Life is roundabout, and in 2009 I found myself thrust by chance into a position as a continuous improvement specialist. Identifying the congruence between this type of work and my own personality and interests, I quickly understood my role as a 'Builder of Society,' leading me to compose my first personal purpose statement. That purpose as a 'Builder' was to “fortify the capabilities of individuals and organizations through effective evaluation and assessment, thought-partnership, and support in continuous improvement.”
To be able to accomplish this important purpose in my life’s journey, I recognized the need for the development and expansion of my knowledge and skills. I selected UNT’s department of Applied Technology and Performance Improvement as my first port of call. By partnering with the ATPI and EPSY faculty, as well as with fellow student colleagues, I have been able to increase my knowledge in the performance improvement and academic fields, and build my skill set in research, measurement, statistics, and evaluation. I have also been challenged and encouraged to continue to engage in service activities among both academic and corporate arenas. My academic portfolio demonstrates these proficiencies in the forms of coursework, research, teaching, and service.
Multiple courses from my major and minor fields have sharpened my ability to understand and articulate a body of knowledge to build a theory, design and conduct investigations to test that theory, and evaluate the quality and contribution of research to a given field. Along with my fellow colleagues, I have conducted research, publishing multiple theoretical and one empirical work in Performance Improvement Quarterly, Performance Improvement Journal, the Learning and Performance Quarterly, and ASQ’s Primary and Secondary
Education Brief. Each of these works have centered around my key research interests – performance measurement, strategy, and other improvement tools for use by performance improvement professionals. Many of these works have been adapted and disseminated through
national and international conferences, such as the Sloan Consortium’s Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium, the International Joint Conference on Knowledge, Economy and Management, the International Conference of the MENA Chapter of the Academy of Human Resource Development, and the American Society for Quality’s National Conference for Quality in Education. Also, opportunities to collaborate with ATPI faculty to design and teach courses in research and evaluation have strengthened my leadership capabilities, deepened
my knowledge in statistical methods, and helped circumscribe my understanding of my personal role in an academic environment.
As a student of an interdisciplinary study, I have been encouraged to engage in multiple activities dedicated to the service of my national, local, and academic communities. I have dedicated over 300+ hours annually to the Quality Texas Foundation’s Texas Award for Performance Excellence as a state-based Baldrige examiner, examination team leader, and process coach, and now serve on the Panel of Judges. I have served the Higher Learning Commission’s Academic Quality Improvement Program as a peer-reviewer for their Baldrige-based accreditation review cycle. I have also offered many hours to AdvancED’s accreditation program to support distance-learning K-12 schools in their improvement efforts. I have been challenged by my academic peers to take on the task of serving fellow researchers as a peer-reviewer for the Learning and Performance Quarterly, a student-led journal. Most recently, I have been accepted to serve on the Board of Examiners for the National Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Each of these learning and service experiences has equipped me to obtain my current position as a Journey to Excellence (Baldrige) Program Manager for the largest healthcare system in North Texas – Texas Health Resources (THR). I work alongside THR’s senior leaders to manage the annual Baldrige application process and the resolution of key opportunities for improvement, the deployment of initiatives related to knowledge management, and
the evaluation of programs and processes throughout the system.
My professional goals are as follows: 1) to maintain a key leadership position as an organizational excellence champion for a large healthcare system; 2) to start a small company that specializes in survey design, deployment, and reporting; 3) to become an expert in the field of fact-based management, particularly in the measurement of performance, organizational decision-making, and survey research management; and 4) to continue to fulfill my personal purpose to “fortify the capabilities of individuals and organizations through effective evaluation and assessment, thought-partnership, and support in continuous improvement.”
As a scholar-practitioner and 'Builder of Society,' it has been my pleasure to experience the ATPI program as a port of call on my learning journey.