Misael Cabrera

Governor Doug Ducey appointed Misael Cabrera as director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality in 2015. He leads all aspects of the 450-person department responsible for protecting and enhancing Arizona’s public health and environment. He previously served as the agency’s deputy director, overseeing the agency’s operations. Cabrera led ADEQ in an agency-wide transformation to apply Lean principles and techniques and deliver better, faster, cheaper environmental protection for the citizens of Arizona. Before joining ADEQ, Misael worked as a senior client leader for Haley & Aldrich’s Industrial Environmental practice where he planned Arizona’s business development strategy and worked on several key accounts. Prior to that, he was the environmental manager with AMEC where he was responsible for the environmental business in Arizona and led a multidisciplinary group of professionals that delivered environmental projects for industrial, municipal and federal clients. Cabrera is a registered professional engineer.

Leading a Lean Transformation in an Inhospitable Environment

(Leadership & Culture) Many leaders seek a process for rapid improvements, ignoring the transitory nature of such an effort. Some simply want to have “checked the box” that they have “done Lean” and move on. Rarely does a senior leader truly understand the full potential impact of a Lean management system and methodically pursues its adoption, especially in a government agency. The next time you wonder if it’s possible to transform your business and reap significantly higher performance, remember this presentation.