Jimmy Carter

J. Carter is an internationally known consultant and speaker on organizational learning, growth, and performance. As a Principal at Innovation Associates he gained extensive experience in helping leaders generate common understanding and collective commitment around critical business issues.

With more than 25 years in the business, he has worked with clients as diverse as Kaiser Permanente, AT&T, Merrill Lynch, BHP Billiton, Ford, and The Government of Malaysia, helping them achieve success by improving key business processes, developing new products, reducing costs, and enhancing value chain performance.

Before becoming a consultant, he had a real job! – he created and operated successful businesses including an import/export company specializing in trade with the Far East and served as Senior Vice President of Organizational Development for a still successful .dot start-up.

Mr. Carter is also an adjunct faculty member of The LEADERship, a civic development program in Baltimore. He holds Engineering and Business degrees from Lehigh University, and is the author of several works on how learning enhances business results.

As the son of General Electric executive, Jimmy grew up in several states across the country. He studied engineering and business at Lehigh University but got his real education as a metals broker in New York City and in his spare time as a counsellor for at-risk youth. He writes, “Working with gang members greatly enhances your appreciation of the term ‘street smarts,’ and in the final analysis, it is those smarts that distinguish top performers.” His worldwide travel provides him with a global perspective and insights into how language and culture affects thought. He enjoys the peace of mountains and rivers.

• Litter on Lean Street – Avoiding Common Failures When Implementing Lean (World Class Manufacturing seminars, London)
• Action Leadership – Realizing StrategicPlans (EL’I Licensed Workshop)
• Human Resources at the “Big Table” – Don’t Be A Strategic Partner Until…(State and National Society for Human Resources)
• Stories from the Street – Systems Thinking for Business Results (International Systems Thinking Conference – General Session)
• Thirteen $1,000,000 Lessons in Implementing Your ERP System (CIO Annual Conference)
• Accelerating Peer Assistance: Extracting Value from Un-Common Sense (CLO Annual Conference)
• From Training Manager to Learning Manager (ASTD National Award Winner)
• Fail Forward Faster: Innovation through “Good mistakes” (Game-changing experiential simulation)

• BA in Industrial Engineering
• MBA
• Adjunct faculty member of The LEADERship, a program of the Greater Baltimore Committee.  
• Board service: Outward Bound, Baltimore Chesapeake Bay; Impact on Education, Boulder CO; Inner City Outings – Sierra Club
• United States government contractor clearance -T.S 1
• Working knowledge of French
• New York State Teaching License
• Youth Soccer Coaching License – Class D