The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has named Margaret (Maggie) Ozan Rafferty RN, DHA, Chief Experience Officer at Blessing Health System, to the Board of Examiners for the 2019 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.

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.

Dr. Ozan Rafferty is responsible for leading Blessing Health System’s efforts to deliver a seamless consumer experience across the organization. A Quincy resident and registered nurse, Dr. Ozan Rafferty holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a Doctor of Health Administration from Central Michigan University.