Meet Ian Kowalski

Business Strategist & Change Management Expert

Ian began his career in Research & Development in the high-tech world of aerospace and commercial sporting goods. He then worked in Quality, Customer Technical Service, Marketing, IT, Production, and the Supply Chain with Fortune 100 companies including: Union Carbide, Amoco, BP, and Solvay leading cross-functional teams in the continual improvement of business processes achieving reduced costs, improved quality, revenue growth, decreased lead-time, and increased customer satisfaction. Ian led a lean transformation at Solvay Advanced Polymers, a 1500 employee division of Solvay with plants on 3 continents.  Additionally, he led Supply Chain processes at Lehigh Technologies and teams at Dell SecureWorks, applying lean problem solving and by implementing decision support systems. Ian’s passion is leading continuous improvement to create sustainable advantage, and these skills have been invaluable in the nonprofit sector with some adaptations made by the full NPL team. Ian has assisted NPL Principals with work at large international organizations such as The National Geographic Society and local grassroots nonprofits such as Community Assistance Center.

Ian holds a BS in mechanical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  He is a University of Kentucky Certified Lean Practitioner.