Karen Martin has been building, managing, and improving operations for more than 20 years. As principal consultant for Karen Martin & Associates, LLC, she is a recognized thought leader in applying Lean thinking and the psychology of change to office, service, and knowledge work environments. Her diverse client list includes Fortune 500 companies, as well as small businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, and start-ups. She is the coauthor of The Kaizen Event Planner, codeveloper of Metrics-Based Process Mapping, instructor for the University of California, San Diego's Lean Enterprise program, and industry advisor to the University of San Diego's Industrial and Systems Engineering program. She lives in San Diego.