The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has named Aida Somun, MBA, PMP, Chief Operating Officer at Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) in Dallas, to the Board of Examiners for the 2020 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 325 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 Excellence Framework 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.
Somun has 16 years of experience as a business leader know for driving profitable growth, cost savings and delivery. She ensures operational excellence through consistent contributions to bottom line efficiency, performance and process improvements. She is most passionate about leading and influencing strategic decision making for operationalizing the right innovative programs focused on improving individual’s health, both physical as well as socio-economic.
Somun was recently honored by Dallas Business Journal as a recipient of the Dallas Business Journal’s 13th annual Women in Business Awards.
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, 129 awards have been presented to 121 organizations (including eight two-time award recipients). The 2019 winners are Adventist Health White Memorial, Los Angeles, CA (health care); Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), Pittsburgh, PA (nonprofit); City of Germantown, Germantown, TN (nonprofit); Howard Community College, Columbia, MD (education); Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, Oak Brook, IL (nonprofit); and Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames, IA (health care).
NIST manages the Baldrige Award in close conjunction with the private sector.
The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program also offers the 2019–2020 Baldrige Excellence Framework: Proven Leadership and Management Practices for High Performance, Baldrige Excellence Builder, nationally ranked leadership training, and other assessment tools. For information on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the Baldrige Award application process, call (301) 975-2036, send an e-mail to baldrige@nist.gov, or visit http://www.nist.gov/baldrige.
Somun and other PCCI experts and business leaders are available to speak to your organization about the healthcare technology and how to leverage new innovation to support your community. Contact us HERE if you would like to learn more about our PCCI experts.
About Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation
Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) is an independent, not-for-profit, healthcare intelligence organization affiliated with Parkland Health & Hospital System. PCCI leverages clinical expertise, data science and social determinants of health to address the needs of vulnerable populations. We believe that data, done right, has the power to galvanize communities, inform leaders, and empower people.
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