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 is a healthcare executive with over 20 years of executive experience. 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 National President-Elect 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.
Keith Kemplay – Judge
Keith Kemplay currently is employed at Jason’s Deli as the Director of Performance Excellence and also serves as an Advisory Member to the Board of Directors. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Lamar University and a Master of Business Administration from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University.
Keith’s experience with the Baldrige framework includes roles as an examiner, assistant team lead, team lead, training faculty, and judge for Texas Foundation. He has also served on the Board of Examiners for the Baldrige National Quality Award.
Stephen Lehocky – Judge
Stephen Lehocky is the Manufacturing Manager at OraMetrix, a medical device manufacturer in Richardson Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and his MBA at California State University Dominguez Hills. He is presently pursuing his Ph.D. in industrial Engineering at the University of Texas Arlington.
Mr. Lehocky has been active with state and national quality programs serving on the Board of Examiners as a team member, team leader scorebook editor and judge for the Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award and the Texas Award for Performance Excellence. He also serves on the Lean Certification and Appeals Committee representing the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
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.
Dr. Cynthia St. John – Judge
Dr. Cynthia St. John is a management consultant and executive coach for leaders across multiple industries, all possessing a common desire 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.
Robert Vokurka – Judge
Robert Vokurka is a retired Professor Emeritus of Operations Management at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. Robert previously worked in industry holding positions of controller and plant manager at Cooper Industries.
Robert 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. Robert is a senior ASQ member and holds several ASQ certifications.