The Innovate for Excellence 2023 Summit will be held on October 26th and 27th, 2023, at the NIU Naperville Campus (1120 E. Diehl Road, Naperville, IL 60563) in collaboration with the ASQ Innovation & Inspection Divisions and Northeastern Illinois Section & the Chicago ASQ Section (Consortium) the Phoenix of the Chicagoland Fall Quality Conference.

With the ever-increasing complexity involved with the provision of products and services, the demand for competent workers will undoubtedly increase.

The ASQ Inspection Division has selected Benchmark Electronics, Inc. Incoming Inspection Quality Technician, Szilvia Pethes, as the 2023 Chuck Carter International Inspector of the Year.

Some people might be nervous about completely switching careers, but not Jared Curtis. For his dedication to quality, strong communication skills, and interest in always learning, Jared Curtis is our 2023 Quality Rookie of the Year.

Now that my hair has turned gray, I periodically think back and consider “what if …” What if I had chosen a different major in college? What if I had not taken a specific job opportunity?

His colleagues say there's no one like him. He's been described as that rare person who can teach anyone about technical subjects, listen carefully, win over skeptical staff, and even emcee a retirement party with just the right mix of humor. Meet the 2023 Quality Professional of the Year.

Having conducted well over 700 audits, there are some patterns that have developed that are interesting to note.

Over the years, I have seen firsthand that there seems to be no shortage of opportunities for quality professionals to become an irreplaceable member of an organization if they are highly skilled in resolving issues.

Quality professionals quickly learn that they need to deal with a barrage of situations where their expertise is required to intervene, provide perspective, or in some cases lead teams to come up with a solution.

I have been an ASQ member since 1990 and have served continuously as an ASQ member leader (aka volunteer) for 30-plus years. One of the many benefits of volunteering is the opportunity to observe, up close, how ASQ goes about practicing what it preaches.