75th Annual Salzberg Memorial Lecture Program
The 2024 program was held Thursday, Oct. 3 with an academic day on Friday, Oct. 4.
Video of the Welcome and Presentation of the Awards
Video of the Undergraduate Student Awards
The recipient of the 2024 Salzberg Award is Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation has distinguished itself as a global pioneer in manufacturing efficiency and quality. The Toyota Production System (TPS), a revolutionary approach to lean manufacturing, has redefined industry standards. By eliminating waste, optimizing processes, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Toyota has achieved unparalleled operational excellence. TPS principles and similar methodologies have been widely implemented across various industries and geographic regions.
Steve Brown, Vice President at Toyota Motor North America, will be accepting the award for Toyota Motor Corporation.
-svg.png?sfvrsn=b0fc838e_1)
This year's recipient of the Academic Salzberg Award is Charles Corbett, Ph.D., IBM Chair in Management and Professor of Operations Management and Sustainability at the UCLA Anderson School of Management

Charles Corbett, Ph.D., is the IBM Chair in Management and Professor of Operations Management and Sustainability at the UCLA Anderson School of Management; he holds a joint appointment at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. He served as Chairman and Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs from 2009-2012, and previously as Associate Dean of the MBA program. He has received the Neidorf “Decade” Teaching Award, Citibank Teaching Award, the Executive MBA Class of 2006 Outstanding Teaching Award and the Robbins Assistant Professor teaching award, in addition to the UCLA Staff Assembly’s Faculty/Staff Partnership Award and the Anderson School’s J. Clayburn LaForce Faculty Leadership Award. He was an AT&T Faculty Fellow in Industrial Ecology. He founded and co-directed the award-winning UCLA Leaders in Sustainability graduate certificate program and the Easton Technology Leadership Program.
His areas of teaching include sustainable operations and supply chains, time management and well-being, and operations of entrepreneurs and small business. He has given (semi-)plenary and keynote lectures at conferences in Amsterdam, Bali, Istanbul, Lima, Mexico City, Montreal, Paris, Sao Paulo, Salvador (Brazil), Shanghai, Tainan (Taiwan), and Wrocław (Poland).
His current research focuses on sustainable operations and on time management and well-being. He has published in leading academic and business journals. His 2006 study on sustainability in the motion picture industry was featured in media outlets worldwide, including CNN, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The Guardian, La Opinion, and various radio and TV stations. He was elected a lifetime Fellow of the Production and Operations Management Society in 2013 and of the Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society in 2019.
Professor Corbett holds a Ph.D. in Production and Operations Management from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France, and a Drs. in Operations Research from Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands).
Salzberg Memorial Program Bios
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC SE
Schneider’s purpose is to create impact by empowering all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. At Schneider, they call this Life Is On. Their mission is to be the trusted partner in sustainability and efficiency. They are a global industrial technology leader bringing worldleading expertise in electrification, automation and digitization to smart industries, resilient infrastructure, future-proof data centers, intelligent buildings and intuitive homes. Through AI innovation, Schneider is reshaping supply chain strategies, shifting from the longheld practice of just-in-time concepts to agility, speed and real-time planning.
ACCEPTING THE SALZBERG MEDALLION FOR SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC SE:
AGUSTIN LOPEZ DIAZ
Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain (GSC) in North America, Schneider Electric SE

A multicultural leader raised in Mexico, Agustin Lopez Diaz has worked and lived in six countries and led teams across several continents, representing over 100 nationalities. He is currently serving as the senior vice president of Global Supply Chain (GSC) in North America, where he is spearheading the end-to-end transformation and creating an impact supply chain for our planet and customers through our people and performance. With more than 20 years of progressive experience in P&L and functional management in C-level positions, Diaz is passionate about creating value for customers, teams and the planet. He has devoted his career to improving safety, customer satisfaction, quality and sustainability, driving performance enhancements and establishing thought leadership in these critical areas among various internal and external stakeholders.
GEORGIA PERAKIS, PH.D.
William F. Pounds Professor of Management, Professor of Operations Management and Operations Research and Statistics, MIT Sloan School of Management and Visiting Scholar, Harvard Business School

Georgia Perakis is currently spending the year as a visiting scholar at Harvard Business School. She is the editor in chief of the M&SOM journal and has served on the editorial board at a number of other journals.
Perakis’ research has received many awards and focuses on analytics/AI, in particular, the intersection of optimization and machine learning with applications in pricing, revenue management, supply chain, sustainability and healthcare among others. In 2016, she was elected as an INFORMS Fellow, and in 2021 as Distinguished MSOM Fellow.
Perakis has received numerous teaching awards at MIT Sloan. She holds a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Athens as well as an M.S. in applied mathematics and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Brown University.
JASON H. SEIDL ’93
Managing Director, TD Cowen

Jason H. Seidl ’93 is a senior analyst focused on rail, trucking and logistics and has over 20 years of transportation industry experience. Seidl joined TD Cowen in 2013 as part of the acquisition of Dahlman Rose and covers air freight and surface transportation. Prior to joining Dahlman Rose in 2008, he spent nine years on Wall Street following freight transportation companies. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for his stock picking and EPS accuracy in numerous national polls and surveys. He was ranked #1 in the services industry and #2 across all sectors in respective TipRanks™ 2023 Top Analysts of the Past Decade Polls. Seidl also spent nearly four years working in trucking/parcel transportation. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the North East Association of Rail Shippers and North American Rail Shippers (where he serves as secretary).
PAUL TONSAGER
Partner and Principal Consultant, Integrated Multi-Modal Solutions LLC

Paul Tonsager is a highly accomplished executive leader with more than 25 years of experience shaping the future of global supply chains across rail, marine, trucking and logistics. He has built and restructured multi-billion dollar businesses at A.P. Moller-Maersk, CN Rail, CN Worldwide, Crowley Maritime and Patriot Rail & Ports—while more recently advising AI-driven startups that are redefining how freight networks operate. Tonsager’s career spans pioneering rail-based logistics models, building CN’s China and Asia offices, centralizing Maersk’s $6.3B North American procurement and leading Patriot Rail & Ports through a period of portfolio expansion.
ADRIAN GONZALEZ
President, Adelante SCM

Adrian Gonzalez is a trusted advisor and leading industry analyst with more than 26 years of research experience in transportation management, logistics outsourcing and other supply chain and logistics topics. He is the founder and president of Adelante SCM, a peer-to-peer learning, networking and research community for supply chain and logistics professionals. Adelante’s services include Talking Logistics, an online video talk show and blog, and Indago, a market research service that brings together a community of supply chain and logistics practitioners who share practical knowledge and advice with each other while giving back to charitable causes. Prior to his current roles, Gonzalez held various leadership positions at ARC Advisory Group, Motorola, Polaroid and Clare. Gonzalez has a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Cornell University.
Past Salzberg Programs
Past Recipients of the Salzberg Award
From 1949 through 2022, we have bestowed the Salzberg Medallion on individuals and organizations, see who.

