Ms. Vicki L. Spagnol

Other board members are: Kathleen Herald-Marlowe (chair of the panel), manager, quality, Exxon Mobil Research and Engineering, Lorham Park, N.J.; David J. McClaskey, senior technical associate, Eastman Chemical Co., Blountville, Tenn.; David F. Quattronne, superintendent of schools, Indian Hill Exempted Village School District, Cincinnati, Ohio; Vicki L. Spagnol, principal, Management Insights, New York, N.Y.; and James A. Stahley, vice president, business excellence, Unisys Corp., Burnsville, Minn.

Vicki L. Spagnol
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Vicki L. Spagnol

Ms. Spagnol is the principal of Management Insights, a consulting firm which helps organizations improve business results by building customer relationships and strengthening operational and performance management systems.She works with a diverse group of clients in the service and government sectors, including Xerox Business Services, McDonald's, Charles Schwab & Company, FirstUSA Bank, and the U.S. Air Force.

Prior to establishing Management Insights, Ms. Spagnol worked for American Express for more than thirteen years.As Vice President of Quality for Travel Related Services, Ms. Spagnol developed systems and approaches to ensure consistently high levels of service and operational performance in medium and large service businesses.She led the development of customer-driven performance measurement systems, customer satisfaction research approaches, and business planning and review processes.She guided the development and implementation of quality training and communications approaches across the Company, and served as an internal consultant to the senior management of Travel Related Services and its other subsidiaries.

Ms. Spagnol has been a member of the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1993.She was a Senior Examiner for five years and was recently appointed to the Panel of Judges for the Award.She has led site visits, written and edited the feedback reports provided to Award applicants, contributed to Award Criteria revisions, and facilitated Examiner training programs.Ms. Spagnol is also a member of the American Society for Quality.She holds a B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Vicki Spagnol, principal, Management Insights, New York, N.Y., says, "The Baldrige criteria provide a proven road map for performance improvement--one that will enable your organization to be more successful than you ever imagined."

But, say you've looked at the criteria and are still uncertain about how to begin.To help you get started, NIST's Baldrige National Quality Program has developed a new brochure, Getting Started-A Guide to

Self-Assessment and Action.The guide will walk you through a 10-step approach to assessing your organization's strengths and developing and implementing a plan for improvement.

It is in the process of putting together an advisory board, which at present includes Vicky Spagnol of American Express.