Author Bio: Linda Strunk Miller is Director of Strategy and Planning for the Worldwide Operations organization at Applied Materials. She is responsible for leading the annual strategic planning process and performance management cadence for the functions within Worldwide Operations (Semiconductor Volume and NPI Manufacturing, Global Supply Chain, Manufacturing Quality and Supplier Engineering, Global Logistics and Facilities & Safety). Prior to Applied Materials, Linda worked as a stock analyst for major Wall Street firms. She also spent three years in Japan working as a robotics researcher in a Japanese conglomerate. Linda holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MA in Regional Studies from Harvard University.