Debra Owens, CQ Manager, CQIA

Debra is a former Fortune 500 Executive. She specializes in assisting organizations to diagnose, prioritize and improve business performance. Debra has 26 years of experience in quality management and business improvement. Her wide range of experience includes working with manufacturing, service, small business, non–profit and government organizations. Some clients include: Compaq, Intel, Eastman, AT&T, Xerox, Shin Satellite of Thailand, the U.S. Navy Medical Inspector General Office, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, St.Luke Hospital , Freeport Health Network, Howard Community Hospital , Air Liquide, Fisher Scientific, Eaton, Sears, and the Kowloon Canton Railway-recipient of Hong Kong’s National Quality Award.

In her position as Baxter Healthcare’s Corporate Vice President of Quality Management, she was the chief architect to develop and implement an assessment/improvement process using the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria. Assessment findings were used at local and corporate levels to accelerate focused improvement.

Debra was also Technical and Professional Director for the American Society for Quality (ASQ) where she was operationally responsible for training, education, certification, standards, and Division(s). She also had responsibility for contracts with NASA and NIST, at the Department of Commerce. The NASA Excellence Award for Quality and Productivity contract had responsibilities that included: contract negotiations, serving as Award Lead Examiner, Criteria development, and feedback.

Debra was Quality Manager for Baxter Travenol, a medical device manufacturing plant. She was also a medical technician, supervising chemistry and special chemistry at a 600–bed hospital.

Professional contributions include:

ASQ Board of Director member and Executive Board Member
Four–year Baldrige Examiner
Member of the Lincoln Award for Business Excellence’s first Executive Board (Illinois State Quality Award). Established, recruited, and was chairman of the volunteer committees responsible for the Award’s Board of Examiner selection and training, evaluation process, Applicant eligibility and feedback, education and outreach, and Criteria.
Executive Board member for the Milwaukee First in Quality (city–wide effort)
Judge for the following Baldrige-based awards: Air Force Quality Award, Defense Logistics Agency’s DC MC Commander’s Cup, Army’s Communities of Excellence Award, and the Veteran Administration’s Carey Award
Faculty member for the: ASQ; Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Boston, Massachusetts; Lebanese American University in Beirut Lebanon; Medical Technology Technical Institute in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Thailand Productivity Institute in Bangkok, Thailand- teaching Baldrige for Service and Healthcare, Strategic Quality Planning, Introduction to Quality Management, Systematic Problem Solving Process for Sustained Improvements, and Process FMEAs
Program chairman for ASQ and AMA Customer Satisfaction Conference
Recipient of the 1996 ASQ Most Successful New Course Award and the Faculty Excellence Award for Outstanding Customer Satisfaction
ASQ Certified Quality Manager and Certified Quality Improvement Associate
Speaker and lecturer at numerous seminars and conferences in the U.S.A., Asia, and Europe
Ms. Owens has a Bachelor of Science degree from Milliken University (Decatur, Illinois)