Greg Smith Appointed Examiner for 2004

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, May 21, 2004

Greg Smith of Chart Your Course International, a management development consulting company located in Atlanta, Georgia, has been appointed by Arden Bement, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology  (NIST), to the 2004 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.  The Award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive. The President of the United States presents this award each year during the month of May. 

As an Examiner, Smith is responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Award.  The board is composed of approximately 400 leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education and health care organizations, and government. There are only 13 examiners in the state of Georgia.

Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition.  All members of the board must take part in a preparation course based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and the scoring and evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award.

Awards may be given annually in each of five categories:  Manufacturing, Service, Small Business, Education, and Health Care.  Awards have been presented to 49 organizations, including Motorola, Inc., Ritz-Carlton Hotels, FedEx, SSM Health Care, and Branch-Smith Printing Division.  This is the first time a health care organization has received the Baldrige Award.

Information about the Baldrige National Quality Program and the application process is available from the Baldrige National Quality Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Administration Building, Room A600, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1020, Gaithersburg, MD  20899-1020, telephone:  301-975-2036, fax:  301-Information also can be found on the Baldrige National Quality Program’s Website at http://www.quality.nist.gov.

The Award Program is managed by NIST, a program of the Commerce Department’s Technology Administration, in close cooperation with the private sector.  The American Society for Quality (ASQ) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, administers the program.  For further information about Greg Smith visit www.chartcourse.com or contact 770-860-9464.  For further information about the Baldrige Award, reporters can call Jan Kosko, NIST Public and Business Affairs, 301-975-2767. 

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