Dr. Reginald Lee is survived by his wife and 4 children. One of his children suffers from a rare disease. If Dr. Reginald Lee touched your life, please consider contributing at this GoFundMe link.
It is with heavy hearts that Ed and Ron share the news of Dr. Reginald Lee's passing on March 8, 2023. He was a dear friend, a mentor, a teacher, and a maverick who was fearless in challenging the conventional wisdom of cost accounting. We were privileged to know him and be able to spend time with him. We will also keep his teaching and his legacy alive. Join us to celebrate the life and work of this dear friend, who leaves behind the imperishable crown of a good name. Read more tributes to Reginald at: https://www.hodappfuneralhome.com/obituaries/reginald-lee
A Bit More About Dr. Reginald Lee…
Reginald is survived by his beloved wife Tamara, children Sunny (Sam Rugg), Sophia, Rey, Isabella, Ashton and his grandson, Shepard. He also leaves behind his dear nephews Marcus and Michael Lee and his cherished siblings Marc Lee (Adriana), and Wynnette Lee. He was the son of the late Rudolph and Winifred Lee. Reginald held close the values they instilled in him and his mother remained a beautiful light in his life. Reginald grew up in Dayton, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Dayton with a PhD in mechanical engineering. As an engineer with a passion for business and math, Reginald was a pioneer in debunking the validity of accounting information for managerial purposes. As a replacement, he developed Business Domain Management, a mathematically sound operations and cash business framework. His work has proven valuable in helping leaders see, understand, and manage their operational and cash performance. He was a corporate advisor and founded Business Dynamics & Research using cash-based business models he created. In addition to his ongoing work at BDR, he also taught at Xavier University's Williams College of Business. Previously, he had worked for a number of major global brands including EY, GM, IBM, Oracle and Clark Schaefer. Reginald was also a prolific writer, authoring five books and publishing more than 30 articles in magazines such as APICS, Cincinnati Business Courier, Industrial Management, and Journal of Cost Management.
Use these show notes to follow along with the audio:
Segment one:
Ron first met Dr. Reginald Lee online during a FIERCE debate on cost accounting. Reginald left several comments on LinkedIn with arguments that Ron had never seen before and he knew he needed to have a deeper conversation.
During their first in-person meeting, Ron and Ed learning something valuable from Dr. Reginald Lee. “Cost is an opinion.”
Because Dr. Reginald Lee wasn’t an accountant, one of the refutations Ron/Ed often heard was “he’s not an accountant” (he’s an engineer). But in his campaign against cost accounting, what many forget is that cost accounting was developed by engineers.
Segment two:
Ed has NO IDEA how Dr. Reginald Lee ended up as a Yankees fan (how does anyone end up as a Yankees fan?) but it was a fun rivalry given what everyone should know about Ed Kless. Ed is most definitely a Mets fan.
Dr. Reginald Lee worked at Boeing and General Motors. He had a love of sports and fast cars. He was outgoing and, with an ability to communicate to his college class with an engineering background, was unique in his own right.
The funeral home has a page on Dr. Reginald Lee along with tributes on the page from friends and family. https://www.hodappfuneralhome.com/obituaries/reginald-lee
In tribute to Dr. Reginald Lee, “Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.” —Robert F. Kennedy https://www.hodappfuneralhome.com/obituaries/reginald-lee
Segment three:
Ed had the honor of writing the forward to Dr. Reginald Lee’s most recent book, Project Profitability. https://www.amazon.com/Project-Profitability-Ensuring-Improvement-Projects/dp/1637421699
Ron had the honor of writing the forward to Dr. Reginald Lee’s book, Strategic Cost Transformation. https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Cost-Transformation-Business-Management/dp/1631578790/
“A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.” Segal's Law summarizes the confusion behind cost accounting and why Dr. Reginald Lee’s work was so important.
Segment four:
Dr. Reginald Lee kept a list of all of his appearances on The Soul of Enterprise PLUS other appearances. More here: https://www.bdrco.org/interviews
“Cost Accounting, R.I.P.” — An article by Ron Baker that mentions the work of Dr. Reginald Lee. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140123194426-38251380-cost-accounting-r-i-p/
“The Death of Cost Accounting” A book review by Ron Baker in which he recounts meeting Dr. Reginald Lee and getting to know his work. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/death-cost-accounting-book-review-ron-baker/
“Why Timesheets Focus Firm Leaders on the Wrong Things” — An article in which Ron Baker recounts the work of Dr. Reginald Lee and talks about why cost accounting is a bad idea. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-timesheets-focus-firm-leaders-wrong-things-ron-baker/
Dr. Reginald Lee is survived by his wife and 4 children. One of the children suffers from a rare disease. There is more information at this GoFundMe link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tamara-and-family
Bonus Content is Available As Well
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