Alan Connor

Biography

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA so I am obligated to insert a “Go, Steelers!” here. Actually, I remain a Pittsburgh sports fan even though I moved south to Virginia in 2009. My wife was my high-school sweetheart (still is!) and we have two daughters. My education includes a degree in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. My early career experience included manufacturing, quality and project engineering and supply chain consulting. I also have more than 15 years of experience in a variety of management roles within large and medium-sized medical device companies, including supply chain management, manufacturing, marketing and new product development. I joined Cadence as President in 2011 to help continue the growth of the organization while maintaining its unique entrepreneurial culture. Professionally, I am passionate about building great organizations and developing a culture of continuous improvement. I was fortunate to spend ten years of my career with an organization which received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award where I learned how to build a sustainable, long-term culture of excellence. Among other consulting and volunteer experiences, I was a volunteer for the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative, working with hospitals and other healthcare facilities to apply lean manufacturing principles to improve the quality and efficiency of the delivery of healthcare services. I currently also serve as a Director of the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VABIO) and as an advisor to several start-up medical device companies. The majority of my spare time is spent with my family, observing my youngest daughter’s activities and chauffeuring her back and forth and missing doing the same for my older daughter who is now off at college. Something that not many people know about me… I am also a pilot – a lifelong dream I fulfilled in 2009 and continue to pursue. When forced to fly commercial and during other spare time, I enjoy reading, particularly spy fiction, autobiographies and military history.

Research Interest

healthcare services,Medical devices