Michael Winger

Michael’s lifelong commitment to innovation has allowed him to traverse many different arenas in his career. He began his corporate career in Eastman Kodak Company’s marketing organization and later joined Kodak’s Office of Innovation as an Innovation Facilitator, where he pioneered the unique OI process to the company’s sales organizations. He traveled worldwide, assessing various markets for Kodak, serving as a liaison between marketing and product development. He then became Worldwide Launch Coordinator for the AccuMax product family.

Following his career at Kodak, Michael helped grow a two-person consultancy to a corporation with offices worldwide specializing in business innovation and marketing communications. He played a major role in clients’ strategic initiatives and management leadership, resulting in new business ventures, substantial cost savings, and new patents filed. He has worked extensively with Amoco Corporation, Bausch & Lomb, Eastman Kodak, Hallmark Cards, Freddie Mac, Mobil Chemical Company, Science Applications International Corporation, Xerox Corporation, U.S. Air Force, US Navy, the Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Due to Michael’s dedication and trust with senior Air Force leadership, Michael was asked to serve with the Executive Steering Group for the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Organizational Evaluation and Awards. Michael played a significant role as leading facilitator of the contract team that assisted the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Long Range Planning activity. This, in turn, lead to his role as Senior Consultant for the reengineering of the Air Force’s largest Command Headquarters, Air Combat Command (ACC). This initiative involved the reengineering of the entire 5,000 person headquarters with a team of 25 government members and 15 consultants.

Following the success of the ACC initiative, Michael was asked to again provide leadership consulting for the reengineering of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, the classified test center where the Air Force designs testing and evaluation for improved and emerging weapons systems. He then served as a lead consultant to the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Transformation effort as part of the greater efforts of the USAF Materiel Command.

Michael’s other change management experience includes reengineering of Eastman Kodak’s marketing communications collateral media organization which resulted in a 65% cycle time reduction and a 40% cost reduction; reengineering of Xerox Corporation’s Corporate Communications; reengineering the technical operations for Mobil Chemical Company; and, process redesign of competency-based career ladders for the Office of Management and Administration of the Department of Energy. Other activities include the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard at the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Corrections of the Bureau of Prisons, and, executive coaching and organizational development work with Freddie Mac, Hallmark Cards and Hob Enterprises in Kenya.

In 1998, Michael co-founded NEW DIRECTIONS, N.A., a consulting firm focused on Strategies for Cultural Integration to bring diverse communities together to develop strategic alignment and common purpose for both the public and private sector. Much of Michael’s activities involve executive coaching, strategic planning, change management and technology management.

In 2003, Michael led his corporation into the dynamic world of engineering outsourcing and began another corporate endeavor for New Directions in providing engineering staff augmentation for the telecommunications and oil and gas industries. New Directions has successfully provided on-going support to Bechtel Corporation, Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile and Shaw Engineering.

Michael’s commitment to diversity is evidenced by his numerous professional activities including his assistance in the development of strategic focus for Non-Governmental Organizations on the status of women worldwide, for presentation to the UN General Assembly. Michael also serves with various organizations that promote racial unity and the equality of women and men. He has provided strategic consulting to the Tahirih Justice Center, who provides legal support to abused international women seeking immigration status in the US.

Michael is a writer and accomplished speaker: Technology Transfer: The Integration of Technology, Business Acumen, and Human Dynamics, presented at Carnegie-Mellon University; Delineating Entrepreneur’s Styles: Application of Adaption-Innovation Subscales, Psychological Reports; Entrepreneurs: Who are they and how do we find them? Presented at the International Creativity and Innovation Conference; Adaptors and Innovators: Partners and Opposites, Proceedings of the Organizational Development Network Conference: The Innovation Imperative talks at Oxford University, Cambridge University, and University of London, 2012. Michael’s book, Friendship, Fellowship and Transformation, published by George Ronald Publishing, Spring, 2015, his first book, Innovation Imperative: Your Future Depends on It, 2009, and, his last book, Journey of Ascent, published on Kindle November, 2015.

Please visit his photography website: www.thenaturaleye.us