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Biography

Van D. Gray is currently Professor of Management, Director of Strategic Planning and Accreditation and Associate Director for the Center for Nonprofit Studies at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. He joined the Baylor faculty in 1986, after teaching Operations Management and Computer Science for 7 years in the MBA program at the University of Missouri - Columbia. His research and consulting interests include the management of quality programs, Just-in-Time production systems, the application of simulation modeling to productive systems, and strategic and tactical applications of Constraint Theory. He is a former Academic Associate of the Avraham Y. Goldratt Institute of New Haven, Connecticut, and was the Goldratt Institutes’ first Academic Certified Information Systems Associate. Dr. Gray has been involved in several microcomputer software and hardware development firms, and was the founder and President of STF Technologies, Inc. the developer of the first Facsimile Modem for the Apple Macintosh™ computer. Currently Van is the developer of the TMG Simulator, an educational aid to understanding Constraint Theory as it applies to Logistical Systems. An active consultant in the field of manufacturing planning and control to numerous organizations, Van has provided education and assistance to Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 firms. His consulting activities have included organizations within the Aerospace, Electronics, Food Processing, Printing, Information Services, Textile, Heavy Manufacturing, Microcomputer, Paper, Machinery, Medical and Telecommunications industries including Lucent Technologies, NEC America, Experion (formerly Metromail), R.R. Donnelly and Sons, Bourns International, WABCO (Westinghouse Air Brake Company), the American Heart Association, Kendall Medical Products, CONCO Medical Products, Amspak, Prouvst, and Sonoco Products. In addition, Van has aided numerous small and medium sized manufacturing firms, service, and state and federal government organizations in improving their processes. Dr. Gray has considerable experience in implementing automated and manual MRP/MRP II, JIT, TQM, and Constraint Theory (Drum-Buffer-Rope) principles in both Job-Shop and Continuous-Flow environments. In 1994, Van was the recipient of a Baylor University Distinguished Professor award for his service in the areas of research and teaching. His current research interests are the impact of modified finite loading and complementary buffer technique algorithms on schedule performance, and the development of goal congruent integrated performance measures.