Our Associates
We have recruited and found an elite, nationwide group of consultants who offers a broad range of services that are always customized to your needs. "Combining our 150-year network of consultants with our continuing, one-at-a-time search for additions to FM Smith & Associates family group," we assure our clients of a team committed to integrity, excellence, and quality.
Forrest M. Smith, MBA/TM, PMP, CIMP, MPM, CSGPM, Lean Six Sigma
Forrest M. Smith, the founder, has over 30 years of corporate and small business experience and has added tremendous value in each of his various assignments. He holds an MBA in Technology Management and is a certified Project Manager Professional
(PMP®) through the Project Management Institute (PMI®), a CIPM™ Certified International Project Manager™, MPM™ Master Project Manager™ through the American Academy of Project Management™, and a CSGPM™ Certified State Government Project Manager through the State of Arizona.
Smith and his associates help Clients assess their strategic priorities within the current business cycle to ensure their resources, policies, processes and procedures are precisely aligned to execute the mission.
As the Western Division Service Director, DMT, Pitney Bowes, Inc., he directed and managed the full P & L operational activities of six districts covering the 18 western United States, Texas to Hawaii. He used his knowledge in business and technology management, project management, Six Sigma and TQM to help Production Mail and Sortation Customers achieve their document management business goals.
Prior to joining Pitney Bowes, Inc., Smith worked with Xerox Corporation. There he gained over 20 years of field operations and systems engineering management experience. He focused on copier, facsimile, digital color, desktop, LAN / WAN / VPN, engineering, voice messaging exchange and production printing systems HW & SW technologies. Positions of responsibility held included: Field Manager, Branch Training Manager, District Quality Management Specialist, Region Contract Service Manager, Region Systems Engineering Manager, District Partner and Services Manager, Global Account Service Manager, etc.
While serving in these many positions, at times he was responsible for Customer relationships at the highest levels in Fortune 500 accounts. He attended numerous product, technical and entry, middle and senior level management courses. He received extensive training in organizational leadership, problem solving, Target Account Selling, Leadership Through Quality, Six Sigma and organizational development.
Smith launched new products, services and programs and received several awards for product and process improvement ideas in the areas of design, engineering, and functionality. He has served as project manager on numerous projects bringing them in on time, in scope and on budget. He also served as the XPLOR Event Technical Manager 1992 - 1995 and DocuWorld Event Technical Manager 1996 – 1997.
Smith studied at Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, University of California at Irvine, Arizona State University, and nine other colleges and universities. He is a member of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, the American Management Association, the Project Management Institute (PMI®), the American Academy of Project Management, the Institute of Management Consultants USA, the Business Process Management Institute, the PMI Consulting Special Interest Group (CSIG) and is the Vice President of Finance on the Board of Directors for the PMI-Phoenix Chapter, Inc.
Smith is also a decorated war veteran with two Battle Stars, the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, and several more. Smith runs seven miles daily, participates in full marathons, is an avid hiker, and enjoys tennis and golf.
Evelyn D. Robertson, Ed. D.
Dr. Evelyn D. Robertson, founder of the consulting firm Robertson and Associates, is an organization change consultant with experience assisting large organizations in designing and implementing strategic change and tactical business improvement strategies. She is experienced in the successful development of innovative programs as well as the implementation of targeted leadership, management, and change strategies.
A scholar-practitioner, Dr. Robertson uses an approach rooted in strong business ethics, a commitment to knowledge transfer and a focus on improved bottom line results. Her functional areas of expertise include knowledge management, total quality management, organization change, training and development, and diversity management.
Previously she held numerous management positions at Xerox Corporation in areas including sales, marketing, and executive consulting, culminating in program management with worldwide responsibility at the Xerox Leadership Institute. In her last position with Xerox, she assisted in the design and implementation of a corporate knowledge management initiative, corporate diversity initiative, guided global corporate programs to assess and prepare emerging leaders for senior level positions and was responsible for leadership development research, planning, and implementation.
Robertson has consulted with numerous organizations including Beckman Coulter, Xerox, Southern California Edison, Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Hughes Aircraft/Hughes Missile Systems, Lockheed Martin, University of Southern California, Northrop, Solectron, San Diego International Airport, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Port of Long Beach, Northeastern Regional Hospital, Ameritech, Sun MicroSystems, Compaq, Kinko’s, Salomon Brothers, Irvine Ranch Water District, Port of San Diego, Philip Morris, LA Unified School District, and Xerox China Limited.
A frequent speaker, Dr. Robertson has appeared before groups such as Bell Laboratories, Disney Imagineering, US Dept of the Navy, University of California Irvine, National Educational Services, Donnelly Information Publishing, Kaiser Permanente Hospital, Alpha Graphics, Association of California School Administrators, and Baker, Hostetler, McCutchen & Black Law Firm. Dr. Robertson is an adjunct professor in the Organizational Leadership doctoral program at Pepperdine University.
Robertson earned an Ed.D. in Organization Change (2001) and a M.B.A. (1995) both from Pepperdine University (Malibu, California), and a B.Sc. in Business from University of Washington (Seattle). Her doctoral dissertation researched a “Comparative Analyses of Knowledge Management Practices in a United States of America High-Technology Multi-National Corporation Located in the People’s Republic of China and High Technology Firms in the U.S. Silicon Valley.”
Mike Levesque, B.S., PMP®
Mike Levesque brings over twenty years of practical experience in the discipline of project management. Additionally, he has over ten years of classroom experience in adult education and serves as adjunct faculty for Capstone Development International, The American Management Association, The International Institute for Learning, and is a former USAF Master Instructor. He is also an active member of both the Dallas and Fort Worth Chapters of the Project Management Institute.
As a project director, Mike has successfully planned and executed projects of varying complexity with budgets in the multi-million dollar range. His knowledge in developing project management methodologies, critical chain project management, risk management, resource management, establishing long-term customer relations, organizational dynamics, change management, and instructional system design have been essential factors for the increasing demand for his services by clients.
Applying his worldwide experiences in management and training, Mike creates practical, results-oriented approaches for defining and delivering desired client results. Innovative needs analysis techniques and established methodology have allowed him to guide leading organizations in business, industry and government through the difficult stages of goals definition, planning, and schedule analysis to achieve timely and cost effective programs. Mike’s list of clients and employers includes PEMEX, J.P. Morgan Chase, General Electric, USAF Red Horse, Nokia, Alcon Labs, National Instruments, and Brinker International.
Mike is a retired United States Air Force officer with over twenty years service to his country. Serving in both the enlisted and officer ranks, he was assigned to duty stations throughout the United States and around the world. Mr. Levesque is a veteran of the Viet Nam conflict and Desert Shield/Storm.
In addition to certification as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute, Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree from Regis University in Technical Management. He has an additional degree in Electronics Technology and has continued to advance his education with courses in time management, production control, inventory management, master planning, capacity planning, computer programming, ISO 9000 auditor procedures, interactive management, academic counseling, instructional systems development, test and measurement.
Richard Johnson B.S., A.S., Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Richard Johnson is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with business process consulting experience at large organizations in industries such as finance, public sector, aero-space and automobile. He is experienced in the successful completion of Lean Six Sigma projects in Customer service and transactional services.
A proponent of total quality principles with 25 years of management experience, Richard uses his analytical and systems thinking skills to analyze, design, and/or re-engineer business processes so that process outputs meet business goals.
Previously Richard held numerous management positions at Xerox Corporation including field service, district support, business operations, district manager, global accounts, culminating in Headquarters Lean Six Sigma Black working out of Rochester, New York.
Richard has worked on Lean Six Sigma projects at General Motors (Detroit), Washington Mutual (Seattle), Xerox (Hawaii), and Washington State Printer. He is a six year Army vet as a Nike Hercules missile fire distribution systems repairman and a crew chief on Chaparral Mobile-missile launcher. He is also a certified personal-trainer and indoor-cycling instructor at Bally Total Fitness.
In addition to certification as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt by Xerox Corporation, Richard has a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Phoenix in Business Information Systems. He has an Associate of Science degree in Electronics Technology from Compton College. Richard also has various certificates of completion in courses such as introduction to Project Management, service driven organizations, work group development, Leadership Through Quality, and Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award auditor training.
Michael Hunt, Entrepreneur: TSA-USA
Michael’s experience combines twenty nine years of corporate experience with fourteen years of managing his own businesses. This wide range of business knowledge allows him to bring valuable benefits to our clients. As a small business entrepreneur, he is very familiar with meeting a payroll. He has spent years refining the art of balancing the demands of Customers, employees, and productivity, and meeting the bottom line.
As a consultant, Michael works with Customers from Portland, Maine to Seattle, Washington; organizations with staffs ranging from 500 to 100,000. He has worked with a wide variety of organizational types including school districts, State departments, retail, wholesale, hospitals, insurance, entertainment, prison systems, and law enforcement.
During Michael’s employment with Xerox Corporation he held various positions in technical service, training, and management. As the Southwest District Service Program and Planning Manager (SPPM) he coordinated National and Regional service programs. Michael was one of the first SPPMs in the country to work with cross-functional managers in the development and implementation of Corporate and local strategies.
Michael continues his quest for self-improvement. He has studied at Glendale Community College, the University of Arizona, and Arizona State University. Over the years he has attended numerous training sessions and seminars in the discipline of Total Quality Management and Leadership through Quality, through Xerox Corporation and the Association for Services Management.
His experiences have developed a passion in him to discover the most efficient and cost effective methods for his Customers to meet their documentation needs.
Darrell Member, B.S., PMP®
Darrell holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Penn State University and has a Graduate Focus in Corporate Communications from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He has been a member of PMI since 2001 and PMP certified since March 2005. He was previously employed at Honeywell as a Leader of Human Resources Data and Technology where he received his Six Sigma Greenbelt certification in 2001 and DFSS certification in 2004 and has helped others obtain certification. During his time, he has outsourced call center operations to India, trained courses in person, over the internet and created recorded training presentation for the HR Community; developed, reviewed and tested HR systems covering performance and development, staffing, background investigations, compensation, ERP, reporting and analytics. His efforts have led to measurable process improvements and a total company savings over $2 million.
Darren R. Lavelle, MBA, Six Sigma Blackbelt
Darren is a highly qualified service delivery executive offering over 15 years of customer-facing experience to support leadership development, project management, process improvement and strategic planning initiatives for logistics, transportation management, mail and multi-vendor service clients.
He spent the past 13 years with the Pitney Bowes Corporation in field engineering and technical management roles. Most recently, as vice president of customer service, he led a team of 160 sales and service professionals in support of a $35 million regional business unit.
Prior to this assignment, as director of consulting services, he launched the first Pitney Bowes Customer Service professional services delivery organization. He also led the systems engineering and project management organizations while overseeing the technical and customer call centers. Mr. Lavelle is a six sigma trained black belt and has a strong track record of analyzing and improving processes to drive efficiency and productivity gains.
A native of Los Angeles, California, Darren graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business Administration. He earned his MBA from the University of Arizona.
Juan Pablo Chalarca, BS, MSL
A highly motivated and experienced Process Improvement executive, JP has a variety of qualifications, skills and attributes that, when put to work, will improve the efficiency of your operation and streamline your business processes. Over the span of his 15 year career, JP has worked with businesses and organizations in Europe and across the United States, changing the way they work, improving their processes and demanding an improvement to their efficiencies and their bottom line.
Whether operating in a fast paced, deadline driven environment such as the banking system, or working in the people heavy, overly bureaucratic government sector, JP has always been able to identify issues and help organizations manage their resources in an effective, economical and efficient manner. His broad experience has given him a base knowledge in many areas of Process Improvement and Change Management, but JP has four specific areas of expertise that could help improve your bottom line.
Executive Communication Coaching - More effective communication from senior executives can lead to improved efficiencies throughout a business; simple miscommunication issues often lead to wasted resources. More positive public speaking can engender confidence, trust and belief in an organization, leading to improved efficiencies from an energized workforce.
Strategic planning sessions – The opportunities afforded by strategic business planning sessions are often wasted by poor session leadership and direction. With the help of an experienced facilitator these invaluable planning sessions proceed with direction, following a logical course that will lead to concrete results and tangible output, giving your business the direction it needs to move forward.
Improvement of people-heavy processes – The greatest organizational inefficiencies usually occur when too many people are involved in a process and each person has his or her “own way” of doing their job. Whether your business is customer care, sales, training, or professional development, JP has experience in maximizing efficiencies and reducing waste in all areas of operation by leveraging technology and standardizing processes.
Organizational Cultural Transitions – When you develop an understanding of an organization’s current culture, you can better understand the environmental changes that influence it. JP will then compare it to your desired culture and formulate plans to manage that transition, either by managing the expectations of employees or by limiting the impact of external environmental factors, or most likely a combination of both.
In addition to his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Florida (yes, JP is a ‘Gator’), JP gained a Masters Degree in Organizational Change & Leadership, honing his expertise in productivity, process improvement, strategic planning and implementing & managing change programs. He is also a Certified Project Manager and was certified by Bank of America as a Lean and Design for Six Sigma specialist. When not working, JP enjoys practicing his culinary skills, riding his motorbike, keeping fit and playing with his Chihuahuas!
Arthur Kenjora, President and CEO of Aware Labs LLC Jeff Peck, MBA Finance, PMP Peck has been very active with Habitat for Humanity, on the Board of Directors for the Phoenix Chapter of PMI, has traversed the Grand Canyon, completed in the USTA 4.5 Nationals, ran marathons in Orange County and New York and compete in cycling events.
Kenjora is an entrepreneur and business analyst with professional experience in project management, product implementation, and corporate finance. Arthur holds a Bachelors of Science in Economics from Arizona State University, where he has held several professional memberships including President of Student Economics Association (SEA). Recently he has held several positions with the Phoenix Chapter Project Management Institute (PMI) serving as VP of Membership. Arthur is currently a charter board member volunteer establishing the Phoenix chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), where he has held the VP of Programs and VP of Marketing and Communications positions. His volunteerism in professional organizations stems from his entrepreneurial spirit and energy. Arthur takes the fear out of technology by providing his customers effective business analysis and leadership on a foundation of experience required to attain customer goals.
Peck has been in Project Management for over 20 years working with small to large firms helping improve their overall IT ERP efficiencies, directing CRM operational flows and assisting all levels of management to become leaner organizations. With an MBA focus in Finance, a degree in Accounting and being a certified PMP most of his efforts over the last 8 years has been to direct IT projects that are based on the implementation of financial software in the manufacturing sector. This would involve activities from estimating to job costing to recoding all financial activities and then generating high level financial reporting. Peck has also been involved in other industries like healthcare, retail, wholesale, legal and government work. Prior career engagements have been to serve as Operations Manager with an assigned 2.5 million dollar budget with a large healthcare organization and direct many of the internal projects to improve operation efficiencies. He served as the Finance Manager for Real Estate with an assigned 6.5 million dollar budget with a large retail chain and lead internal projects to improve financial performance. Peck also was involved in Sales Management directing sales teams and creating project improvements to achieve corporate sales goals.
