Manu K. Vora, Ph.D., M.B.A., ASQ CQE

Manu Vora is Chairman and President of Business Excellence, Inc., a global management consulting services firm. He has over 30 years of leadership experience in telecommunications and chemical processing industries. His areas of expertise and experience include customer satisfaction, continuous process improvement, leadership development, employee engagement, operational performance, problem solving, benchmarking, organizational assessment using quality management models, and diversity management. He is an American Society for Quality (ASQ) Fellow and Certified Quality Engineer (CQE). Manu served as a Chief Judge at the Illinois Team Excellence Award Program from 1993-1999.

Manu holds an M.B.A. with Marketing Management from Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago, M.S. & Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Banaras Hindu University in India. From 1993 to 2005, as an Adjunct Professor he taught "Quality Management" and "Supply Chain Management" in the MBA Program at the Stuart School of Business at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Currently Manu is an Adjunct Professor at the College of Business, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb where he teaches "Management of Information Systems Technology" and "Operations Management". Manu has taught ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) preparation classes at AT&T Bell Laboratories (now Lucent Technologies), to create 89 CQEs. Manu is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS) Program at the Broome Community College in Binghamton in New York.

Manu has published in Total Quality Management Journal (UK), The TQM Magazine (UK), ASQ Quality Engineering Journal, ASQ Quality Progress Magazine, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Journal, and India Abroad newspaper. He has also published in energy engineering periodicals such as Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil, and International Petroleum Encyclopedia. Manu has made over 230 presentations around the world in Caribbean & Central America (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Nicaragua), Europe (Ireland, Italy), Far East (India - Bangalore,chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Mysore & Pune; Korea; and Thailand), Latin America (Chile, Peru), Middle East (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, & Sharjah), and USA. He is a sought after speaker on business excellence and quality management topics to local, regional, national and international audiences.

Manu is very active in community and civic service. Since 1989, he is serving as the Founding Director and President of the Blind Foundation for India (BFI). Since 1991, BFI has raised over $3.5 Million to perform 95,000 free cataract operations, donated 83 mobile vans for conducting eye camps and distributed 9,500 Braille kits to blind children and helped over a million visually impacted people in India. He also served as a Chair of "Save The Children Holiday Fund Drive" at AT&T Bell Laboratories/Lucent Technologies from 1986 through 1999 sponsoring 52 children in 19 countries around the world.

• American Society for Quality - ASQ (1988 - Present)
  • Vice Chair, Technical Program & Recognition, Northern Illinois Quality Conference, 2005-present.
  • Vice-Chair, Technical Program, Costa Rica Quality Conference 2005 , San Jose, Costa Rica, 2004-2005.
  • Vice-Chair, Technical Program & Recognition, Northern Illinois Quality Conference, 2004.
  • Co-Chair, Technical Program, 3rd Latin American Quality Conference , Managua, Nicaragua, 2003-2004.
  • Advisor, ASQ Information Integrity Interest Group, 2003-present.
  • Vice Chair, Technical Program, 2nd Latin American Quality Conference , Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 2002-2003.
  • Fellow Process Coach , National Examining Committee, 2002-Present.
  • Vice President, National Board of Directors, 2000-2002.
  • Member, Strategic Planning Team, ASQ National, 2001-2002, 2000-2001, 1997-1998.
  • Vice Chair, ASQ "Investing in Quality" Capital Campaign, 1999-2001.
  • Team Leader, ASQ "Volunteer Leader Recognition" process, 1998-1999.
  • National Director, ASQ Board of Directors, 1996-2000.
  • Technical Session Leader, ASQ Annual Quality Congress (AQC), 1994-2003.
  • Advancement Program Chair, ASQ International Chapter, 1994-2002.
  • Vice-Chair, Recognition, Northern Illinois Quality Conference, 1997-present.
  • General Chair, ASQ 50th Annual Quality Congress Site Committee, Chicago, 1995-1996.
  • Member, Executive Board, ASQ Chicago Section, 1989-present.
  • Director, ASQ Chicago Section, 1995-1996.
  • Chairperson, Recognition and Awards, ASQ Chicago Section, 1995-1996.
  • Chairperson, ASQ Chicago Section, 1994-1995.
  • Vice-Chair, Section Affairs, ASQ Chicago Section, 1993-1994.
  • Member, ASQ Certification Board, 1989-1994.
  • Chairperson, ASQ Certification Process Improvement Subcommittee, 1990-1994.
  • Chairperson, ASQ Certified Mechanical Inspector Subcommittee, 1992.
  • Member, ASQ Certification Process Recognition Subcommittee, 1992.
  • Member, Mixed Media Review Board, ASQ Quality Press, 1990-present.
  • Member, Editorial Review Board, ASQ Quality Progress magazine, 1989-present.
  • Member, Standing Review Board, ASQ Quality Press, 1988-present.
  • Member, National Quality Month Midwest Planning Committee, 1989-1995.
  • Chief Proctor, ASQ Chicago Section Professional Examinations, 1989-1990.
• Information Integrity Coalition (1997-present)
  • Member, Board of Directors (July 2007 -present).
  • Secretary, Board of Directors (June 2008 -present).
  • Chair, Excellence in Information Integrity (EII) Awards Program (2007-present).
• Illinois Team Excellence Award Program (1992-1999)
  • Steering Committee Member, 1992-1997.
  • Chairperson, Judges' Selection and Training, 1993-1999.
  • Chief Judge (Regionals and Finals) - 1993-1999.
• Naperville School District 203 (1995-1997)
  • Lead organizer, Baldrige Assessment in Education
  • Member, Leadership gap improvement category team
• Total Quality Management & Business Excellence Journal, UK (1999-Present)
  • Member of International Editorial Review Board, TQM Journal
• The TQM Magazine, UK (2003-Present)
  • Member of Editorial Advisory Board, The TQM Magazine
• The 8th World Congress for TQM , Dubai, UAE (2003)
  • Invited Keynote Speaker , October 6-8, 2003.
  • Contributory Sessions Chairman, October 6-8, 2003.
• The 7th World Congress for TQM, Verona, Italy (2002)
  • Invited Keynote Speaker, June 26, 2002.
  • Contributory Session Speaker, June 27, 2002.
  • Quality Culture Session Chairman, June 25-26, 2002.
• The International Petroleum Encyclopedia, USA (1980)
  • Invited Staff Editor
• American Chemical Society (1973-1982)
  • Member, Awards Committee, ACS Chicago Section, 1979-1981

• President, Pratham Chicago, 2009-present.
• Chair, IIT Alumni Awards Judging Team, Illinois Intsitute of Technology, Chicago, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
• Volunteer, Tsunami Relief Program, March 2005.
• Coordinator, India Earthquake Relief Program, 2001.
• Executive Director, GOSUMEC Foundation, 2000-present.
• Life Member, Lucent Technologies Pioneers, 2000-present.
• Chairperson, Community Service Team, Asian American Association for Advancement (4A), Lucent Technologies. 1997-1999.
• President and Founding Director, Blind Foundation for India (BFI), 1989-present.
• Chairperson, Save The Children Holiday Fund Drive, AT&T Bell Laboratories/Lucent Technologies, 1986-1999.
• Member, Board of Trustees, Avery Coonley School, Downers Grove, 1988-1991.
• President, Morvi Flood Relief Fund, Chicago, 1978.
• Chairperson, New & Used Clothing Drive for India, Chicago, 1976-1978.
• Chairperson, India Community League, Chicago, 1973-1982.
• Chairperson, India Famine Relief Work, Chicago, 1973.
• Vice President, Membership, Federation of India Student Associations, Chicago, 1970-1972.
• Treasurer, India Defense Fund, Chicago, 1970.
• Treasurer, East Pakistani (now Bangladesh) Refugee Relief Fund, Chicago, 1969.