Dan Brita, systems integration director for Westfield Washington Schools, has been appointed by Dr. Patrick Gallagher, director of the commerce dept.’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, to the 2012 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, Brita 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 health care organizations, and nonprofits (including 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.
The Baldrige Award may be given annually in each of six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care and nonprofit. Awards have been presented to 90 organizations, including the 2011 recipients: Concordia Publishing, St. Louis (nonprofit), Henry Ford Health System, Detroit (health care), Schneck Medical Center, Seymour, Ind. (health care) and Southcentral Foundation, Anchorage, Alaska (health care).