Performance Improvement Archives

Improving Organizational Performance, with Deb Page, The Institute for Performance Improvement

May 19, 2025 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Improving Organizational Performance, with Deb Page, The Institute for Performance Improvement

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Improving Organizational Performance, with Deb Page, The Institute for Performance Improvement (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 872)

In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray interviews Deb Page, the president of The Institute for Performance Improvement. Deb shares her insights on how organizations can navigate complex challenges, particularly focusing on the role of performance improvement facilitators. She discusses her journey from being a high school teacher to becoming a leader in HR, training, and corporate universities. Deb explains the importance of developing effective processes and building trust among team members to drive organizational success. She highlights the certification program offered by her institute, which equips individuals with the skills needed to facilitate performance improvement within their organizations. The episode also features real success stories and reflects on the significance of understanding and addressing the root causes of underperformance.

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Deb Page, CEO and President, The Institute for Performance Improvement

**Deb Page, Institute for Performance Improvement**

Deb Page, CPT, CPIF, HPLJ, co-founded The Institute for Performance Improvement in 2010 to provide training and certification for performance improvement facilitators.

Deb and Dr. Judith Hale researched the practices of highly effective professionals who guide collaborative performance improvement and codified and validated performance standards which are the basis of the Certified Performance Improvement Facilitator™ and Certified School Improvement Specialist™ certifications and related development programs.

As a senior executive for a Fortune 20 company, Deb led human capital management, quality management, and performance improvement. She led the start-up of the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement.

Her book The School Improvement Specialist Field Book (2013) was co-authored by Dr. Judith Hale and received the ISPI Outstanding Communication Award. She is a Certified Performance Technologist and earned the Brinkerhoff High Performance Learning Journey global certification in 2018.

The Institute for Performance Improvement

The Institute for Performance Improvement is a woman-owned business founded in 2012. It is comprised of performance improvement specialists dedicated to developing, certifying, and supporting performance improvement facilitators.

These facilitators include professionals in corporate, government, military, and non-profit organizations who are responsible for guiding collaborative performance improvement. The Institute also specializes in training and certifying K-12 school improvement specialists who support the nation’s lowest-performing schools.

The most common question asked by those trained by the Institute is, “Why have I not had this training earlier in my career?” Participants frequently praise the Institute’s training as the most effective and useful in their careers.

Website | LinkedIn

Topics Discussed in this Episode

0:00 Introduction to North Fulton Business Radio
01:54 Meet Deb Page: President of The Institute for Performance Improvement
04:20 Deb Page’s Journey and Passion for Performance Improvement
06:08 Understanding Performance Improvement
09:37 The Role of Culture and Workplace in Performance
14:57 Facilitating Performance Improvement
20:19 Understanding Performance Improvement Solutions
20:53 The Role of Training and Development
21:59 Challenges in Organizational Development
24:13 Qualities of a Good Facilitator
25:13 Overview of the Certification Program
30:55 Success Stories and Impact
33:36 Conclusion and Contact Information
35:20 Final Thoughts and Announcements

About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray

With over 860 shows and having featured over 1,300 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!

The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their market, community, and profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.

John Ray, host of North Fulton Business Radio, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors — **John Ray, host of *North Fulton Business Radio*, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors**

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, and it is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.

John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

John is the national bestselling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.

Arizona Technology Council with Steve Zylstra Bob Witwer David Lee and Eric Miller

June 12, 2019 by Karen

Arizona-Technology-Council-with-David-Lee-Eric-Miller-Steve-Zylstra-and-Bob-Witwer2

Phoenix Business Radio

Arizona Technology Council with Steve Zylstra Bob Witwer David Lee and Eric Miller

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Arizona Technology Council with Steve Zylstra Bob Witwer David Lee and Eric Miller

The Arizona Technology Council is the driving force behind making Arizona the fastest-growing technology hub in the nation by connecting and empowering the state’s technology community.

As Arizona’s premier trade association for science and technology companies, the Council is recognized as representing a diverse and professional business community. That has contributed to its growing into the largest technology council in North America. Its mission is to promote, advocate, educate, inform and connect members and their enterprises.

Listen in with Host Karen Nowicki and members of the Arizona Technology Council Steve Zylstra Bob Witwer David Lee and Eric Miller as they discuss the surge in innovation, growth and attraction of technology-based industries to Arizona and what that means for our economy.

Steven G. Zylstra, age 65, serves as president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, a role he assumed in December of 2007. He is responsible for strategy, development, and accomplishment of policy development business goals and objectives and all financial matters related to the Council.

Zylstra is a leading advocate for improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. As a spokesman for the value technology can provide in raising social and economic standards in Arizona, he was named “Leader of the Year, Technology,” by the Arizona Capitol Times, a “Most Admired Leader” by the Phoenix Business Journal, and “Executive of the Year” by the Arizona Society of Association Executives (AzSAE).

Prior to serving as President of the Arizona Technology Council, Zylstra served as president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, Catalyst Connection and the Pittsburgh Biomedical Development Corporation, an affiliated organization of the Pittsburgh Technology Council that invested in start-up biomedical and biotechnology companies.

Connect with Steven on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Bob Witwer retired in 2017 after 40 years with Honeywell. He was the Vice President of Advanced Technology for Honeywell Aerospace for the last 8 years of his career, responsible for defining and implementing the technology strategy for Honeywell Aerospace’s entire product portfolio.

Bob has a passion for STEM and has engaged with hundreds of Arizona students over the last two decades to share that passion. He has also taught adult classes on leadership, innovation, human-centered design, and aircraft avionics.

Bob was Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Arizona Technology Council for 3 years, is the current Board Chairman of the Az Tech Council Foundation (aka SciTech Institute), and is on the Advisory Board for the Northern Arizona University School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems.

A pillar in the Arizona business community since 1986, MSS Business Transformation has guided organizations through foundational business and digital transformation in a quickly changing technology landscape, while helping them evolve their cultural identity. MSS leverages a holistic approach adapted to each unique organization to meet their strategic goals and objectives as we extend your business knowledge with our depth of expertise.

David Lee is a truly global executive who has helped build agile, responsive organizations at Fortune 500 and global enterprises, state & city government, and a Big 10 University among others. He has led transformation, facilitated innovation, and taught change management techniques across five continents and 60 countries.

David speaks and facilitates advanced programs on topics related to transformation and innovation including Responsive Change, Mature Innovation, Customer-Centric Strategy, and High Performance Team Development. He is a founding member of Responsive Org (Phoenix), and on advisory councils at Thunderbird, the School for Global Management at Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University, and Norther Arizona University.

Connect with David on LinkedIn.

PADT is an engineering product and services company that helps customers who develop physical products by providing Numerical Simulation, Product Development, and 3D Printing solutions. PADT’s worldwide reputation for technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of building long-term win-win partnerships.

The company was founded in 1994 in Tempe, Arizona by PADT Co-founders and Principals Eric Miller, Ward Rand and Rey Chu. The group started the company because they saw the promise of driving product development through the proper application of simulation and 3D printing tools early in the design process. Today, PADT is dedicated to providing a full spectrum of simulation services to its customers and is the only ANSYS engineering simulation software Elite Channel Partner covering the entire Southwest.

PADT inserts innovation into all that it does, whether that is helping NASA get to deep space, introducing the first 3D Printing factory in the Southwest, or helping the local technology community grow. The company was founded on the idea of being the premier provider of “making innovation work,” and it takes a true innovator to hold to that promise for 25 years.

With over 90 employees, 80 of whom are in Tempe, PADT services customers from its headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park and from offices in California, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah.

As an industry veteran of 33 years, Eric Miller has perfected a diverse set of skills that he implements as co-founder and principal of Tempe-based PADT. His role encompasses oversight of simulation and product development consulting, IT, marketing, operations, human resources and administration.

Miller graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He began his career as a summer intern at Lockheed doing design work on satellite subsystems. After college, Miller provided simulation and process improvement services to Garrett Turbine Engines in Phoenix (now Honeywell) for a total of eight years.

Miller is not only a successful businessman and engineer but also a mentor to start-ups and small businesses. He often speaks on the use of simulation to drive product development, as well as the effective application of 3D printing. Eric also serves on the board of directors at the Arizona Technology Council, the BioAccel Advisory Council, the screening committee of Arizona Technology Investors and is a mentor for the Arizona Commerce Authority’s Venture Ready program.

Miller writes a weekly column for the Phoenix Business Journal’s TechFlash section, and recently published his first book, “Better Blogging for your Business.”

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

WINNING BUSINESS Jerry Houston CEO with HPI Solutions

April 5, 2018 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

WINNING BUSINESS Jerry Houston CEO with HPI Solutions

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WINNING BUSINESS Jerry Houston CEO with HPI Solutions

Jerry Houston is the founder and CEO of HPISolutions, formerly known as Houston Partners International. Jerry has held key management positions in industry for over thirty years. Jerry has dedicated his career to the development of human potential and process excellence through a variety of certifications. As a long-time community activist, he has served as president of various associations for developmentally disabled individuals, a homeless family program, a church leader, heavy involvement in local and regional chambers of commerce, Chair of Business Advancement Services for ASBA, and has served on multiple task forces and committees in the educational sector. He has been awarded Target Training International’s (TTI) President’s Award. Jerry was also an adjunct faculty member at Purdue University-Calumet, concentrating in the area of continuous quality improvement. He has been named to the prestigious National Directory of Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals in America. Jerry was named the Volunteer of the Year in 2009 at the Arizona Small Business Association.

HPISolutions is a performance improvement company, with an emphasis on developing the human potential in your organization and the processes to support their efforts. We do this with our threefold approach, focused on Professional Development, creating a Productive Workforce and Profitable Growth. Our goal is to help you maximize the potential of your team, as individuals and as a group.

Connect with Jerry and follow HPISolutions on LinkedIn.

ABOUT WINNING BUSINESS RADIO

What sets a successful business apart from those that fail? 80% of new businesses will fail in the first 18 months, and that statistic is not okay. Winning Business Radio connects you with business owners who are winning at business, and gives you insight into their successes, their challenges, and their strategies for winning. Tune in for some amazing discussions!

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Lisa Rehurek, the #1 leading authority on winning RFP responses, is CEO and founder of Win The Business™, a Consultancy and RFP Support Services Firm that helps businesses increase their success rate in responding to government and corporate Requests for Proposal (RFP’s). Our multi-touch point system provides RFP support services, strategy, consulting, training and team development to companies who wish to improve their response process and outcomes. The thoroughness our team provides coupled with our direct and fun approach is what separates us from our competitors. We are also home of RFP University™, an online virtual training and resource platform designed to support a business’s RFP efforts for maximum success.

After 20 years in the corporate arena responding to hundreds of public sector RFPs, Lisa started her own business and now transfers that knowledge to her clients to help improve their win rates. Lisa keeps herself very busy with life as a business owner, speaker, trainer, author, and radio show host. As a seasoned speaker, Lisa loves to inspire audiences large and small with her engaging and practical speaking topics. She is the author of 7 books including her ebook, 101 Ways to Win More Proposals Now! and her upcoming book, Win the {Damn} Business!. She is also the creator of the STARR Proposal System™ which brings simplicity and efficiency to the overall response process.

Lisa is a member APMP (Association of Proposal Management Professionals) and is Membership and Program Chair for the Valley of the Sun chapter. She is also a WBENC-certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE). She holds certifications in numerous talent assessment tools including Certified Professional Behavior Analyst (CPBA), Certified Professional Driving Forces Analyst (CPDFA), Certified Professional Emotional Quotient Analyst (CPEQA), and Certified Professional TTI TriMetrix HD Analyst (CPHDA).

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

The New Professional Home for Performance Improvement Specialists with Dr. Judy Hale and Deb Page

January 22, 2013 by angishields

Performance Difference Radio

The New Professional Home for Performance Improvement Specialists with Dr. Judy Hale and Deb Page

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Atlantan Deb Page and veteran international performance consultant Dr. Judith Hale have launched a new L3C organization, The Institute for Performance Improvement to advance improvement in education and the workplace through social entrepreneurial efforts. The L3C, or Low-profit Limited Liability Corporation is a new type of organizational entity created by legislation in a growing number of states of , which allows for an organization organized like an LLC to enjoy many of the benefits of non-profits, such as grant development, while being able to generate a profit doing its core mission in benefit to the common good.

Deb Page, CPT

Deb is a strategy and performance consultant in systemic improvement of performance. Throughout her career, Deb has established a reputation as an innovator and problem-solver that inspires and attains outstanding results.

She began her career as a high school teacher after graduating from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Language Education. Her corporate career was spent in retail, service and financial services, in Human Resources, Quality and Performance Improvement, Training, Executive Development and Coaching, and Business Development. The majority of her career she worked in subsidiaries of Citigroup, and launched and led a corporate university. In 2001 she left her position as Sr. Vice President for Instruction and Business Development for Citibank, N.A. to form Willing Learner, Inc. where she has consulted to improve performance across a broad range of sectors. Training Magazine has honored Deb as one of the “new guard in training and development”.

Deb was awarded the evidence-based Certified Performance Technologist job certification in 2011 by the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) based on her work in education improvement.

She and Dr. Judith Hale of Hale Associates (www.HaleAssociates.com) developed the fully evidence-based Certified School Improvement Specialist, awarded through a collaborative arrangement with the International Society for Performance Improvement (www.ISPI.org) Together they founded The Institute for Performance Improvement, (www.IFPImprovement.org) a social entrepreneurial organization which develops Communities of Practice of high performing practitioners to facilitate meaningful work and sustainable improvement in education and the workplace. The Institute trains individuals to effectively facilitate improvement using Human Performance Technology methods (HPT). Deb serves as President of The Institute.

In 2002, she led the start of the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (www.GLISI.org) a public/private initiative to improve education leadership. Under her leadership the Institute developed a solid track record for helping school systems improve student achievement and organizational effectiveness.

In November 2012, Deb and Dr. Hale published The School Improvement Specialist Field Guide via Corwin Press. The Field Guide is based on the ten Certified School Improvement Specialist standards and contains a wide variety of tools and processes for facilitating sustainable, systemic improvement.

Through Willing Learner, Inc. and The Institute for Performance Improvement, she provides strategic planning support and performance consulting services. Contact Deb at deb.page@willinglearner.org or at 678-428-2363.

Judith Hale, Ph.D., CPT

Dr. Hale is one of the more prolific writers and well-known consultants in the field of performance improvement. She is the author of The Performance Consultant’s Fieldbook 2^nd ED, Performance-Based Certification, 2^nd ED, Performance-Based Evaluation, and Performance-Based Management, and Outsourcing Training and Development. Her latest book is the School Improvement Specialist Field Guide: Facilitating Success (Corwin) co-authored with Deb Page. Judy has been a consultant to management in the public and private sectors for more than 25 years. She specializes in performance improvement, certification programs, evaluation protocols, and the implementation of major interventions. She has served as Director of Certification and President of International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI).

Judy recently spoke on New Paradigms for Professional Credentials: How Globalization and Technology are Impacting Credentialing for the Certification Network Group on in DC. The increasing complexity of work and the emergence of new professions have produced a global skills gap. As a result enterprises in the public and private sectors are demanding the creation of new pathways that rapidly build and measure proficiency. This has spurred an increase in the development of credentials (certificates, certifications, and accreditations) being offered by new players who are rewriting the rules on how to define and measure competence.

Judith was awarded a B.A. from Ohio State University, a M.A. from Miami University, and a Ph.D. from Purdue University. She can be reached at haleassoci@aol.com or 630-427-1304.