Lean Enterprise and Continuous Improvement Instructor Bios

Jim Armstrong | Sara Haynes | Janet Oakenfold

Jim Armstrong
Jim has over 29 years’ experience as a quality management professional. His career spans both the public and private sectors, including an 18-year career with the Canadian Department of National Defence where he fulfilled roles as QA Representative, Quality Manager and Staff Officer. After leaving the department, Jim served in a range of quality management services role with companies such as General Dynamics, Schlumberger, ATCO Frontec and Avocent. Jim is currently a Business Process Manager with NovAtel Inc. where he leads various groups through continuous improvement efforts. His engineering and technology background includes military vehicle systems, electronics, software and aerospace.

Jim is also the owner and operator of PQMC Inc, a consulting company specializing in quality and process improvement training. Over the past 10 years, Jim has delivered adult education and training in the areas of business analysis, project management, quality in design, quality planning, business process management and continuous improvement.

Jim is a Nuclear Engineering Technologist and holds certifications in Quality Auditing and Quality Management with ASQ.

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Sara Haynes P.Eng., CQE, CSSBB
Sara is the Director of Quality and Operational Effectiveness for SMART Technologies and has over a decade of experience in facilitating breakthrough performance improvements in business processes. Sara began her career at DuPont Canada in Kingston, Ontario as a process engineer. Shortly after, she became immersed in the ways of Six Sigma and led several black belt projects, one of which earned her a DuPont Award of Business Excellence. Now a master black belt, she has consulted on dozens of Six Sigma and Lean projects and has led projects in the chemical, food and beverage, mining, healthcare, oil and gas, and alternative energy industries. She teaches Lean and Six Sigma concepts across several industries.

Sara is a member of APEGGA, APICS, CORS, a senior member of ASQ, and a graduate of Queen’s University, Kingston. She is an active volunteer with ASQ, a regular volunteer lecturer at University of Calgary and the founding president of the Calgary Business Process Management community of practice.

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Janet Oakenfold B.Comm., MBA
Janet is energetic and passionate about delivering highly practical business training that is current, useful and realistic for today’s business environment.

Equipped with years of experience in a broad range of business roles including supply chain, contract management, process management, business analysis, project management , marketing, and enterprise risk management, Janet now devotes her talents to assisting and training others to work smarter in all aspects of business initiatives. Janet’s teaching style moves students beyond simple textbook learning to helping others apply tools and techniques in dynamic real-world situations.

Janet’s professional experience includes management roles with the Royal Bank of Canada, Bombardier Aerospace and Canadian Pacific Railway.

With over ten years of teaching and corporate training experience, Janet established her own independent training and consulting company in 2009. Janet provides training across a broad spectrum of business areas with specializations in leadership, Six Sigma and Lean methodology, business analysis, project management, contract management and process management within post-secondary corporate training and continuing education settings.

An alumni of McGill University, Janet has a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA specializing in Marketing and Strategic Management. Janet is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

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