Education Service Center Region 12

For Immediate Release:
June 12, 2008

Media Contact: Jennifer Marshall-Higgins
Title: Communications Coordinator
Phone: (254) 297-1198
E-mail: jhiggins@esc12.net

ESC Region 12 Senior Director Appointed Examiner for 2008
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

Sandy Nolan
Senior Director
Quality & Planning

WACO, TEXAS-- Sandra Nolan, senior director of Quality & Planning Services with the Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 has been appointed by Dr. James M. Turner, acting director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to the 2008 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.

As an examiner, Ms. Nolan is responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Award. The board is composed of approximately 500 leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education and healthcare organizations and government. 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 six categories: Manufacturing, Service, Small Business, Education, Health Care, and Non-profit. Awards have been presented to 74 organizations, including the (2007) Award recipients: PRO-TEC Coating Co., Mercy Health System, Sharp HealthCare, City of Coral Springs, and U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC).

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 Bldg., Room A600, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1020, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1020, telephone: 301/975-2036, fax: 301/948-3716. Information also can be found on the Baldrige National Quality Program's website at http://www.baldrige.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, WI, administers the program. For further information about ESC Region 12 and their quality approaches, contact Sandra Nolan at 254-297-1204. For further information about the Baldrige Award, reporters may contact Michael E. Newman, NIST Public Affairs Office, 301-975-3025, michael.newman@nist.gov.

About ESC Region 12

One of 20 centers throughout Texas, the Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 provides professional training and technical assistance for the purpose of improving student performance for all students. Based in Waco, with offices in, Corsicana, Goldthwaite, Hillsboro, Nolanville and Teague, the ESC Region 12’s service area includes Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Lampasas, Limestone, Mills, McLennan and Navarro counties.