ASQ Michiana Section 1005
ASQ Section 1005 Web Site:
Sept. 2009 (For the most up-to-date news and information) /I am so gladwe are startinga new section year. I know that youwill also be excited about the events that are lined up and the opportunities we as leaders have provided. I would like to challenge you to take thetime and attend a meeting. I believe you will findthey are getting better and better. In addition, you will not find amore economical meeting around. (We arecontinuing to havemost ofour meetings priced enough to pay for our expenses or less. In addition, our unemployed section members getup to a$12 meal voucher to cover their expenses). Also remember, because of timing, the most up-to-date information is available at your ASQ section web siteSection 1005 Web Site
Collect those RU’s!
Evening Roundtable Meeting
Bill Boehnlein will host the evening roundtable at Honkers at 211 E Day Rd. in Mishawaka on the 2nd Monday of each month. The meeting starts at 5:00PM. Cost is whatever is ordered off the menu by attendee. The topic will be, ”It’s not about Quality”. If you are unemployed and a member of our section, there is no charge for attending the Roundtables this year. Dinner (up to $12.00) is covered by the section.
Noon Roundtable
The summer is almost over and now we can think about quality again! A recent survey in a quality magazine stated that Lean Six Sigma is the number one choice for improvement. So, our Noon Roundtable Season for 2009-10 will address what is Lean Six Sigma and discussions for its use. Please mark your calendar for the following dates:
Sep 22 (Tuesday) -- please note Tuesday
Oct 20 (Tuesday) – please note Tuesday
Nov 19 (Thursday)
Jan 21 (Thursday)
Feb 18 (Thursday)
Mar 18 (Thursday)
Apr 15 (Thursday)
Then, May (Thursday) is our Mini-Seminar
Those who attend six out of the seven sessions (no excuses, please) will receive a certificate of attendance from the ASQ Michiana Section. We will meet from 11:30 to 1:15 in Ryan’s in Elkhart. Each session will cost (same as 2008-09) $12 for buffet, beverage, and gratuity. And, as a service during these tough ties, unemployed ASQ Members will have their fee paid again this year by the Section.
If you have any questions, please contact Bob Kukla of The CI Group (Session Leader, Six Sigma Black Belt) via e-mail or at 269-699-5679.
!
Dinner Meeting – September 17th 5:30 registration, Meeting at 6
Back to Basics: CQIA BoK Part 1 by Manly Thornton / Gary Reese
Topic: "Journey to the Baldridge Award" by Michele Serbenski, Bronson Healthcare Group (a Baldridge award winner).
Location: Lucchese’s Italian Restaurant, 655 County Road 17 ste 9
Elkhart, IN. Telephone: 574-522-4137.
Price: Order off the menu
Michele Serbenski
Vice President, Performance Excellence
Bronson Healthcare Group
As Bronson’s Baldrige coordinator, Michele Serbenski leads the organization in using the Baldrige healthcare criteria in pursuit of performance excellence. She worked closely with the internal category teams to prepare for Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award application and site visit, leading to recognition as the only Baldrige healthcare recipient in 2005. Since receiving the recognition, Michele has been sharing Bronson’s story and assisting other organizations as they are using the criteria to pursue excellence. Bronson’s journey using the criteria continues as the organization has plans to reapply for the award when eligible in 2011.
In addition to her Baldrige responsibilities, Michele is responsible for the Bronson Experience, Customer Service Department, Customer Service Institute, Patient Relations, Pastoral Care, Valet Parking, Bronson Referral and Information Center, and Volunteer Services.
She is a senior Baldrige examiner and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University as well as a master’s degree in organizational communication from Western Michigan University.
Contact Information:
Bronson Healthcare Group
301 John Street – Box C
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(269)341-6065
(269)341-7948 fax
For information about Bronson’s Baldrige journey go to or email .
ASQ Michiana Section 1005
ASQ Section 1005 Web Site:
September 2009 (For the most up-to-date news and information) /October Dinner Meeting 10/15/09
The October section meeting will be shared with the NorthWest Indiana Section 1011. Meeting will be at Hammer’s 3124 East US Highway 20 Michigan City, IN. Registration will start at 6:30 our time (5:30 central time). Meeting will start at 7:00. Part 2 of Back-to-Basics of the CQIA will be presented. Main topic will be “Who wants to be a Quality Millionaire”.
Policies to help you out
It is our policy at our local ASQ section that members who have lost their job can come to our regular dinner, noon and evening roundtable meetings FREE. This would not include retired persons, but would include those on lay-off or terminated members. We do this so you can network with other members. This cost is not to exceed $12 at a meeting. Cost of the meeting is $10.
Re-certification: We have heard that headquarters will assist you if you are unemployed. Please check with
Membership renewalinformation for those who are un-employed and want to retain their membership and certificates. Go to the headquarter’s website for more information.
Congratulations on your Certifications!
Certified Quality Auditor, Donald D. McCan, Bayer Health Care Senior member
Certified Quality Engineer, David A. Crum, Regular member
Certified Quality Engineer, Glenn A. Floyd, Student member
Certified Quality Engineer, Sriram Gurusaran, Senior member
Certified Quality Engineer, Cheryl A. Trease, Zimmer member
An offer to help get certified
ASQ Michiana Section 1005 would like to know which ASQ Certifications
you want to prepare for this upcoming year. Please send an e-mail to Barb Dull ()
that we can see if there are enough people that want
to study for a certification to put together a study group. Study
groups meet on a regular basis at a time determined by the group to
support each other in the study process. The section will assist in
identifying a person that is certified and knowledgeable in that area to
be a resource for the group. We've had great success with the two ASQ
CQE study groups we had last year. We'd like to see more people take
advantage of this. Make some time to pursue a certification this year -
Invest in yourself! The returns are priceless.
“Back to Basics” a CQIA Short Course
For the coming year, the pre-dinner presentations (Back to Basics) will cover the Body of Knowledge for the Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) certification exam. This will provide an introduction to the certifications offered by the Society and an opportunity to prepare for an exam at minimal cost.
During each of the seven monthly section meetings from September through April the presentations will cover part of the Body of Knowledge, generally in order. The schedule and topic will be posted on the Section website. Although all the topics will be discussed in the seven sessions, time will not allow in depth review. For those intending to take the certification exam, it is recommended that they obtain either the CQIA Handbook (ASQ Press) or the CQIA Primer (Indiana Quality Council)
The Certification Exam is June 5, 2010, applications due on April 16, 2010. Details of application and the exam will be covered in the Back to Basic Presentations
For Section member who attend at least five of the sessions, have no ASQ certifications, and take the exam, the Section will reimburse $50 of the examination fee.
ASQ Michiana Section 1005
ASQ Section 1005 Web Site:
(For the most up-to-date news and information) /Note: To receive this letter by email instead of hardcopy, please change your email preference at You may not be aware, but there is a place in your profile to allow only section created emails to come to you. Thank you
ASQ Section 1005
Don Florea
25434 CR 24
Elkhart, IN 46517