When she was in high school, Susan Schall was enamored with the idea of one day becoming a patent lawyer. She visited several schools and kept learning about pre-law programs, but found they did not require much math and science, subjects she enjoyed. At a civic meeting, her father asked a local lawyer what he studied for his undergraduate degree and the lawyer said engineering. At the suggestion of her father, Dr. Schall looked into engineering and never looked back. She earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1981 and a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in 1982. Dr. Schall continued her education, obtaining a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in industrial engineering in 1986 and 1988, respectively. In 1989, she became an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer. Dr. Schall also became an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence in 2016. In addition, she is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt.
In 2004, Dr. Schall founded SOS Consulting LLC, a consulting firm that transforms small- to medium-sized U.S. manufacturers into productive and profitable organizations that create shared value for their communities. She currently serves as Founder and Operations Leader. Dr. Schall has worked as a consultant for the ABET Foundation since 2014, assisting industrial engineering programs in their preparations for ABET accreditation. For over two decades, Dr. Schall was a member of the Pennsylvania State University’s Industrial and Professional Advisory Council of the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. In service to her profession, Dr. Schall is chair of the ASQ Freund-Marquarat Medal Committee and the treasurer for the Northern Shenandoah Valley ASQ Section. An active contributor to her field, she maintains membership with the American Society for Engineering Education, American Society of Quality and the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers. Dr. Schall is a fellow of ABET. She is an authorized partner of Everything DiSC® and Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™.
In recognition of her professional accomplishments, Dr. Schall has received numerous accolades, including the Engineering Excellence Bronze and Silver Awards from DuPont Engineering in 1990 and 1992, respectively. She was listed in the 69th and 70th editions of Who’s Who in America. She was bestowed the Distinguished Service Award from the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society in 1999 and the Outstanding Engineering Alumna Award from the Penn State College of Engineering in 2009. Looking ahead, Dr. Schall= wants her work to make a difference. She wants to be able to say that she had a transforming effect on U.S. manufacturing.
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