Khuloud Odeh, Urban Institute

The power of Lean to modernize mission-driven organizations

What can Lean teach us about the improvement of non-profit business processes? In 2014, The Urban Institute, the Social & Economic Policy Research Center based in Washington DC in the US, turned to Lean to help modernize organizational processes from the inside out, beginning with their grant and contract proposal development process. Responding to requests for proposals is the primary method for Urban to obtain new projects and funding, and it was identified by 68% of surveyed staff as being challenging, difficult, and stressful. By improving this process, Urban can win more awards, thereby expanding their research, increasing their visibility and influence, and better serving their mission. Along with Laura Jensen, Director of IT Business Planning & Management and Jared Bieschke, Manager of IT Strategic Initiatives, Khuloud Odeh, Vice President, IT & CIO of Urban shared their journey on how a non-profit adapted Lean strategies to increase productivity and collaboration, empower and motivate staff, and create more space for innovation, creativity, and research.



Biography: Khuloud Odeh is vice president for information technology (IT) and chief information officer (CIO) at the Urban Institute, where she leads the strategic planning and implementation of research, operations, and communications technology. Odeh is not your typical technologist: she brings a unique blend of education, IT organization leadership, change management experience, and understanding of global and local sustainability challenges. Over the course of her career, she has helped various organizations develop and implement strategic IT roadmaps that align with and support business process improvements, innovation, and organizational growth. Before joining Urban, Odeh was IT director for the Grameen Foundation, a global poverty-fighting organization. She served previously as the CIO of CHF International (now Global Communities) and as senior IT advisor to Jhpeigo’s Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program. Odeh has a BS in computer science from the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan; an MS in computer science from American University; and a PhD in information technology from George Mason University, where her research focused on the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of an IT organization’s practices. She also has a master’s degree in strategic leadership toward sustainability from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlskrona, Sweden, where her research focused on the enabling role of IT and broadband connectivity in sustainable urban development. Follow Khuloud on Twitter.