Dr. Cindy Young | SpeakerHub

Personal Details

Bio

Dr. Cynthia “Cindy” J. Young is the Founder/CEO of CJ Young Consulting, LLC, a knowledge management consulting firm, as Career and Leadership Strategist and Knowledge Management Consultant, as well as the Tomahawk Mission Planning Center Certification and Training Lead with Leidos in Virginia Beach, VA.

She is a Navy veteran, retiring as a Surface Warfare Officer after 23 years in the U.S. Navy.

She holds professional certifications as a Project Management Professional (PMP), a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (LSSMBB), and an ASQ-Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE). Cindy served as the ASQ Tidewater Section 1128 secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair, using knowledge management practices to better support the volunteer section leaders and members. She is a member of ASQ, PMI, and IISE.

Cindy is a Forbes.com contributor for Careers and Knowledge Management and a quarterly management columnist for the Industrial Systems Engineering (ISE) at Work Magazine. She has also written for Harvard Business Review and other outlets.

In September 2020, she gave a TEDx Talk called “A Knowledge Mindset: What You Know Comes from Where You Sit,” which provides actions organizations can take to improve trust and retention using knowledge management practices.

In February 2023, her book, The Knowledge Management Memory Jogger, was published by Goal/QPC to provide methods and insight for individuals to increase their professional growth through knowledge management practices and organizations to build trust, inclusion, collaboration, and engagement within their organization through better knowledge management practices.

Her book became an International Book Awards finalist, an American Book Awards finalist, a Nonfiction Book Awards Silver Winner, a Book Fest Third Place Business Leadership – Professional Growth awardee, and a Winner in the Business and Management categories in the International Impact Book Awards in 2024.

Contact her at cjyoung@cjyoungconsulting.com and find her offerings at https://www.cjyoungconsulting.com.

Current position (2)

Founder/CEO

CJ Young Consulting, LLC

TMPC Certification and Training Lead

Leidos

Degrees (1)

DBA, Project Management

Walden University

2013 to 2016

Presentations

Presentations (3)

Knowledge to Impact: Share, Act, and Elevate Your Career

Dr. Young blends real-world experiences from her distinguished Navy career and defense contracting leadership roles with relatable concepts like Show & Tell and Silly Putty to inspire audiences to think differently about knowledge sharing. Her engaging storytelling and practical insights will empower your attendees to:

- Transform knowledge sharing into a powerful tool for solving problems and improving processes.
- Build trust and collaboration within their teams through effective communication.
- Gain the ability and confidence to take action to drive change, open lines of communication, and accelerate their career growth.

How to Share What You Know Without Losing Their Attention

Dr. Young draws on her dynamic experiences as a naval officer, seasoned educator, and industry leader to tackle one of today’s greatest communication challenges: keeping your audience engaged. Using relatable metaphors like “Channel Surfing” and “Micro-Learning,” she provides audiences with practical strategies to captivate attention and enhance comprehension.

Attendees will learn to:

- Craft concise and compelling messages that resonate with diverse audiences.
- Apply storytelling techniques to make complex information memorable and relatable.
- Adapt their communication style to sustain engagement, inspire curiosity, and foster a lasting impact.

The Knowledge Sharing Code: How to Teach, Lead, and Inspire with Your Words

In this transformative keynote, Dr. Young leverages her extensive background of more than 30 years of experience in leadership, teaching, and knowledge management to unlock the secrets of impactful knowledge sharing. She will guide your audience through practical examples that amplify their teaching, leadership, and motivational skills.

Participants will discover how to:

- Communicate knowledge clearly and persuasively, driving understanding and action.
- Lead effectively by aligning their words with purpose, vision, and authenticity.
- Inspire and motivate teams by mastering the language of empowerment, trust, and innovation.

Past talks (45)

Rewiring Lessons Learned Expectations

DoD and Federal Knowledge Management Symposium 2025

Baltimore, MD

May 6, 2025

Knowledge to Impact: Share, Act, and Elevate Your Career

Women’s Network Employee Resource Group

Virtual

March 25, 2025

Reducing the Time Between HR Onboarding and Full Team Collaboration

KM World 2024

Washington, DC

Knowledge sharing and retention through gamification and knowledge puzzles

UN World Food Programme, Knowledge Champions

Webinar

Three ways to prevent a knowledge hoarding culture

International E-Conferece

Virtual Keynote

Create your collaborative environment using mind mapping

Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP)

St. Louis, MO

Sharing knowledge to build team cohesiveness and resiliency

US Army Defense Health HQ, KM Working Group

Virtual

How to unlock OPEX using the synergy between VSM and KM

2024 Lean & Six Sigma Word Conference,

Disney Springs, FL

KM to strengthen the business

KMWorld 2023

Washington, DC

Embracing personal KM after a 23-year career in the U.S. Navy

Midwest KM Symposium

Kent, OH

How you can use reverse mentorship to create future organizational quality leaders

2023 World Conference on Quality & Improvement

Philadelphia, PA

Knowledge management and the eight wastes

2023 Lean & Six Sigma Word Conference

Disney Springs, FL

No guarantees with know-how

2023 ASQ Lean and Six Sigma Conference

Phoenix, AZ

Knowledge management and the eight wastes

rofessional Development Consortium of Hampton Roads and American Society for Quality, Section 1128 Summer Series

Virtual

Gamification for improving knowledge retention

US Cyber Command Lunch-and-Learn

Virtual

Using human-centric knowledge management to build a cohesive and resilient team

2022 DoD and Federal Knowledge Management Symposium

Baltimore, MD

Compliers, begrudgers, and toddlers - Oh my!

Lean & Six Sigma World Conference

Phoenix, AZ

Compliers, begrudgers, and toddlers – Oh my!

ASQ Grand Rapids Section 1001

Virtual

Three customer avatars you can retain through knowledge management practices

Lucidworks’s Activate Virtual Search and AI Conference

VIrtual

Using human-centric knowledge management when receiving the dreaded two-week’s notice

Northcentral University’s Center of Advancement of Virtual Organizations (COVA)

Virtual

Introduction to knowledge management

Ask LEX Ph Academy

Virtual

Saving time and money by adding value through purposeful knowledge management

American Quality Institute’s 2021 Lean and Six Sigma World Conference

Virtual

Conversations to identify and improve your organizational knowledge management

V-Veer

Virtual

Knowledge puzzles: Inspiring a problem-solving mindset

KM World 2020

Virtual

Knowledge mapping takes the guesswork out of finding knowledge

2020 Engineering Lean and Six Sigma Conference

Virtual

Connecting the knowledge dots through hashtags

Knowledge Management Institute Webinar Series

Virtual

TEDx: A Knowledge Mindset: What You Know Comes from Where You Sit

TEDxBeaconStreet (now TEDx Boston)

Virtual

How Army soldiers can advance their careers with green belt training & certification

Goleansixsigma.com Webinar Panel

Virtual

Combating the eight wastes of lean using a knowledge management mindset

ASQ Raleigh Six Sigma Special Interest Group

Virtual

Mastering operational excellence (OPEX) fundamentals: Leading business transformation & building teams

OPEX Summer Summit 2020 Panel

Virtual

Knowledge management and innovation on firm performance of United States ship repair

SQ Hampton Roads Section 1114 and ASQ Tidewater Section 1128 Webinar

Virtual

Securing explicit and tacit knowledge: How to ensure knowledge is not lost once your project closes

Knowledge Management Institute’s KM Showcase 2020

Arlington, VA

Using mind mapping in support of more robust business development

Operational Excellence (OPEX) Week: Business Transformation World Summit 2020

Orlando, FL

Hierarchy vs. teamwork: Ensuring your team is set up for success

2019 American Quality Institute’s Lean and Six Sigma World Conference

San Antonio, TX

Masters of Strategy! Workshop

Professional Development Consortium of Hampton Roads

Norfolk, VA

Employee empowerment: Using military tools to support your organizational culture

ASQ Blue Ridge Section 1108

Virtual

Baby’s first Kanban and other educational Lean Six Sigma tools

2018 Engineering Lean and Six Sigma Conference

Atlanta, GA

mployee empowerment: Using military tools to support your organizational culture

Operational Excellence Summer Business Transformation and Leaders Summit (OPEX Summer Summit 2018)

San Diego, CA

Best practices for merging business strategy and business transformation

Business Transformation and Operational Excellence Summit (BTOES 18)

Orlando, FL

Conversations with your customers to improve your organizational knowledge management

ASQ Blue Ridge Section 1108

Virtual

Conversations with your customers to improve your organizational knowledge management

2018 American Quality Institute’s Lean and Six Sigma World Conference

Nashville, TN

Managing knowledge through conversation

KM World 2016

Washington, DC

Managing knowledge through conversation to support your bottom line

2016 Fleet Maintenance and Modernization Symposium,

Hampton, VA

Quality tools in action

Sentara Healthcare Quality Lab Workshop

Williamsburg, VA

Growing Six Sigma without sacrificing requirements

2011 ASQ Lean and Six Sigma Conference

Phoenix, AZ

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Books & Articles (49)

The Knowledge Management Memory Jogger

GOAL/QPC,

2023

Overcoming Ageism (HBR Women at Work Series)

Harvard Business Review Press,

2024

The Refractive Thinker®: Vol XI: Women in Leadership: Ch 3: Using Leadership to Improve Firm Performance Through Knowledge Management

The Refractive Thinker® Press,

2016

The Refractive Thinker® Vol XVIII: Project Management: Ch. 4: Preventing Wastes of Project Cost and Schedules Using Purposeful Knowledge Management

The Refractive Thinker® Press,

2020

The Refractive Thinker® Vol XVII: Managing a Cultural Workforce: The Impact of Global Employees: Ch 4: Ensuring Prosperous Knowledge Flow from the Silent Generation Through Generation Z

The Refractive Thinker® Press,

2019

How To Protect Your Career From Workplace Drama

How To Get Noticed Without Self-Promotion By Using Strategic Visibility

Want A Promotion? Improve These Emotional Intelligence Skills

Eliminate Excuses: Inspire Accountability in Your Team's Administrative Work

How To Save Your Company's Critical Knowledge: Upgrade Your Succession Plan

5 Things Employers Can Offer Their Employees To Retain Top Talent

Human-Centric KM: Win More Business, Drive Growth & Boost Leadership

7 Actions Managers Can Take To Positively Deliver A Negative Performance Review

5 Simple Ways To Leverage Sharing What You Know To Secure Your Next Promotion

Boost Lean Efficiency with Knowledge Management

Working Through an Overwhelming Time

Knowledge-Centric Culture and Lean Success

Encourage Tacit Knowledge Sharing in Industrial Organizations

How to Manage Multiple Deadlines with a Small Team

Leveraging Knowledge Management Practices to Drive Cost Reduction: Unleashing Organizational Efficiency

The Synergy Between Knowledge Management and Value Stream Mapping: Unlocking Operational Excellence

Preventing, Addressing Team Conflict

Managing a New Team

Insist on Quality Sponsorship

Pushing Through the Discomfort

Playing the Waiting Game

When Your Best Employee Gives 2 Weeks' Notice

Three Methods of Integrating Knowledge Sharing to Support Lean Implementation

Make Knowledge Sharing Part of Your Culture

Mentorship Is Not a One-Way Street

Learning to Not Re-Learn: Acknowledging the Good and Bad

Do Inside Hires Make the Best Managers?

Non-Utilized Talent...Possibly the Largest Organizational Waste

Knowledge Management and the Shingo Guiding Principles: Part 3: Enterprise Alignment

Seating Solution: An Education Learned by Doing and Presenting with the Audience in Mind

Knowledge Management and the Shingo Guiding Principles: Part 2: Continuous Improvement

Knowledge Management and the Shingo Guiding Principles: Part 1: Cultural Enablers

Learning to Share

Starting Your First Job Remotely? Here Are the Real Skills You Need to Learn

Discovering Knowledge Management to Combat the Eight Wastes of Lean

Implementing Knowledge Management Practices

“I Wasn’t Told” and Other Excuses You Need to Stop Making at Work

Improving Processes in the Navy and Beyond: Veteran's Career Path was Buoyed by Support from a Female Commander

Knowledge Puzzles

Leaders Must Conquer Remote Workers’ Guilt in Order to Maintain their Teams

The Case for Learning from More Experienced Colleagues

How to Make the Most of Your First Speaking Gig as an Alumnus

Mind Mapping in 6 Simple Steps for Business Development: Strategic Tool Combines Tacit, Explicit Knowledge to Seek a Competitive Edge

Empowering Your Employees with Knowledge Management to Improve Your Firm Performance

Expertise (12)

Leadership

Business

PR & Communications

Awards & certifications (1)

Author of the Year - Finalist

International Impact Book Awards

2025