MILWAUKEE, WI — Katie Berman, vice president of implementation for an education technology company, was recently awarded the first Paul Borawski Scholarship to support her participation in a year-long ASQ leadership development program.

Berman, of Curriculum Advantage Inc., leads directors and consultants who design, implement and train on the company’s software, including its Classworks program. With the scholarship award, she will be part of a 21-member cohort in the ASQ Emerging Quality Leaders Program, which will include corporate visits, leadership seminars, virtual coursework, mentor support and team projects.

“As someone who is passionate about leadership development and helping others grow, I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in the Emerging Leaders Program of ASQ,” Berman said. “I'm looking forward to developing relationships with my peers so that I can learn from their vast knowledge and experience. My goal is to find ways to add value to the cohort and support others in their growth and development as well.”

In recommending Berman for the ASQ program and the scholarship selection, Melissa Sinunu, president and chief operating officer for Classworks, said the young executive is already a strong leader at the firm.

“In (her current) role, Katie stretches beyond managing the people and the process, and works with her managers — many new to management themselves — to develop leaders,” Sinunu said. “She brings a diverse team together and pulls out the strengths of each team member while still helping develop qualities as needed.”

The scholarship is named after Paul Borawski, who retired in 2014 after 27 years at ASQ, leading the organization as director of technical activities, executive director, executive director and chief strategic officer and CEO. The scholarship fund continues to grow due to the generosity of Devon Way, ASQ leadership and contributions from attendees at the recent ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement.