JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Today, the Office of Administration announced Mark Waight has joined the State of Missouri team as its Director for Operational Excellence.
As the Director for Operational Excellence, Mark will guide the development and delivery of a continuous improvement and performance management program across the State of Missouri’s 16 executive departments. The overall goal for this program is to build the state government’s capabilities to apply proven best practices and improve its efficiency and effectiveness for the citizens of Missouri.
“It is an honor to be serving in this role as Missouri’s Director for Operational Excellence,” said Mark Waight. “Working across all 16 executive departments, we will be able to collaborate with our State of Missouri team members to find new ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of state government for Missourians.”
Waight most recently served as the Director of Operational Excellence for Edward Jones, a global financial services company headquartered in St. Louis, MO with around 47,000 employees. There he provided strategic quality management leadership across Edward Jones to integrate systems thinking in business processes. He has over 35 years of experience and leadership in accounting, finance operations, quality control, operational excellence, and was an adjunct lecturer at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. In his role, Waight will use his knowledge and experience to promote a system and culture within departments to deliver high-quality results for the citizens they serve.
“We are delighted to have an executive of Mark’s talent and experience join the State of Missouri team,” said Drew Erdmann, Chief Operating Officer of the State of Missouri. “Governor Parson’s management reform agenda ultimately depends upon building the skills and commitment to continuous improvement at all levels of the State of Missouri government. Mark has proven he can help large, complex organizations make this change.”
“Mark will be an integral part in collaborating with our team members across state government to grow and succeed,” said Commissioner Sarah Steelman. “He brings decades of private sector experience and a commitment to public service.”
Waight earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the New York Institute of Technology and his Master of Business Administration from Grand Canyon University. In addition, he obtained his Six Sigma Black Belt certification from GE, which is a business process improvement methodology training.