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Kelley Keating-Buckentine is currently a process improvement expert with Opus Holdings, LLC, changing the skyline of the twin cities and other major cities in the US. She is passionate about teaching others how to look at their work through a different lens, helping them to identify improvements to make both their day and the customer experience better.

The path that led her to this started with a dual major at MSU, graduating in 1984 followed by a master's from St. Thomas in 1996. She was the first in her family to attend college. Her first role was in marketing as a product manager. When the company sold, it was a great opportunity to take on ‘the other side, operations management. It was during this time that she was introduced to process improvement. She has proven that this lean methodology is applicable wherever work is done, as her career went from operations within manufacturing to the service industry to health care to knowledge centers and now in the construction industry.

Minnesota State will always hold a special place in her heart. While attending college, she was a member of the Little Sisters of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, where her favorite memories and lifelong friendships were formed. Kelley looked forward to returning to campus annually for 25 years as a judge of the South Central Regional Science Fair.