BYU Professor Joins National Board

PROVO, Utah – Jun 30, 2010 – A Marriott School of Management professor will be helping recognize businesses that demonstrate excellence in quality and performance after being selected to serve on the Board of Overseers for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.  

Tom Foster, professor and group leader of the global supply chain management program, was invited by secretary of commerce Gary Locke to serve as one of 11 members, and the only educator, on the national board.

"Through the Baldrige Award program, winning companies stand as role models for other organizations. Their methods and practices are shared with others, and this perpetuates an increase of quality in American businesses," Foster says. "I appreciate the opportunity to serve the country and to help improve performance and competitiveness for American firms." 

The Baldrige Awards, established by Congress in 1987, are given by the president of the United States. The selection process for the award recipients begins with companies sending a self-assessment of procedures and practices to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). These assessments are evaluated and reviewed by an examiner and award recipients are chosen. The entire application and review process is managed by the Board of Overseers.

Foster is familiar with the Baldrige Award program, having served as a Baldrige Award examiner from 1996 to 1997. Secretary of Commerce Locke expressed to Foster the important role the Board of Overseers has on the success of the award and its impact.

"I am extremely enthusiastic about the continued potential of the award to help the United States showcase the performance excellence and innovation of our companies and organizations," said Locke in a letter. "The Board of Overseers plays a crucial role in the success of the award."  

Members of the Board of Overseers are chosen for their knowledge in the quality management field and serve as special government employees for three years. The board advises the NIST director and Locke on the conduct and effectiveness of the Baldrige Award program and prepares the Baldrige National Quality Award annual report.

"It's an honor to be able to serve under the president and the secretary of commerce," Foster says. "This is a great opportunity to network with leaders in the field of quality management and to give service at a national level."

Foster has worked as a professor at the Marriott School for five years. He has authored the second-highest selling quality management book in the world, which is used in more than 300 schools.

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems, entrepreneurship, and recreation management and youth leadership. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,300 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.