Contact: 608-663-5300
Madison, WI – Application materials are now available for the 2005 Wisconsin Forward Award (WFA) Board of Examiners. Serving on WFA’s Board of Examiners is an exceptional personal and professional developmental opportunity with veteran Examiners comparing their experience as completing a “mini MBA.”
Wisconsin Forward Award, the state’s premier honor for performance excellence, is Wisconsin’s equivalent to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award—described as the Nobel Prize for quality. WFA recognizes organizations at four levels of performance, the Governor’s Forward Award of Excellence representing the highest. Additional recognition includes the Mastery, Proficiency and Commitment awards.
What does the Board of Examiners do? Examiners—both individually and as part of a team—review a written application based on the WFA/Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Some Examiners also participate in an on-site visit with their applicant. At the end of the review process, each Examiner Team develops a feedback report for their applicant. The feedback report details an applicant’s strengths and opportunities for improvement, which assists that organization in reaching its performance excellence goals. During the entire review process, Examiners are supported by mentors, team leaders, and the WFA staff.
Members of the Board of Examiners—as with WFA applicants—are from all business sectors including healthcare, education, manufacturing, and government. “Wisconsin Forward Award is committed to having its largest and most diverse Board of Examiners for 2005,” said Elizabeth Menzer, WFA Executive Director. “Wisconsin Forward Award program participants will tell you that regardless of the measure—efficiency, student achievement, customer satisfaction, employee retention/morale, patient safety or profitability—the WFA program provides the roadmap for performance improvement. Our Board of Examiners is the critical component that ensures our applicants receive value-added feedback specific to their performance excellence journey.”
Founded in 1997 by the Council on Workforce Investment, the Wisconsin Forward Award program was created to promote significant achievements in continuous improvement and performance excellence—business practices that ensure the economic vitality of Wisconsin organizations and the communities they serve. Further information on Wisconsin Forward Award in general or about the Board of Examiners in particular can be found on the organization’s web site at www.forwardaward.org or by calling John Gustafson at (608) 663-5300.
