Greetings Valued ASQ Phoenix Section Members –
This past month has been a whirlwind of activity in the Phoenix Section! We had our monthly member meeting on the 12th, offered a Project Charter for Greenbelts course, and we hosted a section conference, the first in over a decade! These were all great opportunities to engage with peers, expand your knowledge, and increase your network.
If you were unable to attend the monthly meeting in October, you missed out on a great presentation by Camilla Tuominen on ‘Navigating to the Future with Emotional Intelligence and Courage”. During her presentation, Camilla discussed the importance of understanding our emotions. She mentioned that in certain situations, our emotions can be detrimental to our performance, both in our professional and personal lives, and offered suggestions on how to better regulate them to prevent negative outcomes. She connected to the audience through personal examples and described techniques that have worked for her personally as well as those in her circle. If you missed the presentation, I encourage you to view the recording which is available at www.asqphoenix.org.
In an effort to provide additional training opportunities for our members, a Project Charter for Greenbelts course was also offered in October. This virtual class provided an intimate experience for participants, thus encouraging great engagement and discussion. The next training in the Greenbelt toolbox series will be in December and will focus on DMAIC for Greenbelts. It will also be virtual and will be worth .2 recertification units. These short trainings not only provide a great refresher in topics that are relevant to quality and continuous improvement professionals, they also encourage additional opportunities for networking with your peers. Please be on the lookout for additional information on the DMAIC training as well as other Greenbelt short courses in the weeks to come on www.asqphoenix.org.
Finally, the ASQ Phoenix Section hosted PHXCON, the premiere event of what we anticipate becoming an annual conference. The conference was attended by upwards of 40 people; offered 12 presentations plus a keynote speaker and panel discussion, and included a networking event poolside post conference. The conference opened with a keynote presentation on “Changing Times in Quality: Balancing the Basics with Emerging Trends” by Dr. Adaora Nelson, Vice President of Quality and Mission Assurance at Raytheon/RTX. The presentations covered a variety of topics from process improvement techniques to improved communication for better employee engagement. Presenters represented a wide variety of industries and traveled from various locations across the country to participate in the event. Our very own John Choate did a fantastic job moderating the panel discussion on “The Future of Quality in an Evolving Workplace”. The panelists, Dr. Binil Starly, Dr. Cyndi Laurin, Dr. Adaora Nelson, and Dennis Stambaugh, offered unique perspectives on many of the current trends in the workplace. Overall, the day was a huge success! If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend this year, you definitely will not want to miss the conference next year!
The ASQ Phoenix Section will finish off the year strong with additional opportunities for engagement. We hope you will join us! Our upcoming monthly member meeting on November 9, will include a presentation by Linda Westfall of the Westfall Team on “Risk Analysis and Mitigation”. We are then offering an opportunity for community service and networking on November 25th at Feed My Starving Children, followed by a networking lunch at a location that will soon be determined; reference the invite via email as well as online at www.asqphoenix.org. Please be on the lookout for additional details regarding the Greenbelt tools training as well as a virtual member meeting in December. With so many options for engagement, we look forward to seeing you at more than one!
Until we meet again, I wish you good health, happiness, and continued connection!
Cheers!
Hilary Werner