Walter Robbins Bowman, PMI Fellow, BME, MSBA, PMP®, is an instructor and Executive Director (Emeritus) of PMCentersUSA.  He has nearly 40 years of experience in project and executive management of high-technology and business projects in industry and academia.  His experience spans placement of cameras on the moon, nuclear power plant construction and modification, process services, software system development and implementation, and development and administration of educational programs.  Formerly, Walter held the position of assistant director of continuing education at a local college, where he developed a graduate curriculum in project management.  An active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI^®), Walter is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP^®), a former member of PMI’s board of directors, and a past president of the PMI Educational Foundation.  Walter serves as an ANSI Subject Matter Expert and Secretary of the Process Working Group for the development of the new ISO international standard in project management, which is scheduled for publication in 2013.

Joseph Lukas, PMP®, is the Vice President and Senior Instructor for PMCentersUSA and has been involved in project management for over 30 years on projects for product development, business process, manufacturing, capital construction and information systems. His experience includes work as a Business Analyst, with the largest project being a portfolio information management system for a global company. PMI awarded Joe certification in 1992 as a Project Management Professional (PMP), and he earned certification by AACE in 1994 as a Certified Cost Engineer (CCE).  Joe graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Syracuse University, and received his Professional Engineer license in 1979. To view more detailed information about Joe Lukas's credentials click here.

Richard Clare, OCP, PMP®, CBAP®, is the Business Analysis Practice Director and a Senior Instructor for PMCentersUSA, with more than 25 years of experience as a developer, business Analyst, trainer and project manager.  Rick is responsible for maintaining the business analysis courseware, providing expert consulting services to companies moving into the business analysis world for the first time, and constructing customized training material targeted for an individual company’s methodologies.  Rick’s early IT career experience was as an Oracle Database Developer, performing analysis, design, development and documentation on numerous database systems using Oracle and its complete set of development tools.  He continues to work on large IT projects as a project manager and business analyst.  Rick’s training background is as an Oracle Instructor, Course Developer, and Technical School Administrator.  Rick was one of the first Certified Business Analyst Professionals (CBAP^®) in the world and he is sought after as a presenter for numerous conferences and webinars.   He currently serves on the IIBA’s senior leadership team as VP of Chapters and is leading the effort to produce a Practical Guide to Managing Business Analysts.

John I. Barron, PMP®, is a Senior Instructor and Program Consultant for PMCentersUSA. He has over 25 years of project and program management experience encompassing government and private projects, project management consulting, and professional development training. John has extensive experience in the strategic and tactical management of small, medium-sized, and multimillion dollar projects in various organizations and industries. A recognized expert and noted lecturer and trainer in project management, John has developed and implemented extensive project management professional development training programs for the United States Department of Defense, the State of California, and George Washington University. John is a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He received his Bachelor of Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and his Master of Operations Management from the University of Arkansas. He also holds a Project Management Master's Certificate from the University of Pittsburgh and George Washington University.

As a senior instructor and mentor, Vince Bordo, CBAP®, has more than 20 years of experience helping companies learn, adopt and apply state-of-the-art business analysis techniques.  He is a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP^®) and an active member of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA^®).  His skills are unparalleled in enterprise analysis, business process modeling, requirements gathering techniques, use cases, requirements management, data modeling, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).  He has enabled hundreds of companies to apply modern requirements management techniques to their projects effectively.  His compelling teaching style, mentoring ability, and expert knowledge of business analysis have earned him international recognition from both his clients and colleagues.

Bruce Chadbourne, PMP®, PgMP®, PMI-RMP® is an instructor for PMCentersUSA with more than 35 years of experience in engineering project and program management. With an extensive history in independent assignments, Bruce has supported executive management in technical domains including: shipyard/industrial environment, nuclear engineering, chemistry, software/hardware engineering, information technology, government/military sensors and communication systems.  Bruce is a long-standing PMP and one of the first to complete the Program Management Professionals (PgMP) credential.  He is also a certified practitioner in the European PRINCE2 project management methodology. As a contributor to the PMBOK® and BABOK® guides, Bruce has written and lectured on earned value, risk management, business analysis, requirements management, system testing, and Agile project management techniques. As former Region 1 Director of the PMI Risk SIG, he co-authored the book Professional Guide to Risk Assessment (2004). An honors graduate of Cornell University, Bruce earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He served as a Naval Officer specializing in Nuclear Propulsion.

Mark Cheek, PMP®, is an Instructor and Consultant for PMCentersUSA. He has more than 11 years of project-based experience in information systems and project management. Since earning his Master of Information Systems with distinction from Carnegie Mellon, he has been involved in all aspects of information systems development.  His project experience covers several sectors, including finance, insurance, healthcare and retail, along with experience in one of the "Big Five" consulting firms.  Mark is a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has participated as a member of the BABOK® review committee for Version 2.0 for the IIBA. He received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University, his Master of Education in Cross Cultural Counseling from the University of Pittsburgh, his Master of Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University, and his Master’s Certificate in Project Management from the University of Pittsburgh.

Mark Chism, PMP®, has more than 15 years of experience in managing multiple large-scale projects and recovering troubled projects. Mark’s project management experience has enabled him to work in the financial services, IT, and software development industries while delivering projects on time, within budget, and to specifications.

Theresa L. Cochenour, PMP®, is a senior project manager with more than 30 years of experience in the financial and transportation services industries.  The majority of Theresa's experience has been centered upon  managing large and complicated software systems development projects that had significant time and cost constraints. These projects included developing new software systems and converting legacy applications to newer technologies. Theresa has developed a reputation for having a practical approach to problem resolution and building cooperation within teams to get the job done.  Theresa graduated with honors from Waynesburg University, where she earned a degree in Mathematics. She also earned her Master's Certificate in Project Management from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jay D. Gassaway, PMP®, PMI-SP is an Instructor for PMCentersUSA. He has been active in all aspects of project work for more than 35 years. He has professional project management experience with PSEG Nuclear LLC in the Engineering Department for Salem and Hope Creek nuclear generating stations.  His project specialties include project justification, chartering, and initiating, and also the management and control of project scope, schedule and cost. Jay has a bachelor's degree in Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, an MBA (Finance and Economics) from Rutgers University and a Master's Certificate in Project Management from Villanova University. He holds both the PMP and PMI-SP certifications from the Project Management Institute. Additionally, Jay is a past president of the PMI Delaware Valley chapter.

Tom Harvey, PMP®, an Instructor for PMCentersUSA, has more than 19 years of experience in systems analysis, project management, and training.  Tom’s vast training experience includes work with the Michael Baker Corporation as Training and Project Manager. His responsibilities include curriculum development, delivery method selection, instructional design, and management systems. Tom has experience in the delivery of training and instructional materials for both internal and external customers, while continually evaluating training and instructional effectiveness. A member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), Tom is a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and his MBA with a concentration in Human Resources from the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently studying for his PhD in Instructional Leadership and Management at Robert Morris University.

Ron Lachell, PMP®, is an instructor for PMCentersUSA.  As a Senior Project Manager with UPMC Health Plan, Ron used his 16 years of experience managing projects in technical and nontechnical programs to lead UPMC's Project Management Office. Ron has managed projects for international airlines, the financial industry, the health care industry, and the U.S. and Australian governments.  In 2005, he was honored by the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute as Contributor of the Year for his numerous project management and software development papers.  Ron's teaching experience extends to the university and corporate levels.  For more than 10 years, Ron has conducted graduate-level and corporate training in project management, program management, project portfolio management, business analysis, and software development.  Ron holds a Master of Business Administration in Project Management degree from Columbia Southern University and the Project Management Professional (PMP^®) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI^®).  Ron is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and will be certified as a Black Belt in 2010.

Shankar Lakhavani is a Senior Consultant and Certified Six Sigma Lead Master Black Belt with more than 20 years of experience providing consulting and training in Lean Six Sigma as well as product and process improvement for domestic and international clients. Shankar has mentored and trained hundreds of Green and Black Belts in various industries including: financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, food, medical devices, and manufacturing. He has taught university-level courses in probability and statistics as well as Lean Six Sigma. Shankar has authored numerous articles and has presented at conferences nationwide.  He is both a Senior Member and Master Black Belt for the ASQ and a Senior Member of the IEEE.  His other credentials include: ASQ-Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Certified Quality and Operational Excellence Manager, Certified Quality Engineer, Certified HACCP Auditor, and Certified Quality Auditor.  Shankar holds a Master of Manufacturing Systems Engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Electrical Engineering degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Shankar volunteers his time serving ASQ members as Chairman of the ASQ Pittsburgh Section and leader of the Lean Six Sigma and Healthcare special interest groups.

Timothy J. Lowe, Ph.D., is a senior instructor for PMCentersUSA and is the Chester Phillips Professor of Operations Management at the Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa. He has teaching and research interests in the areas of supply chain management and operations management. He received his BS and MS degrees in engineering from Iowa State University and his PhD in operations research from Northwestern University. Additionally, he has published more than 80 papers in leading journals in his field. Professor Lowe has worked as a project and process engineer for the Exxon Corporation and has served on the faculties of the University of Florida, Purdue University, and Pennsylvania State University. At Purdue, he served as the Director of Doctoral Programs and Research for the Krannert Graduate School of Management.

David Moake, PMP®, has business and training expertise that includes business strategy development and project implementation to improve quality, reduce costs, and improve speed to market. With more than 25 years of experience, David has led business and training initiatives in marketing, operational process improvements, change management, project management, and organizational design. Additionally, he has leveraged his vast experience to focus on the design and implementation of the Project Management Office (PMO). David's credentials include Master Trainer Certification, Professional Coach Certification, and PMP and Six Sigma Green Belt certifications. After completing his BA degree in Human Behavioral Sciences, he completed his MBA at Kennesaw State University in Georgia with Phi Kappa Phi Honors.

Peter J. Oxley, PMP®, is an instructor and project management consultant for PMCentersUSA.  He has more than 25 years of IT and business transformation experience from leading strategy development and implementation projects for business systems, data warehousing, warehousing and distribution operations, and business continuity and risk management. He has led more than 30 IT infrastructure, business system, engineering, and business process transformation projects across a range of business sectors including: automotive, transportation, supply chain management and electronic publishing. Peter’s early career was in engineering research and development followed by a move into general business management with the Land Rover group, where he led the new model introduction department for the aftermarket and service operations. In this role, Peter first became interested in the field of project management and developed a project process template, which subsequently was used for many Land Rover and later Jaguar Cars new model aftermarket introductions. Peter earned his degree in mechanical engineering from Liverpool University in the UK.  

Linda Schumacher, PMP®, is a Senior Instructor for PMCentersUSA. She has more than 20 years of business experience as a business analyst and project manager across a broad range of industry sectors. She has taught the PMCentersUSA curriculum nationwide since 2004. Linda has extensive experience with large-scale technology projects, especially in the financial and health insurance industries. In her career, she has had various roles including programmer, business analyst, technical team lead, consultant, and project manager. She has worked on a variety of types of systems, including marketing, accounting, document imaging, workflow management, data and systems conversions, and regulatory/compliance. A primary area of her expertise is the installation and customization of vendor software packages, both from the perspectives of a vendor and a corporate customer. Linda is the author of Ready, Set, Succeed! How Successful Projects Triumph over Business as Usual, published by Carscallen Press, Pittsburgh, PA, in 2004. Ms. Schumacher has a BA in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MS in Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Brian Vanderjack, PMP®, is an instructor for PMCentersUSA.  He has more than 10 years of hands-on project management experience working on large-scale IT projects for one of the nation's top telecommunications providers. During his time at the company, Brian earned the excellence in project management award and served as president of the Project Management Network, an organization dedicated to helping project managers become certified and increasing professionalism in the field of project management.  Before joining PMCentersUSA, Brian’s passion for effectively communicating business principles and teaching graduate-level project management and operations management classes earned him a faculty of the year award.  Brian holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a specialization in finance, which he earned with distinction from DePaul University.  He received his bachelor’s degree in computer science. 

Richard E. Wendell, PhD, is both a Senior Faculty Instructor for PMCentersUSA and a Professor of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. With more than 30 years of experience in operations research, decision theory and technology, and process and project management within industry and academia, he has considerable experience in executive and professional development education in the United States and internationally. Professor Wendell's research has focused on utilizing decision technologies to deal with complex situations involving risk management, multiple objectives and project speed-up decisions. In addition to his academic duties, he has served as a consultant to numerous financial, utility, manufacturing and banking firms. Professor Wendell has authored and coauthored more than 50 articles on decision technologies and co-authored PMCentersUSA's course, which is the first course in the PMCentersUSA Master's Certificate in Project Management curriculum. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and his PhD in Operations Research from Northwestern University.