1:19PM Wednesday
December 19, 2012

Julia K. Gabaldon, Founding CEO of Quality New Mexico, hosts “Performance Excellence USA” every Sunday at 7:00 pm (MST) on 770KKOB and www.770KKOB.com. In collaboration with ASQ, The Alliance for Performance Excellence, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, and Quality New Mexico, Julia and her guests showcase “Best Practices” from USA organizations committed to Performance Excellence and committed to enhancing our nation’s competitiveness. The radio show podcasts are available at www.asq.org and www.qualitynewmexico.org and links from www.baldrigepe.org, www.baldrige.nist.gov.

Julia served on the US President’s Quality Award Board of Examiners in 1996 and on the Baldrige Board of Examiners in 1998, 1999, and 2010. In 2003, US Secretary of Commerce Don Evans appointed Julia to serve a 3-year term on the Baldrige Board of Overseers. Julia currently serves on The Alliance for Performance Excellence Board of Directors. The New Mexico Business Weekly honored Julia as a “New Mexico Power Broker” in 2007-2010 and “Woman of Influence” in 2010.

In the early ‘90’s, US Senator Jeff Bingaman invited Motorola Executive Chris Galvin to speak at a business forum in New Mexico. Galvin challenged New Mexico to embark on a quality journey to make New Mexico a more competitive state. On April 1, 1993, while then employed at Sandia National Laboratories, Julia received an assignment to facilitate New Mexico’s quality initiative. With support from her manager and mentor, Dr. Charles Tapp, Julia took charge by recruiting talented volunteers and in-kind contributions to create Quality New Mexico and the New Mexico Quality Awards patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Julia is a native New Mexican. She received her BA and MA from the University of New Mexico. She worked in the Albuquerque Public Schools for 9 years and Sandia National Laboratories for 24 years. Over the past 30 years, Julia hosted and produced 3 television shows and 2 radio shows, including “Performance Excellence USA.” For 16 years, Julia co-hosted the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in New Mexico.

Julia is married to John; she has 2 children (Anna Marie, John) and 5 grandchildren (Elena, Giovanni, Vincent, Luciano, Marcelo). Her major contribution in life is “Being There for Family.”