AMDA leader named to Baldrige Award board

Christopher E. Laxton, CAE, executive director of AMDA–The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA), has been named to the Board of Examiners for the 2014 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award by the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The award recognizes organizational innovation and performance excellence.

He joins more than 400 examiners appointed by the NIST director to evaluate award nominations and perform other assessment-related tasks. Examiners are competitively selected from industry, professional, trade, education, healthcare and nonprofit (including government) organizations from across the country.

Laxton has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, governance and operations and has served as AMDA’s executive director since 2013. He has been a national Baldrige Award examiner since 2008.

Congress established the Baldrige Award in 1987 in honor of the 26th secretary of commerce. Awards may be given annually to organizations in each of six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, healthcare and nonprofit. Since 1988, 95 organizations have been recognized.

NIST's mission is to advance measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve American quality of life.

For more information about the award, click the link in the first paragraph, call (301) 975-2036 or email baldrige@nist.gov.