Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast

Your 2026 IISE Annual Conference Preview: 3 Voices to Know Before You Go
What makes this year’s IISE Annual Conference and Expo a must-attend event?
In this special preview episode of Problem Solved, we bring you insights from three featured voices who are shaping conversations across industrial and systems engineering:
Laura Albert (University of Wisconsin–Madison) on why this is a consequential moment for ISE and why it’s time to stop being a “well-kept secret” 
Jennifer Van Buskirk (AT&T) on leading transformation inside one of the world’s most complex systems and how ISEs are uniquely built for it 
Doug Melton (Pre-Conference Workshop, Engineering Unleashed) on developing an entrepreneurial mindset and creating value in any context 
From the future of the field, to industry impact, to putting the mindset into action, get your first look at the ideas waiting for you in Arlington. 

IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2026
May 16–19 | Arlington, Texas

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
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Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email [email protected]

How do you design a hospital that feels warm, human, and even joyful while balancing the complex systems that keep it running?
In this episode of Problem Solved, we take you inside one of the most advanced pediatric hospitals in the country, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital.
From simulation labs that test systems, to technology that connects families in critical moments, to robots that deliver supplies, this facility is redefining what healthcare can look like.

Walk through the hospital with our group and sit in on conversations with leaders Michelle Tillis (CNIO & VP, IS&T) and Jason Skelley (Director Information Systems Business Partnership) as we explore how teams are balancing standardization and customization, and how new opportunities for improvement are emerging. 

Thank you to the entire team at Children's and to our guides Kristen Bowman, Felicia Reynders, and Megan Difiore.

Learn more about the HSPI Conference sponsored by Society for Health Systems
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok
Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email [email protected]

Coming soon:
How do you design a hospital that feels warm, human, and even joyful while balancing the complex systems that keep it running?
In this episode of Problem Solved, we take you inside one of the most advanced pediatric hospitals in the country, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital.
From simulation labs that test systems, to technology that connects families in critical moments, to robots that deliver supplies, this facility is redefining what healthcare can look like.

Walk through the hospital with our group and sit in on conversations with leaders Michelle Tillis (CNIO & VP, IS&T) and Jason Skelley (Director Information Systems Business Partnership) as we explore how teams are balancing standardization and customization, and how new opportunities for improvement are emerging. 

Thank you to the entire team at Children's and to our guides Kristen Bowman, Felicia Reynders, and Megan Difiore.

Learn more about the HSPI Conference sponsored by Society for Health Systems
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok
Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email [email protected]

Decision Science: The Systems Behind Billion-Dollar Site Selection with Ramya Gowda
When companies decide where to build, expand, or relocate, that single decision shapes everything that follows - hiring, productivity, supply chains, cost, and long-term risk.
But how do organizations actually make those decisions?
In this episode of Problem Solved, we sit down with Ramya Gowda, Managing Director at Newmark, where she leads strategic consulting in site selection, location strategy, and labor analytics. Ramya helps global corporations evaluate potential locations and make some of the most consequential decisions in their organizations.
Using industrial and systems engineering principles, Ramya and her team apply decision science, data modeling, and systems thinking to compare locations across hundreds of factors, from workforce availability and infrastructure to logistics networks, environments, and long-term resilience.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
• How companies evaluate potential locations for manufacturing plants, offices, and data centers
 • Why site selection is really an upstream systems decision that affects everything downstream
 • How decision models translate complex data into board-ready recommendations
 • Why relationships with communities and economic development organizations matter
 • The skills industrial engineers need to work in location strategy and consulting
Ramya also shares how industrial and systems engineering prepares professionals to solve complex problems across industries—not just in manufacturing.
Read some of Ramay's articles:
https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/the-geography-of-packaging-why-location-strategy-matters-more-than-ever.shtml
 
https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q3-2025/the-site-selection-corporate-checklist.shtml
 
https://www.areadevelopment.com/manufacturing-industrial/q2-2025/get-your-mega-site-project-ready.shtml
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok
Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email [email protected]

Decision Science: The Systems Behind Billion-Dollar Site Selection with Ramya Gowda
When companies decide where to build, expand, or relocate, that single decision shapes everything that follows - hiring, productivity, supply chains, cost, and long-term risk.
But how do organizations actually make those decisions?
In this upcomiong episode of Problem Solved, we sit down with Ramya Gowda, Managing Director at Newmark, where she leads strategic consulting in site selection, location strategy, and labor analytics. Ramya helps global corporations evaluate potential locations and make some of the most consequential decisions in their organizations.
Using industrial and systems engineering principles, Ramya and her team apply decision science, data modeling, and systems thinking to compare locations across hundreds of factors, from workforce availability and infrastructure to logistics networks, environments, and long-term resilience.

Read some of Ramay's articles:
https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/the-geography-of-packaging-why-location-strategy-matters-more-than-ever.shtml
 
https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q3-2025/the-site-selection-corporate-checklist.shtml
 
https://www.areadevelopment.com/manufacturing-industrial/q2-2025/get-your-mega-site-project-ready.shtml
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok
Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email [email protected]