Judith Hale is the president of Hale Associates, a consulting firm specializing in performance management, performance improvement systems, and strategic planning. She has contributed to or edited many published works, including The Performance Consultant's Fieldbook (1998) and Performance-Based Certification (1999), Designing Work Groups, Jobs, and Work Flow (1995) and Designing Cross-Functional Business Processes (1995), all published by Jossey-Bass. She is a contributing author to The Guidebook for Performance Improvement (Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 1997). The recipient of several professional awards and honors, Hale is past-president of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) and an active member of ASTD.