Saving jobs by reducing waste and the costs associated with it; preventing food recalls; and saving lives by reducing patient errors can be achieved by expanding the reach of quality. Professionals from around the globe will have the opportunity to knowledge-share and learn new skills at ASQ’s (American Society for Quality) World Conference on Quality and Improvement May 24–26, 2010, in St. Louis, Mo.

Conference registration information can be found at http://wcqi.asq.org/index.html.

This year’s conference includes three marquee-name keynote speakers:

Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company, will kick off the conference’s Opening Session, Monday, May 24 at 8:00 a.m. Throughout his career, Mulally has been recognized for his contributions and industry leadership, including being named one of “The World’s Most Influential People” by TIME magazine in its 2009 “TIME 100” issue, “Person of the Year” for 2006 by Aviation Week magazine and one of “The Best Leaders of 2005” by BusinessWeek magazine. Since joining Ford in September 2006, Mulally has been credited with keeping the company out of bankruptcy and on an innovative path of growth during a very challenging economic environment. Prior to joining Ford, Mulally served as executive vice president of The Boeing Company and president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Robert Stephens, founder and chief inspector of The Geek Squad, will speak Tuesday, May 25 at 8:00 a.m. Stephens left a scholarship at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990 to pursue a degree in computer science at the University of Minnesota. In April 1994, after three years at the university, he formed The Geek Squad with $200. In 2002, Best Buy acquired The Geek Squad and opened Geek Squad precincts in all of its U.S. and Canadian stores. With more than 6,000 agents, The Geek Squad is now North America’s largest technology support company offering phone, in-store, and in-home support. To date, The Geek Squad has serviced more than 150,000 computer problems for clients such as 3M, Cargill, General Mills, The Rolling Stones, U2, and The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.

Terry Jones, founder and former CEO of Travelocity.com, will speak Wednesday, May 26 at 10:45 a.m. He led the company as president and CEO from its founding until May 2002. Previously, Jones served as chief information officer at Sabre Inc. In his 24 years at Sabre, Jones held various executive positions including president of computer services, vice president of applications development and vice president of product development.

Hot topic sessions

In addition to marquee-name keynote speakers, the conference content—comprised of more than 90 breakout sessions—is designed to create, promote and expand the reach of quality on a global scale, through five focus areas: new applications for proven quality tools; quality in a global economy; making the case for quality; quality basics; and social responsibility. Sessions will cover topics crucial to a variety of industries including traditional manufacturing, healthcare, government, financial services and many more. Sessions are available for the novice to the expert.

A snapshot of sessions being offered:

• Making Quality Simple in Complex Times
• Managing Quality Challenges in Global Manufacturing
• The Case for Quality in a Falling Economy
• 12 Ways to Maintain/Improve Quality During Outsourcing
• Using Lean Six Sigma to Improve Patient Safety
• Quality Strategies That Slash Costs
• Lean to Green
• Adding Quality to the Business Equation

Four Conferences for the Price of One

Once again, attendees are able to attend three other “mini-conferences” that will be held concurrently with the ASQ World Conference, all for one registration fee:

• Institute for Software Excellence – 9 sessions
• Quality in Sustainability Conference – 12 sessions, 8 workshops and 1 keynote
• Institute for Continuous Quality Improvement – 12 sessions, 9 workshops and 2 keynotes

ASQ, (The American Society for Quality) www.asq.org, has been the world’s leading authority on quality for more than 60 years. With more than 85,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As a champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers. ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., ASQ is a founding sponsor of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report.

Speaker photos are available upon request.