Keith A. Leitner is president and founder of Leitner Consulting Group and serves on the faculty of both the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee (UT) and the College of Business at the University of Louisville (UofL).  With more than three decades of experience, Keith has guided organizations across diverse industries — from shipbuilding, automotive and aerospace to healthcare and manufacturing – helping each design and sustain high-performance, Lean operations. 

Keith is also an accomplished author of “The Journey: A Guide to Lean Transformation Success,” a business guidebook that invites readers to see Lean Management not as a project to complete, but as a way of life for organizations that never stop improving – an ongoing pursuit rather than a final destination.  He explains how “True Lean” isn’t about getting there - it’s about moving forward with purpose, adaptability, and commitment, and having a mindset and way of working that evolves over time. 

Keith’s book serves as a practical guide to navigating that journey — helping leaders define their mission, set a purposeful direction, take the first steps toward transformation, and build systems that sustain learning and progress. With insights and examples for overcoming obstacles along the way, inspiring teams, and creating a culture where continuous improvement becomes second nature, his book empowers organizations to live Lean as a continuous path toward excellence.

Renowned for his ability to adapt Lean methodologies to complex environments, one of the aspects of Keith’s unique teachings that deliver immeasurable value to organizations is his extensive work linking Lean and Theory of Constraints. When linked together, the powerful tools of Lean are used to create capacity by identifying constraints and quickly removing the obstacles that are confining the operations. This leads to incredible growth for the organization – and at a profit or margin level beyond what most organizations even realize is possible. Additionally, his strong “people focused” approach has enabled many organizations to overcome change resistance and generate strong employee buy-in to their change initiatives. 

In his role at the University of Louisville, Keith is the Lead Faculty in programs within the Center for Executive Education (non-degree and certificate).  In the Graduate and Executive Education Department at University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Keith has created and directs the Lead Faculty on several programs including:

• Lean Enterprise Systems Design Institute

• Lean for Shop Floor Operations

• Lean + TOC Enterprise

• Lean Maintenance Repair and Overhaul

• Lean Applied to Business Processes

• Lean for Hospital Based Healthcare

• Lean for Scheduled and Ambulatory Healthcare

• Lean for the Operating Room

• Air Force Lean Healthcare Programs

Prior to Keith’s work at UT and in his consulting and advising roles, he continues to work with numerous organizations across various industries, such as:

• Shipbuilding (Non-repetitive Manufacturing)

• Ship Repair (both private and government)

• Aircraft Repair (both private and government) 

• Manufacturing ranging from one-off products (tool and die industry) to extremely short takt manufacturing (appliance industry)

• Military and Defense organizations (U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy)

• Large private sector organizations (Northrop Grumman, United Technologies)

• Small private companies (Southern Steel & Wire, Marley Electric Heating and Peerless Pump)

• Healthcare organizations (U.T. Medical Center, Mary Washington Hospital, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Summit Medical and many others)

A frequent speaker at Lean conferences, Keith is recognized for application expertise (specializing in adapting Lean tools and techniques to fit a particular industry) and developing the Lean Organization and Culture to support these philosophies.  

Keith and his team’s work have won several industry awards, including:

• Shingo Prize (USAF 2005)

• Award for Outstanding Outcomes Assessment and the Live CME Event Award (ACEHP 2014)

• Dean’s Excellence Awards, given three times (University of Tennessee GEE 2007, 2011 and 2012)

• Keith was also recognized as the 2023 Outstanding Faculty Member for the University of Tennessee Executive MBA for Healthcare Leadership

Keith began his career in retail operations and held key leadership positions with two large grocery chains, including general manager and operations specialist. Following 10 years in retail, he was introduced to Lean by United Technologies in the early 1990s, where through designing and implementing Lean Cells at its Bennettsville, SC, facility, his work led to it being considered the “showcase facility” with hosted plant tours that assisted others from around the world.  Following that post, Keith began the Continuous Improvement Program for Marley Electric Heating (Appliance OEM) where he again created a showcase facility. Soon after, Keith served as Continuous Improvement Director for the North American Division at BTR Automotive (a large global Tier 1 Automotive Supplier) where he trained, developed and mentored Lean Experts charged with improving all aspects of the business; created a three-week Lean Certification program; and trained more than 100 leaders throughout its global organizations. This position evolved to assume global responsibility where Keith served as vice president of Continuous Improvement and Quality Systems, all of which helped the company become one of the most dominant players in the industry.  

Keith holds a B.A. in Psychology from Appalachian State University and was an Honor’s Graduate (4.0 GPA), while receiving his M.S. in Organizational Leadership and Management from the University of North Carolina, Pembroke.

Press Contact
For more information and to book an interview or speaking engagement with Keith, please contact:
Laura Hall at Laura@HallComms.com or 917.544.6344.