Kalamazoo, MI: Eleven employees of HomeLife, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan with an office in Battle Creek, Michigan, have been appointed to the 2009 Michigan Quality Council (MQC) Board of Examiners. One employee was reappointed as a Senior Examiner, six as returning examiners, and four as new examiners.
Employees appointed include Scott Christ, Vice President and co-owner; Kevin Steve, Program Director; Joel Parish, Behavior Analyst; Michele VandeZande, Business Office Manager; Kristen Brekke, Referral Coordinator; Eli DeLeon, Cate Tanis, Janette Terry, Brendan McGroarty, and Autumn Yost, Home Managers. Barry Bruns, President and co-owner, was reappointed as Senior Examiner.
The Michigan Quality Council (MQC) is an organization that assists Michigan business, education, healthcare, and non-profit organizations to improve their performance by using the nationally recognized Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. It evaluates organizations and provides feedback on strengths and improvement areas, identifies and promotes best practices, recognizes exemplary performance, and provides consulting in partnership with others. Each year the MQC recognizes outstanding organizations and through its partners, provides organizational and professional development consulting. For more information, visit www.michiganquality.org
As Michigan Quality Council examiners, the named HomeLife employees are now qualified to participate in various levels of organizational performance review and will help to identify recipients of the Michigan Quality Leadership Award, the highest award available for quality recognition in the state. They have now become a part of the process to assist large and small organizations from across Michigan in achieving performance excellence. Examiners and senior examiners are selected for an unpaid appointment of one year.
“Our employees have engaged in what has become an annual challenge to learn how effective organizations operate. The knowledge and experience gained by our employees as students of performance excellence, improves their ability to be effective leaders for HomeLife, Inc., as well as, contributors to their communities” said Barry Bruns, President. HomeLife, Inc. is not the only organization to benefit from this expertise. “Whether it’s evaluating organizations for performance excellence as an examiner, or serving on community boards, organizational committees, or other volunteer community activities; as students and examiners of performance excellence, these individuals have increased their capacity to contribute to the improvement of their community,” Bruns added. “We consider the challenge and time commitment to become MQC examiners, a personal investment by our employees and our organization toward the betterment of organizations in Michigan”.
“This is the second to fourth year for several of our employees, and much continues to be learned about how to operate a quality organization over the course of becoming examiners. This knowledge and experience contribute to the improved practices within our own organization consistent with our commitment to performance excellence,” Bruns said.
HomeLife, Inc. provides specialized residential care to adults 18 and older who need assistance due to brain injury, neurological impairment or mental illness. Bruns and co-founder Scott Christ founded HomeLife, Inc. in 1996 with a key objective to provide compassionate care to individuals with disabilities, and those struggling with the long-term effects of injury and illness. Their vision for HomeLife, Inc. is to be recognized as the provider of choice based on clinical approach, consumer activities, employee training, customer services, and commitment to performance excellence. Involvement with the MQC is one of several approaches used in achieving this vision.