Chair's Corner Dale Holdman
Greetings,
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Dale Holdman, and I have been a member of ASQ for eight years and I have served on the Minnesota Section Board for over four years. I have worked in the defense and medical industries for over 20 years with the last eight years in the biomedical quality arena. As a Minnesota Section Board member, I have served as the Vice Chair of Conferences, Vice Chair of Membership Services, Chair Elect and now as your Chair.
As Chair, I want to begin by saying that we (i.e. your Section Board) want to maintain open communication with our members in an effort to serve you better. Our goal is to have and maintain an open dialogue with you and utilize your feedback to lead the Section in a way that will further benefit the member’s needs.
During the last four years, there have been dramatic changes not only within the Minnesota Section but also within ASQ nationwide. Numerous standards pertaining to quality have been or are in the process of being revised which will present some challenging opportunities in the coming year.
Before our new Board members are introduced, we sadly say good-bye to a couple of our veterans. Family obligations, work responsibilities, and time commitments have driven you to decline further Board service. We cannot thank Mavonne Prokop, Connie McLinn, and Gary Townsend enough for the numerous hours of time, effort and sacrifice they have given. There is no way we could have made the progress we have made without their steady guidance and perseverance. Again, Thank You!
Fortunately, the excitement and enthusiasm we feel about our recent Board transitions is further intensified by a new crop of volunteers. We welcome you and greatly appreciate your desire to give your best as you serve ASQ and its members:
Ashweni Sahni is the Chair Elect and will help run the Section Board this year. In addition, he will also be an integral part of submitting and monitoring our Section QMP. ashquality@comcast.net
Brian Colvin is Vice Chair of Communications and is in charge of managing the Section monthly newsletter and website. He also oversees all e-broadcasts. bdcolvin@comcast.net
Megan Lafferty is Secretary. She is responsible for documenting Section business and maintaining records. meglafferty@gmail.com
Julie Baker is Treasurer and, as such, oversees Section funds. We all depend on her to maintain accurate financial records and report on our fiscal health. jabaker@mmm.com
Meena Chettiar and Steven Elvester are sharing responsibility as Co-Vice Chairs of the Education Committee. This committee endeavors to provide certification preparation training and other content as well as a host of quality-related courses for the Section. Meena.chettiar@cimalabs.com, elvester@warpdriveonline.com
Wayne Ellison is Vice Chair of Conferences. Wayne and his team align the needs of the members with the educational and training offerings presented at the Minnesota Section Conferences and Workshops. eabritten5@msn.com
Mark Lanz is the Vice Chair of Member Services and is responsible for recruitment and retention of our Section members. mark.lanz@bsci.com
Pat Wegerson and Karen Maskell are sharing responsibility as Co-Vice Chairs of the Program Committee. They help manage our Monthly Program Meetings and special events. p.wegerson@comcast.net, kmaskell@gmail.com
Karen Maskell is also Vice Chair of the newly established Voice of the Customer (VoC) and is responsible for giving voice to the needs and desires of the membership by conducting research into and analysis of the needs of the membership.
To reiterate, your input is very important to me because “The quality of an organization can never exceed the quality of the minds that make it up”. Please feel free to contact me at dpholdman@yahoo.com.
Very Respectfully,
Dale Holdman
MN ASQ Section Board Chair