The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has named Crystal Gaylord, Manager of Nursing Administration, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health, to the Board of Examiners for the 2019 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 325 leading experts competitively selected from industry, professional, trade, education, health care, and nonprofit organizations from across the United States.
“I’m honored to have been selected to serve on the Board of Examiners,” said Gaylord. “Metro Health is committed to exceeding industry standards and this experience has given me an incredible vantage point to measure success with regard to how our team achieves and sustains organizational excellence.”
Those selected to the board 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 Excellence Framework and the scoring/evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award. They must also complete an independent review of a Baldrige Award application or other comparable examiner task.
Crystal Gaylord has been a nursing leader at Metro Health for the past eight years. She has served in various leadership roles including: Clinical Coordinator, Quality and Safety Nurse Specialist and most recently Manager of Nursing Administration and Magnet Program Director. Her expertise in acute care and nursing leadership make her a valuable addition to the Baldrige Board of Examiners.
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 the first group was recognized in 1988, 124 awards have been presented to 115 organizations.