David J. McClaskey, CQ Manager, CQIA, CQE

David McClaskey is a Baldrige expert/Consultant and one of the few individuals to have the privilege of assisting FOUR companies that have won FIVE Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards: Pal’s Sudden Service (2001 winner); OMI (2000 winner); The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company (1999 and 1992 winner); and Eastman Chemical Company (1993 winner). He also assisted one company, Florida Power and Light, to be the first company outside of Japan to win Japan ’s Deming Prize. David served as one of nine Judges the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award from 1999-2002 . This is the group, appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, which selects the Baldrige winners. In addition to being a Baldrige Judge, he has also served as a Judge for the State of Georgia Quality Award (from 1998-2003) and Tennessee Quality Award from (1993-98; 04-current) and as a Baldrige Examiner (1988-91).

David has consulted with over 100 organizations related to using Baldrige and QM to get results. Some of the organizations include: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company; Eastman Chemical Company; Pal’s Sudden Service; OMI; AT&T; John Deere; Baxter Healthcare; Johnson and Johnson; Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA); John Deere Health Care; Thibodaux Regional Medical Center; East Alabama Medical Center; Poudre Valley Hospital; Eastman Kodak, City of Kingsport, Univ. of Tenn., Poudre School District. David works for the 1993 Baldrige Award winning Eastman Chemical Company, where he is a Six Sigma Black Belt responsible for training other Black Belts and leading improvement efforts using Six Sigma. David, who has also had extensive business training, is responsible for helping Eastman use Quality Management to improve its business competitiveness. During the last 30 years, he has helped design and implement many of Eastman’s Award-winning, company-wide QM systems.

David is the President and COO of the Business Excellence Institute, an institute that teaches proven world-class performance excellence practices, with special emphasis on courses teaching about Pal’s Sudden Service Baldrige-winning, world-class management practices. He frequently gives talks and teaches seminars on quality management around the U.S. as well as internationally. His two-day Baldrige course that teaches management how to use the Baldrige criteria to improve their organization has been especially well received. David has trained many writers of Baldrige applications and assessments. David has served as an internal Baldrige examiner for companies as well as train their examiners. David is a national instructor for ASQ. He co-developed ASQ’s 5-day “Introduction to Quality Management” course. He frequently speaks at ASQ’s Annual Quality Congresses.

David became the world’s first Baldrige trainer when the U.S. Government and ASQ asked him to develop and teach the initial Baldrige Examiner Preparation Course to the entire original (1988) Malcolm Baldrige Board of Examiners. David helped develop the initial Baldrige scoring criteria and assessment procedures and was a “leading contributor” to improvements in the 1989-91 Baldrige criteria as well as a contributor to the 2001 Baldrige criteria. Since 1988, David has continued to be very active in doing Baldrige instruction. He has taught over 3,500 managers and professionals, in the U.S. and internationally, how to understand and use the Baldrige criteria to assess and improve their companies.

David is the 1998 recipient of ASQ’s prestigious E. L. Grant Award for the development and presentation of meritorious educational programs in quality management. This is ASQ’s top national award in the area of training. In 1993, David received the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Florida’s College of Engineering for his leadership in developing QM practices applicable to higher education. In 1989, David received a Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Department of Commerce for “outstanding service to the nation” for his role in preparing the first Baldrige Board of Examiners. David is on the Board of Directors for the Greater Kingsport United Way.

David is a Fellow of both ASQ and the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE). He is an ASQ-certified Quality Engineer, Quality Manager, and Quality Improvement Associate, is a licensed Professional Engineer, and has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee, respectively. David served on ASQ’s Board of Directors, was Chair of ASQ’s Professional Development Council and ASQ’s Education and Training Board. In 1997, the undergraduate Leavenworth-McClaskey Scholarship was established at the University of Florida.