Rich Tree is an operations leader with 35 years of experience leading teams to achieve organizational excellence in supply chain, asset management, reliability, and human performance. A lean operation expert, he is credited with the lean transformation of nine manufacturing sites, mentoring over 34 manufacturing sites in advanced lean operations, and designing and implementing asset management strategies at 15 manufacturing sites. Rich’s operations leadership journey began with a 22-year career in the US Navy and then continued in several key operations leadership roles in three manufacturing companies prior to starting with CAI. He is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Operations Management at the University of Texas Arlington where his research has focused on Behavioral Operations and Statistics. He holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University.