About Gerald

J. Gerald Suarez is an internationally recognized expert in systems thinking, total quality management, organizational design and pragmatic innovation.  He is a renowned teacher, lecturer, consultant, and author, and is currently serving as Professor of the Practice in Systems Thinking and Design at the University of Maryland, as well as a Visiting Technical Fellow for the Lockheed Martin Corporation.  He frequently speaks at keynote addresses and consults with a variety of organizations worldwide.

Suarez’s professional background includes an extensive portfolio that covers academia, the White House, and Fortune 500 Companies.

Scholarly Work

Early in his career Suarez worked closely with two highly influential business thinkers — Dr. W. Edwards Deming, renowned expert on Total Quality Management, and Dr. Russell Ackoff, the forefront thinker on Systems Theory and Management.  Under the tutorial of these experts, Suarez developed insight on how to derive value applying these theories.  He has since dedicated his career translating theory into practice for the benefit of various other organizations and individuals alike.

Now a professor himself, Suarez encourages his students to take a progressive approach to business by emphasizing the pragmatic application of innovation to products and services.  He has inspired numerous students to follow their passion and encourages them to take it beyond the classroom, mentoring efforts such as Shutters4Scholars – a non-profit organization that supports orphans in Ukraine, and weBike – an innovative company that offers bike sharing for small communities.  Suarez enables students to translate a passion into the real world, where they can generate tangible value for others while pursing the work they love.

Presidential Support

Prior to joining the academic world, Suarez served two administrations in the White House as the Director of Presidential Quality – the first such post in the institution’s history. In this capacity, he initiated efforts to inculcate systems thinking and organizational redesign into the White House Communications Agency, the White House Military Office and the Executive Office of the President of the United States.

Consulting

As a consultant to private organizations, Suarez collaborates with corporate executives and leaders across a variety of industries.  He has collaborated with companies such as General Electric, Exxon Mobil, Avon, Johnson & Johnson, United Technologies, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Janssen Pharmaceutica, R. J. Reynolds, Sandia National Laboratories, the Anne Arundel Healthcare Enterprises; and abroad, General Electric Shanghai, Otis Elevator inTianjin, China, and the International University of Gaza.

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Suarez holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico. He currently resides in Springfield, VA with his family.