Oster Named to Board of Examiners for 2014 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

Gaithersburg, MD, August 01, 2014 --(PR.com)-- The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has named Randi Redmond Oster, award-winning author of Questioning Protocol in Fairfield, CT., to the Board of Examiners for the 2014 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige Award is the nation’s highest honor for organizational innovation and performance excellence.

Appointed by the NIST Director, examiners are responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Baldrige Award, as well as other assessment-related tasks. The examiner board is composed of more than 400 leading experts competitively selected from industry, professional, trade, education, health care and nonprofit (including government) organizations from across the United States.

Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition, demonstrating competencies related to customer focus, communication, ethics, action orientation, team building and analytical skills. All members of the board must take part in a nationally ranked leadership development course based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and the scoring/evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award.

Randi Redmond Oster is the award winning author of Questioning Protocol, which helps patients navigate the healthcare system and medical professionals understand the patient perspective. Randi spent the first 18 years of her career in GE working on complex aerospace systems and building profitable financial services businesses. She received a Black Belt in Six Sigma Quality and numerous leadership awards. The skills gained in GE empowered her to effectively navigate the healthcare system and find opportunities for process improvements, as she advocated for her chronically ill son in the hospital. Today, she is a leading speaker on healthcare reform, shared decision making and patient engagement.

Named after Malcolm Baldrige, the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Baldrige Award was established by Congress in 1987. Awards may be given annually to organizations in each of six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care and nonprofit. The Award promotes innovation and excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. Since 1988, 95 organizations have received Baldrige Awards, including the 2013 winners: Pewaukee School District, Pewaukee, Wisc. (education) and Sutter Davis Hospital, Davis, Calif. (health care).

NIST manages the Baldrige Award in close conjunction with the private sector.

For information on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the Baldrige Award application process, call (301) 975-2036, send an e-mail to baldrige@nist.gov.