Jeff Zircher on Leading PMOs, Servant Leadership, and AI's Role in Project Management
Discover the journey of Jeff Zircher, a seasoned project management leader with over 30 years at Caterpillar and insights into evolving PMO strategies. In this episode of “Inside Stories,” Jeff shares his experiences leading a global PMO, the challenges of scaling teams, and his team’s groundbreaking achievement—the PMI Project of the Year Award for a prototype electric mining truck. Explore his thoughts on servant leadership, AI’s future impact on project management, and the power of flexibility in tackling organizational challenges.
Jeff Zircher, MBA, is a seasoned leader in program and project management, currently serving as a Senior Program Implementation Manager at Burns & McDonnell. With over 30 years of leadership experience at Caterpillar Inc., Jeff has held key roles across IT, Logistics & Distribution, Marketing & Product Support, Product Development, and Project Management.
As the leader of Caterpillar’s Enterprise PMO, Jeff oversaw a global team of more than 250 professionals across the U.S., Northern Ireland, England, India, and China. His dedication to advancing project management excellence has been recognized at the highest levels. A member of the PMI Global Executive Council since 2014, Jeff has contributed to the profession through thought leadership and strategic collaboration.
Jeff’s impact extends beyond the corporate world. In partnership with the Children’s Home Association of Illinois, his team was honored with the PMI Educational Foundation – Community Advancement Award in 2016. More recently, under his leadership, the Caterpillar Global Program Management PMO won the prestigious 2023 PMI Project of the Year Award for the battery-electric 793 Large Mining Truck—a groundbreaking achievement in sustainable mining technology.
With a passion for innovation and team development, Jeff continues to drive transformative change in the field of program management.
Dr. Leon Herszon
Leon Herszon, Civil Engineer, Msc, PMP, is finishing his PhD studies and started his career at Shell managing HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment), Information Technology and strategic projects. He was invited by IIL to start operations in Brazil, and moved thereafter to the USA. Now he is based in NY acting as Senior Vice-President, managing global and strategic business. He also delivers presentations and training worldwide, including lectures at Rutgers Business School, and communicates in English, French, Portuguese, German, and Spanish.
