• Voice of the Fellow: Elevating the perspectives of Fellows as a source of insight, mentorship, and strategic reflection.
• Innovation: Exploring how quality principles can support creative problem-solving and adaptive thinking across industries.
• Advancement to Fellow: Sharing pathways, criteria, and reflections on the journey to ASQ’s highest member grade.
• Sustainability: Exploring how quality practices can enhance long-term resiliency in the Society.
• Quality in Education: Exploring how quality can improve learning settings and foster continual improvement. Promoting quality approaches that support student branches and assist students in advancing professionally.
• Social Responsibility: Exploring the role of quality professionals in promoting ethical practices and enhancing community well-being.

Together, these groups form a cohesive framework for Fellows to contribute meaningfully to ASQ’s strategic direction while fostering collaboration across disciplines, industries, and geographies.

Spotlight: ASQ Fellows Quality in Education Think Tank

Among the six groups, the Quality in Education Think Tank stands out for promoting best practices in education and for building a supportive environment for students and student branches (chapters) for student members to flourish. The Think Tank encourages ASQ sections to collaborate with universities to support ASQ student branches and STEM outreach.

Why Quality in Education Matters

Quality in education is essential as it significantly impacts students’ learning experiences and outcomes, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and engagement. Supporting ASQ (American Society for Quality) student branches is important because they promote these quality principles, offering students resources to develop leadership skills and connect with industry professionals. By emphasizing continuous improvement in education, ASQ prepares students for future career challenges and cultivates a culture of accountability and innovation within educational systems.

What the ASQ Fellows Quality in Education Think Tank Is Working On

This Think Tank has developed a strategy for a process-oriented framework for supporting student branches (chapters) and their student members. Our group is focused on engaging activities, such as the collaborative conference case study described below. Activities related to learning about internships and both the campus and ASQ career centers as resources also support members of student branches in learning about career pathways to a career as a quality professional. In these efforts, we expect to increase the number of ASQ student branches.

Key ASQ Fellow contributors: Cindy Veenstra, Melvin Alexander, Eric Alden, Ron Atkinson, Don Brecken, Julie Furst-Bowe, Victor Gray, Steve Kramer, Lou Ann Lathrop, Bill Levinson, John Lupienski, Teresa Whitacre Lytle, Edwin May, Jd Marhevko, Steve Prevette, and Owen Ramsay

Key areas of focus include:

Speakers for Student Branch Topics: Identifying speakers for the Fellows Speakers Bureau willing to deliver presentations.to student branches about careers as a quality professional.

Case Study of Student Branches’ Activities Development: Gathering real-world examples of thriving student branch activities to share as best practice examples.

Strategy of ASQ Fellows supporting the Student Branches: Our strategy includes ASQ Fellows’ involvement in advising and supporting student branches.

Case in Point: A University-hosted annual Sci-Tech Week Conference in Collaboration with the Student Branch and the Local ASQ Section

One of the case studies on student branch activities that the ASQ Fellows Quality in Education Think Tank has reviewed is North Carolina A&T State University’s recently held annual Sci-Tech Week Conference, a collaborative effort with its student branch and the ASQ Central North Carolina Section.1

A Collaborative Model for the Future

One of the strengths of the Think Tanks is their diversity—of industries, perspectives, and experiences. Fellows bring viewpoints from manufacturing, healthcare, government, academia, and service sectors, creating a rich environment for cross-pollination of ideas. These think tanks are also collaborating with geographic and technical communities, as well as other Think Tanks, on related topics. This collaborative model is proving to be a powerful engine for generating positive insights that could benefit the entire Society.

An Invitation to All Fellows

The Fellows Think Tanks are open to all ASQ Fellows who wish to contribute. Whether your special interest lies in innovation, social responsibility, education, sustainability, or another area, there is a place for your voice and your leadership. These Think Tanks are designed to be an inclusive, flexible, and impactful opportunity to shape the future of Quality while engaging with peers who share your commitment to the profession. As we continue this work, we welcome all ASQ Fellows who are interested in participating, to share their expertise, and contribute to building a vibrant, collaborative, and forward-looking Fellows community.

Reference:

Wilkins, R. J., & M. Alexander. (2026, April). Catapulting high schoolers in quality engineering using design of experiments at the Sci-Tech Week Conference, Quality Magazine, ASQ Fellows Forum Column.