Jamison Kovach | Process Improvement | Most Reader’s Article Award

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Dr. Jamison Kovach | Process Improvement | Most Reader’s Article Award

Professor at University of Houston, United States

Dr. Jamison Kovach is a distinguished academic and professional in the fields of industrial engineering, project management, and quality improvement. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University, following an M.S. in Textile Technology from the Institute of Textile Technology and a B.S. in Textile Engineering from North Carolina State University. Dr. Kovach currently serves as the Associate Dean for Student Success and Undergraduate Support Services at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering. She also holds the PMI Houston Endowed Professorship in Project Management within the Department of Construction Management. Her previous roles at the University of Houston include Associate Professor in the Departments of Construction Management and Information & Logistics Technology, as well as Assistant Professor in the latter department. Since 2006, she has directed the Lean Six Sigma Professional Training Program at the university. Prior to joining the University of Houston, she was an Instructor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Clemson University. Dr. Kovach’s research has been widely recognized, earning her multiple awards such as the Outstanding Professor in Lean Six Sigma by the IEOM Society International in 2021 and 2023, the Award for the Advancement of Six Sigma by the ASQ Six Sigma Forum, and the Faculty Research Excellence Award from the University of Houston’s College of Technology. She has also been a Fulbright Scholar and Specialist, and a Fellow of the ASQ.

Professional Profiles:

šŸ“š Education:

Dr. Jamison Kovach holds a distinguished academic background in engineering and technology. She earned her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University in August 2006, following her M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the same institution in August 2004. Prior to her studies at Clemson, Dr. Kovach completed a Master of Science in Textile Technology in June 2001 from the Institute of Textile Technology in Charlottesville, VA. Her foundational education includes a Bachelor of Science in Textile Engineering, which she received from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, in May 1998.

šŸ—£ļøProfessional experience:

Dr. Jamison Kovach has held several prominent professional appointments throughout her career. Currently, she serves as the Associate Dean for Student Success and Undergraduate Support Services at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering, a position she has held since 2023. Simultaneously, she holds the PMI Houston Endowed Professorship in Project Management within the Department of Construction Management at the same college. Prior to this, Dr. Kovach was the PMI Houston Endowed Professor in Project Management in the Department of Construction Management at the University of Houston’s College of Technology from 2019 to 2023. Her earlier roles at the University of Houston include serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Construction Management from 2016 to 2019 and as an Associate Professor in the Department of Information & Logistics Technology from 2012 to 2016. She began her tenure at the University of Houston as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information & Logistics Technology, a position she held from 2006 to 2012. Additionally, since 2006, Dr. Kovach has been the Director of the Lean Six Sigma Professional Training Program at the university. Before joining the University of Houston, she was an Instructor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Clemson University’s College of Engineering from 2004 to 2006.

Awards :

Dr. Jamison Kovach has received numerous research awards and recognitions throughout her distinguished career. Since 2023, she has been an Affiliate Faculty Member at the University of Houston Population Health. In the same year, she was honored with the Outstanding Professor in Lean Six Sigma award by the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) Society International. In 2021, Dr. Kovach was named a Fulbright Scholar at the Iscte-Instituto UniversitĆ”rio de Lisboa’s Business Research Unit in Lisbon, Portugal, for her project “Leveling Up: Enhancing Portugalā€™s Achievement of Industrial Performance Improvements.” This project was delayed to 2022 due to COVID-19. She also received the Outstanding Professor in Lean Six Sigma award from the IEOM Society International in 2021. Dr. Kovach was recognized with the Award for the Advancement of Six Sigma by the ASQ Six Sigma Forum in 2019, the same year she was named a Fellow of the ASQ. She was also a Research Fellow at the MH-RITES (Mental Health Research Innovation Treatment Engagement Service) Center in the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston in 2019. Additionally, she received the Faculty Research Excellence Award from the College of Technology at the University of Houston in 2019.Ā  From 2016 to 2021, Dr. Kovach was a Fulbright Specialist Roster Candidate. In 2016, she served as a Gender Summit 8 Delegate, an event sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science Foundation in Mexico City, Mexico. Her contributions to the field have been further recognized with several best paper awards. In 2015, she received the Best Paper Award from the International Academy for Quality at the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement in Nashville, TN. In 2014, she won the Best Paper Award in Quality Engineering and Management from the European Academy of Management and Business Economics (AEDEM) and the European Research on Management and Business Economics Journal (IEDEE) at the 1st International Conference on Quality Engineering and Management in Guimaraes, Portugal.

 

Teaching Experience:

Dr. Jamison Kovach has a rich history of teaching at the University of Houston across various programs and courses. Since 2007, she has been an integral part of the M.S. in Project Management Program, teaching TEPM 6304: Quality Improvement in Project Management continuously. She also taught TEPM 6303: Quality Assurance and Risk Management in 2007. In 2020, Dr. Kovach contributed to the Specialization in Engineering Technology Innovation and Management, and since 2021, she has been teaching ETIM 6310: Fundamentals of Innovation. In addition to her contributions to graduate education, Dr. Kovach has significantly impacted undergraduate education in the B.S. in Organizational Leadership and Supervision Program. From 2007 to 2016, she taught TELS 4342: Quality Improvement Methods. She also taught TELS 4341: Production and Service Operations from 2006 to 2007.

 

šŸ“šPublications :

Online technologies for engaged learning: A meaningful synthesis for educators

Authors: L. Revere, J.V. Kovach

Citations: 357

Year: 2011

Source: Quarterly Review of Distance Education 12 (2), 113-124

Reducing welding defects in turnaround projects: A lean six sigma case study

Authors: N.C. Anderson, J.V. Kovach

Citations: 100

Year: 2014

Source: Quality Engineering 26 (2), 168-181

The house of competitiveness: the marriage of agile manufacturing, design for Six Sigma, and lean manufacturing with quality considerations

Authors: J. Kovach, P. Stringfellow, J. Turner, B.R. Cho

Citations: 70

Year: 2005

Source: Journal of Industrial Technology 21 (3)

The use of continuous improvement techniques: A survey-based study of current practices

Authors: J.V. Kovach, E.A. Cudney, C.C. Elrod

Citations: 66

Year: 2011

Source: International Journal of Engineering, Science and Technology 3 (7), 89-100

Improving supply chain information sharing using Design for Six Sigma

Authors: E.M. Mitchell, J.V. Kovach

Citations: 56

Year: 2016

Source: European Research on Management and Business Economics 22 (3), 147-154

Development of a multidisciplinaryā€“multiresponse robust design optimization model

Authors: J. Kovach, B.R. Cho

Citations: 55

Year: 2008

Source: Engineering Optimization 40 (9), 805-819

Reducing the time for IRB reviews: A case study

Authors: A.P. Liberale, J.V. Kovach

Citations: 46

Year: 2017

Source: Journal of Research Administration 48 (2), 37-50

Final Thoughts: Leadership in the “Classroom”

Authors: J.V. Kovach

Citations: 45

Year: 2014

Source: The Journal for Quality and Participation 37 (1), 39-40

Development of an experiment-based robust design paradigm for multiple quality characteristics using physical programming

Authors: J. Kovach, B.R. Cho, J. Antony

Citations: 43

Year: 2008

Source: The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 35, 1100-1112

Multiresponse optimization using multivariate process capability index

Authors: M.I. Awad, J.V. Kovach

Citations: 40

Year: 2011

Source: Quality and Reliability Engineering International 27 (4), 465-477

A D-optimal design approach to constrained multiresponse robust design with prioritized mean and variance considerations

Authors: J. Kovach, B.R. Cho

Citations: 36

Year: 2009

Source: Computers & Industrial Engineering 57 (1), 237-245

The influence of continuous improvement practices on learning: An empirical study

Authors: J.V. Kovach, L.D. Fredendall

Citations: 35

Year: 2013

Source: The Quality Management Journal 20 (4), 6-20

Solving multiresponse optimization problems using quality functionā€“based robust design

Authors: J. Kovach, B.R. Cho

Citations: 34

Year: 2008

Source: Quality Engineering 20 (3), 346-360