Nomination for Judges
QTF currently has two openings for the Panel Of Judges at the current time due to resignations and tenure expirations.
If you are interested in being considered as a member of the Panel Of Judges, please fill out the Panel of Judges Nomination Form.
Judges should have been a Team Leader at a minimum and have extensive knowledge of how Quality Texas operates regarding the applicant process. It would be helpful if the nominees had served as a process coach but that is not required.
Submit all questions and nominations to Ms. Richelle Dixon, Lead Judge at richelle.dixon@me.com
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Dr. Mac McGuire
Current Panel of Judges
Richelle Dixon – Lead Judge
Richelle Dixon currently serves as the System Vice President, Administration for CommonSpirit Health. She began her experience with the Baldrige framework as an examiner for the Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence program. Richelle has served as an examiner, team lead, process coach, training faculty and judge for the Quality Texas Foundation. She is the Immediate Past President for the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE). Richelle is board certified in healthcare management and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Richelle received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters in Health Services Administration both from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Lauri Crockett – Judge
Lauri Crockett is a finance professional with over 25 years of experience working with corporate and non-profit teams to innovate, improve, and achieve superior results. Lauri’s involvement with the Quality Texas Foundation began in 2001 and includes the roles of examiner, team leader, process coach, and judge. She is pleased to return in her second appointment to the Panel of Judges. Lauri is an alumna of Oklahoma City University.
Nicci Markos – Judge
Nicci Markos has worked in healthcare administration for over twenty years as a Chief Nursing Officer, Director of Clinical Informatics, Privacy Officer and currently as Chief Nursing Informatics Officer for a large corporation. Her journey with QTF began as an Examiner, Team Leader and Process Coach. As a Registered Nurse, Nicci worked at Blinn College as a Nursing Instructor and has served patients working on Medical and Surgical units, Women’s Services, Orthopedics, Neurology and Long Term Care. Today, she actively serves nurses as a leader in Clinical Informatics where she oversees technology and the impact it has on all patient care providers. She is a member of HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) and ANIA (American Nursing Informatics Association) and holds an Associate Degree in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Management.
Dr. Paul Machen – Judge
Dr. Paul Machen is currently employed at St. Philip’s College, in San Antonio, Texas, as the Dean of Student Success. His Baldrige experiences include QTF Board of Examiners as examiner, back up team lead, scorebook editor, team lead, process coach, training faculty and judge. Dr. Machen earned his Ph.D. at Kansas State University.
He has over 23 years of faculty and curriculum development experience, having taught at both graduate and undergraduate levels. Dr. Machen is a retired Air Force veteran and has performed in top leadership positions as a Chief Master Sergeant.
Keith Simpson – Judge
Keith Simpson is the Chief Strategist for Austin – Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Keith has been in the EMS industry for over 18 years and has been employed by the City of Austin for 23 years. Keith has been involved with developing strategic partnerships and participation efforts with the newly formed Dell Medical School in Austin in the areas of Population Health. Keith has served QTF since 2007 as an examiner, team leader, process coach, scorebook editor and faculty in examiner training. Keith is a certified Improvement Coach from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI).
Dr. Cynthia St. John – Judge
Dr. Cynthia St. John is a management professor with the University Texas at Arlington and a leadership consultant with Chiefology, working with students as well as senior executives to improve their individual and organizational results.
For the past fifteen years, Dr. St. John has served on the Board of Examiners for state and national Baldrige programs. Her involvement with the Quality Texas Foundation has included the roles of examiner, senior examiner, team leader, process coach, training faculty and as a member of both the board of overseers and board of directors. She is also actively involved in the national Baldrige program as an examiner and team leader. Dr. St. John has 25 years of experience helping individuals, teams, and organizations achieve increasing levels of performance excellence.
Dr. Robert Vokurka – Judge
Dr. Robert Vokurka is a retired Professor Emeritus of Operations Management at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. Dr. Vokurka previously worked in industry holding positions of controller and plant manager at Cooper Industries.
Dr. Vokurka served on the Board of Directors of APICS, the Association for Supply Chain Management, including a term as international Chair of the Board. He served on the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for 13 years and with the Quality Texas Foundation for 13 years including roles of Examiner, Senior Examiner, Team Leader, Feedback Writer, Training Team, Panel of Judges, and Chair of the Panel of Judges. Dr. Vokurka is a senior ASQ member and holds several ASQ certifications.