Topic: Problem-Solving: The #1 Leadership Skill for Middle Managers.
Rob De La Espriella, BD3
Bio
Hometown: Palm City, FL
Education:
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BS – Civil Engineering, University of Miami (1983)
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Post-Graduate Studies – Nuclear Engineering, US Navy Nuclear Power Program (1985)
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Reactor Shift Supervisor - US Navy Nuclear Power Program (1986)
Experience:
Rob De La Espriella, a former US Navy nuclear submarine officer and pioneering Nuclear Quality Assurance expert, is the founder and CEO of DLE Technical Services, LLC. With a career spanning four decades, Rob has led or facilitated hundreds of audits, assessments, accident investigations, root cause analyses, and operational excellence initiatives for a diverse clientele, including commercial nuclear power plants, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Defense (DOD) installations, Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories, and facilities across the US Nuclear Weapons Complex.
Rob is a certified Kaizen Team Leader and a leading authority in solving complex and costly human and organizational performance (HOP) problems and accident/mishap investigations. His journey as a problem-solving subject matter expert began when he was part of the historic Florida Power & Light team that won the prestigious Deming Prize from Japan in 1989, a first for a company outside of Japan. His expertise is rooted in extensive training on methodologies such as Total Quality Management (TQM), Kepner Tregoe, Management Oversight Risk Tree (MORT), TapRoot, the Phoenix Method, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations' Human Performance Evaluation System (HPES), and Lean/Six Sigma.
For over three decades, Rob has continued to develop innovative approaches to evaluating costly and recurring human errors and organizational failures. He has driven improvement initiatives at nuclear utilities and DOE research institutions and his performance as an NRC Resident Inspector earned him multiple awards for leading investigations into complex operational breakdowns and quality assurance program issues. During his six-year tenure as a Nuclear Site Quality Manager, Rob's QA organization was recognized by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations as one of the strongest in the US for its ability to uncover deep-rooted problems that were compromising quality and nuclear safety.
Since 2007, Rob has been a trusted advisor to executive leadership teams at DOE national laboratories and the nuclear weapons complex, focusing on issues that undermine asset integrity and national security. His expertise has been sought after globally, with the World Association of Nuclear Operators enlisting his support for QA improvement initiatives in Slovenia and South Africa. Rob's transformative work on the QA organization at the Yucca Mountain Project earned him DOE honors, and he has developed comprehensive Quality Assurance Programs and implementing procedures for US corporations, and Schneider Electric in Switzerland.
In 2015, Rob revolutionized the industry with the creation of BlueDragon®, a groundbreaking virtual framework designed to eliminate the causes of costly human errors and recurring organizational problems in modern, high-tech work environments. Built on a foundation of critical thinking and systems theory, and powered by Artificial Intelligence, BlueDragon is a next-generation approach that integrates the best elements of traditional methodologies, incorporates Lean and Agile techniques to eliminate waste, and shatters traditional paradigms. The result is a system that reduces safety and quality issues, enhances enterprise performance, reduces operating costs, and creates true continuous improvement cultures.
Recognized as a thought leader, Rob is a sought-after speaker at Navy conferences and industry groups such as the American Society for Quality. For six years he was a recurring guest lecturer at Princeton University's Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. In 2023, Rob's exceptional achievements in helping countless businesses enhance their safety, quality, enterprise performance, and efficiency with modern, innovative, and practical solutions earned him a place in the prestigious Forbes Business Council.
Professional Interests:
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Developed a modern complex problem-solving methodology (BlueDragon)
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Conducting human and organizational performance (HOP) investigations
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Conducting accident/mishap investigations
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Developing and enhancing Quality Assurance Management Systems
Personal Interests:
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USTTA-Rated Table Tennis player
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College Football fan – Notre Dame
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Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships
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Dog lover
ASQ Involvement:
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ASQ Senior Member
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ASQ Government Division webinar
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ASQ LaCross-Winnona Chapter webinar
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ASQ Dallas-Ft. Worth Chapter webinar
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ASQ Energy & Environmental Division webinar
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ASQ Quality Management Division webinar
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ASQ Management Division webinar
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ASQ Audit Division Annual Conference (Reno, NV) presenter
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ASQ Philly Chapter webinar
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ASQ Education Division webinar
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ASQ Lean Six Sigma Annual Conference (Phoenix, AZ) presenter
Current Roles:
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CEO, DLE Technical Services, LLC
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Adjunct Professor at Endicott College, Beverly, MA
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Member of the Forbes Business Council (since 2023)
Attendee Learning Objectives:
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The high cost of recurring problems in modern operating and manufacturing environments.
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Introduction to a modern, scalable, 3-phased framework for solving costly, recurring Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) problems.
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Introduction to a virtual whiteboard where the organization can collaborate simultaneously during the problem-solving process.
Webinar Targeted Audience
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QA Auditors and Assessors and Engineers
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Quality Managers and above
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Personnel in leadership positions
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Personnel that aspire to be promoted to management
Location:
VIRTUAL
Cost / RUs:
This is a free event for ASQ members & guests.
0.1 RU/hour shall be awarded