David Keown is an Industry Extension Specialist and Instructor for the Fujio Cho Department of Engineering Technology at the University of Kentucky
David has 35 years of experience in manufacturing, lean systems, and technical training. He began his manufacturing career at General Motors with an apprenticeship in die making, where he gained expertise in precision machining and CNC operations, building a solid foundation in advanced manufacturing. At General Motors, David advanced to the role of Synchronous Coordinator, where he applied lean principles to die manufacturing, aligning operations with lean manufacturing objectives.
In 2000, David joined Toyota as an Assistant Manager in Die Manufacturing, where he further refined his expertise. After nine years, he transitioned to the Operations Management Development Division (OMDD), Toyota’s division responsible for developing operations personnel and deploying the Toyota Production System (TPS) across North America. While at OMDD, David led initiatives in Jishuken, Standardized Work, Kaizen Leader Training, Material and Information Flow Chart Training, Shop Floor Problem Solving, and A3 Thinking and Writing, supporting both internal teams and Toyota suppliers.
From 2018 to 2022, while still a Toyota team member, David served as Executive-in-Residence at the University of Kentucky. In this role, he supported the University’s True Lean Certification program as an instructor, teaching lean principles to professionals and assisting undergraduate and graduate lean courses. Concurrently, he contributed to developing the Lean Systems Engineering Technology curriculum.
After retiring from Toyota in September 2022, David joined the University of Kentucky as a part-time instructor. In 2024, he transitioned to a full-time role as an Industry Extension Specialist, leveraging his extensive industry experience to support the True Lean Systems Program and co-teach engineering technology students.
David holds an associate degree in Agriculture from Purdue University, a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University, and a master’s degree in Manufacturing Management from Kettering University.
• M.S., Manufacturing Management, Kettering University• B.S., Business Administration, Indiana Wesleyan University• A.S., Agriculture, Purdue University
• 2024 – Present: Industry Extension Specialist and Instructor, Lean Systems Engineering Technology, Fujio Cho Department of Engineering Technology Lean Systems Program, University of Kentucky• 2022 – 2024: Part-time Instructor, Lean Systems Program, Institute of Research for Technology Development (IR4TD), University of Kentucky• 2018 – 2022: Toyota Executive-in-Residence, Lean Systems Program, Institute of Research for Technology Development (IR4TD), University of Kentucky• 2009 – 2022: Senior Manager, Operations Management Development Division, Toyota• 2000 – 2009: Assistant Manager, Die Manufacturing, Toyota• 1996 – 2000: Synchronous Coordinator, General Motors
