Womack was a full-time research scientist at MIT directing a series of comparative studies of world manufacturing practices. As research director of MIT's International Motor Vehicle Program, Dr. Womack led the research team that coined the term “lean production” to describe the Toyota Production System.
