Kramer (kem) Metz

Thomas Jefferson High School

Class of 1967

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Kramer (kem) Metz - Class of 1967 - Thomas Jefferson High School

First Name	Kramer (kem)
Last Name	Metz
Graduation Year	Class of 1967
City	N/A
State/Province	AZ
Country	United States
Occupation	Leadership Consultant and part time Professor at Northern Arizona University and University of Phoenix
Married	Yes
About Me	I live in Chandler, Arizona, We just moved back to the southwest in October 2007. We had been living back east for the past 7 years due to my work. I have lived on and off in Arizona for almost 40 years. I have been an Organization Development/Human Resources Professional for a little over 25 years. I received my Masters’ Degree in Human Resource Development from American University in Washington, DC. After graduating from American University, I went to work for CIGNA Corporation in Philadelphia. I spent 60% of my time on the road consulting and training CIGNA internal clients all over the world. In addition to working all over the United States, I worked in Australia, England, France, Canada and Mexico. In 1991, I left CIGNA and returned to the Phoenix area and started my own consulting business, Organization and Human Systems Development, Inc. I soon joined with Southwest Performance Group, Inc. and headed up the Organization Consulting arm of the business. Southwest was a training company.Two projects that have the most significance to me were with Solar Turbines in San Diego, California and The Bureau of Reclamation in Boulder City, Nevada. Solar Turbines was a one year contract to finalize the design of self directed work teams and develop a self administered team assessment process that included both internal and external customers and well as the team members input. Jack Orsburn was the overall project lead consultant and he subcontracted with us to help with his part of the work. Jack coauthored the book “Self-directed work teams: the new American Challenge,” in 1990. I learned a lot from Jack about teams. I lead the design, development and implementation of the assessment process for the teams. The other project was a one year, five year renewable contract with the Bureau of Reclamation in Boulder City, Nevada. The Bureau was going through a significant culture change from a construction organization to an environment resource management organization. The contract called for me to diagnose and implement change projects throughout the region. Projects included HR process redesigns (workman compensation, EEOC, performance review, etc.) office restructurings, to the restructure of Power and Water Operations at Hoover Dam. The contract was renewed every year for five years. When that contract ended, my wife wanted me to “get off the road” and at the same time a colleague was recruiting me for a position with Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. What a great experience that was. Disney is a magical place to work. I was recruited away from Disney by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Pearl River, NY. It was an opportunity to work with a business at risk and apply everything I had learned over the years to a business and see the results. The vaccines plant went from close to being closed down to a “best in class” plant in under eighteen months. I left Wyeth and returned to my roots out west and have restarted my business and working with clients here in the Phoenix area. My first career was in Higher Education. I worked with the Community Colleges here in Phoenix. I was one of the original staff members of Rio Salado Community College, one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. It was one of the first in the nation “college without walls,” we held classes in office buildings, high schools, other colleges, churches and military bases. I was Director of Veterans and Military Programs for the college. I ran educational programs on Luke and Williams air force bases as well as provided services for veterans under the GI Bill. In conjunction with my job I was president of the Arizona Association of Veteran Program Administrators and an officer in the National Association of Veteran Program Administrators. I was the Chairman of the Legislative Committee and provided both written and oral testimony to the US Congress on Veteran Education and Medical issues. I was appointed by the Governor to a two year term to the Arizona Employment and Training Council. My wife and I love to travel and especially cruise the Caribbean. We travel to the Philippines twice a year to visit her family. We pl...(read more)