Carol A. Ptak, CFPIM, CIRM, Jonah, PMP

A leading authority in the use of ERP and Supply Chain tools to drive improved bottom line performance, Ms. Ptak’s expertise is well grounded in over two decades of practical experience as a successful practitioner, consultant and educator in manufacturing operations. Her pragmatic approach to complex issues and dynamic presentation style has her in high demand worldwide on the subject of how to leverage these tools and successfully become an e-business. Ms. Ptak is currently the Executive in Residence at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA after most recently serving as PeopleSoft’s Vice President and Global Industry Executive for Manufacturing and Distribution Industries.

She holds an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology and completed the EMPO program at Stanford University. Ms. Ptak is a frequent educator at the university level and presents at many key technical conferences around the world including South Africa, France, Israel, Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands and nine APICS International conferences. She is the author of numerous articles and the books MRP and Beyond and ERP, Tools, Techniques and Applications for Integrating the Supply Chain. Necessary but not Sufficient was co-authored with Dr. Eli Goldratt and Eli Schragenheim. Together with Dean Gilliam she updated Quantum Leap, originally written by John Constanza. Her most recent work, Theory H.O.W. has been well received by manufacturing companies searching for sustainable competitive advantage. Ms. Ptak has lent her name to the internationally coveted Ptak Prize for Supply Chain Excellence that is awarded annually by ISCEA (International Supply Chain Education Alliance.)

Ms. Ptak is certified through APICS at the fellow level (CFPIM) and was certified in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM) with the first group internationally. Ms. Ptak was the President and CEO of APICS, The Educational Society for Resource Management for the year 2000. Prior to her election as APICS President, she served on the Society in a variety of positions. A highly accomplished author, lecturer and trainer, Ptak has successfully combined a solid academic base with over 20 years of pragmatic experience. She knows how to turn theory into practical realities in today’s changing organizations.