The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has named Dr. Christine Hunter, MD of LowCountry Women’s Specialists in Charleston, SC, to the Board of Examiners for the 2018 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 300 leading experts competitively selected from industry, professional, trade, education, health care, and nonprofit (including government) organizations from across the United States.
Those selected 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 Framework for Performance Excellence 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.
Dr. Hunter continues her work as a partner and practicing physician with LowCountry Women’s Specialists where she has practiced since 1997. She is Board Certified in Ob/Gyn and is a Fellow of the American College of Gynecology. She recently earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and she serves on the Board of Trustees of Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville.
LowCountry Women’s Specialists is a privately-run, independently-owned group of board-certified physicians. Having served the area for over 26 years, the practice continues to expand to serve the growing population of the Tri-county area. In addition to their offices in North Charleston and Summerville, a third location is slated to open in 2019.
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, 119 awards have been presented to 110 organizations (including eight repeat recipients). NIST manages the Baldrige Award in close conjunction with the private sector.
