View the 2012 Conference Program here.
Priscilla Nuwash, President, Performance Excellence Center at Poudre Valley Health
Ms. Nuwash is the President of the Center for Performance Excellence at Poudre Valley Health System in Fort Collins, Colorado. Ms. Nuwash served in numerous management capacities including Director of Quality Improvement, the department assigned to operationalize the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. During her tenure in that role, Poudre Valley Health System received four Baldrige site visits, became the only two-time recipient of the Colorado Performance Excellence Peak Award, and received the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Health Care.
Click here to download Priscilla’s powerpoint presentation on Engaging Your Workforce for High Performance in Customer Care. Click here to download Priscilla’s powerpoint presentation on the Updated 2013-14 Baldrige Criteria.
To learn more about Poudre Valley Health System, download their Company Profile.
Allyson Young, Human Resources Director, K&N Management Company
January 18 (OKC)
Allyson Young graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1995. Allyson joined K&N Management in 1997 as the Human Resources Director. In 2000 she earned her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) credentials. Her primary focus includes employee relations, branding, graphics, technical writing, publications, process mapping and concept flow-charting, as well as designing and conducting K&N Management’s performance excellence learning sessions. Allyson was the author of both the Texas Award for Performance Excellence application and the Malcolm Baldridge application. Allyson brings over 20 years of restaurant experience, particularly training and human resources to K&N Management.
To learn more about K&N Management Company, download their Company Profile.
Robert F. Pence, P.E., President and CEO, Freese and Nichols, Inc.
September 14 (OKC) & October 5 (Tulsa), 2011
President and CEO of Freese and Nichols since 2002, Bob Pence has led his company through the difficult financial period that followed 9/11 and into a highly productive expansion that continues today. At the same time, Freese and Nichols has pursued a continuous improvement program that focuses on processes to yield consistent technical excellence.
A water/waste-water specialist, Bob started at Freese and Nichols as a design engineer in 1978, following a four-year stint with the U.S. Army and two years as a research assistant as he earned his Master’s degree in Civil Engineering at Texas A & M University. Bob has headed design teams for major water and waste-water installations and improvements, including the $125 million expansion of the Trinity River Authority’s central regional waste-water treatment plant in the 1990s, and program management of the expansion of the Eagle Mountain Water Treatment Plan which began construction in 2007.
Bob has championed and expanded corporate support for professional education, employee membership in professional organizations, development of papers and presentations, committee participation, attendance at professional conferences and community service. His leadership includes quarterly President’s round-tables with randomly selected employees and direct briefings of employees via visits to local offices and video conference. He is insistent, particularly, that senior corporate leaders lead the firm’s leadership development program and he has fostered an atmosphere of open, direct communication throughout Freese and Nichols.
A familiar presence in community organizations, Bob Pence is the Chairman of the North Texas Commission, a public-private regional organization with the mission to enhance overall economic vitality and quality of life in North Texas. He has chaired the local United Way campaign, and serves as an advocate for children and education in numerous endeavors. When Fort Worth Mayor Moncrief appointed Bob Pence to lead the effort to raise $625,000 for a matching scholarship program, even the local newspaper editorialized about what little time Bob had to raise the funds. With typical dispatch, Bob Pence raised the required funds within three months. Bob was named 2008 Engineer of the Year by the Fort Worth Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers and in Fall, 2010, was named a Fellow by Leadership Fort Worth.
To learn more about Freese and Nichols, Inc., download their Company Profile.