Sponsor

The highest external resource level in a project, it's usually the role given to an executive such as a Director, Vice President, or higher. They ultimately own the process targeted by the project and often serve as the final decision maker for getting resources and removing roadblocks. Communication with them by the LSS project leader tends to be infrequent (i.e., perhaps 2 to 5 times during the project).
Related StatStuff Video: 
   -Section 1-Introduction, Lesson #8 - Key Roles in a Lean or Six Sigma Project