Derek Steele
About Derek Steele
Derek Steele serves as the Director of Quality at Materion Corporation, where he has worked since 2012. He has extensive experience in quality management across various industries and holds multiple certifications in quality and leadership.
Work at Materion
Derek Steele has held the position of Director of Quality at Materion Corporation since 2012, contributing to the Materion Advanced Materials Group for over a decade. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing quality operations across eight sites, managing a team of more than 50 quality associates. His leadership has focused on achieving regional performance against quality objectives across a diverse product profile, which includes materials and services for the medical, automotive, and electronics industries. Prior to his current role, he served as Quality Assurance Manager at Materion from 2007 to 2012.
Education and Expertise
Derek Steele has pursued extensive education in quality management and business administration. He achieved a Lean Sigma Black Belt Certification from Kent State University in 2017. Additionally, he studied at Northern Arizona University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management in 2018. His educational background is complemented by participation in the Executive Leadership Program at The Mahler Company from 2013 to 2015, enhancing his leadership skills in quality operations.
Background in Quality Assurance
Before joining Materion, Derek Steele worked at Norsk Hydro, where he served as Quality Assurance Manager from 1994 to 2005. His tenure included managing quality assurance for Hydro Aluminum North America in Phoenix, AZ, and later in Ellenville, NY, from 2005 to 2007. During this time, he led quality operations through a multi-site, international acquisition, focusing on ISO certification and customer qualifications.
Achievements in Quality Management
Derek Steele has implemented significant quality improvements throughout his career. Notably, he executed systemic corrective actions at Materion that reduced customer complaints from 4.1% in 2012 to 0.43% in 2019. He also conducted an improvement program on a key evaporation material product line, achieving best-in-class performance and enhancing customer yields. Additionally, he directed cross-functional ERP improvement projects that addressed chronic sources of customer complaints, leading to quality enhancements such as automation of product labeling.