Name: IWIL January Luncheon
Start: 2026-01-22T11:30:00-06:00
End: 2026-01-22T13:00:00-06:00
Location: Mariah's Steakhouse & Pasta

Strategies for Building Influence & Trust
The presentation explores the journey from technical expertise to leadership acumen. Packed with interesting anecdotes and stories, this speech will provide actionable strategies for attendees to cultivate influence, build robust trust-based relationships, and navigate the complexities of executive leadership. Attendees will learn how to translate their analytical strengths into compelling communication, strategic vision, and impactful team leadership, ultimately accelerating their journey to executive roles.
About our speaker: John Baranzelli
John Baranzelli is a highly accomplished executive with more than 35 years of experience in the fields of transportation engineering, continuous improvement and operational excellence with a proven track record of increasing efficiency, productivity
and effectiveness in multiple government agencies.
In 2006, John led the Illinois Department of Transportation to achieve the first successful ISO 9001 certification of a state transportation agency in the nation. From 2012 – 2016, he served as the Engineer of Design and Environment for the Illinois Department of Transportation and led the successful advertisement, selection and execution of more than $10.5B worth of heavy construction contracts and engineering consultant agreements.
In 2016, he created the award-winning Illinois Office of Rapid Results with the objective of bringing the principles of operational excellence and continuous improvement to the Illinois State Government workforce. In a five-year period, the Office of Rapid Results trained more than 2,800 State of Illinois employees resulting in the deployment of 1,775 operational excellence projects. These projects resulted in annualized cost savings of more than $34,000,000 and saved the State of Illinois more
than 877,000 in annualized labor hours.
John is considered an expert in the field of operational excellence and continuous improvement in government organizations. He is the author of the book Making Government Great Again and an award-winning public speaker who has spoken to thousands of people at events sponsored by eminent organizations including the Shingo Institute, the Process Excellence Network, Toastmasters International, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, and the American Society for Quality (ASQ). In 2013, he was awarded the Sagarika Madala Memorial Award for Exemplary Leadership from the University of Illinois at Springfield, GPSI Program.
After an impressive career with the State of Illinois, John retired in December of 2021 and is currently the owner of John Baranzelli Enterprises LLC.

About Our Event
Our luncheons are open to all IWIL members and their guests. Registration is $25 for members and guests through November 14; $30 on or after November 15. Registration will close on November 17.
Register here: https://iwil.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mcform&view=ngforms&id=2261431#/