(LEI: Cambridge, MA) -- The nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) has announced a CEO succession plan in which James P. Womack, Ph.D., founder, chairman, and CEO, will step down on Sept. 27. Womack, who led the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) research team that coined the term “lean production,” founded LEI in 1997 to advance lean principles around the world and in all types of businesses.

LEI senior advisor John Y. Shook will become CEO and chairman of the board of directors. The management transition, which will occur at the regular September meeting of LEI’s board, concludes a two-year process of succession planning.

“I have always known that no leader should stay too long,” says Womack. “I believe that now is the right time to move forward with our transition plan as LEI prepares to launch the next phase of its life. There is no one better qualified than John Shook to implement that new phase. He combines deep lean expertise with management experience. He is the perfect combination of lean thinker and executive.”

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