For Immediate Release:
August, 2014
Contact: Michael E. Newman (NIST)
(301) 975-3025
michael.newman@nist.gov
Dr. Appu Kuttan, Chairman
National Education Foundation
703-823-9999
AASA Life Member Art Stellar Named to Board of Examiners
for 2014 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) has named Art Stellar, Vice-President at National Education Foundation in
McLean, Virginia, to the Board of Examiners for the 2014 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award. Art Stellar is a life member of AASA. The Baldrige Award is the nation’s highest honor
for organizational innovation and performance excellence.
Appointed by the NIST Director, examiners are responsible for reviewing and evaluating
applications submitted for the Baldrige Award, as well as other assessment-related tasks. The
examiner board is composed of more than 400 leading experts competitively selected from
industry, professional, trade, education, health care and nonprofit (including government)
organizations from across the United States.
Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition,
demonstrating competencies related to customer focus, communication, ethics, action
orientation, team building and analytical skills. All members of the board must take part in a
nationally ranked leadership development course based on the Baldrige Criteria for
Performance Excellence and the scoring/evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award.
The National Education Foundation (NEF) located in McLean, Virginia named Dr. Stellar as
Vice-President based upon his knowledge of school operations and his drive. This Foundation
assists school districts in many ways including the acquisition of Federal QZAB funding. He is
also Vice- President of CyberLearning, a subsidiary of NEF.
Dr. Arthur Stellar served as superintendent of the Burke County Public Schools in North
Carolina, which has been named one of the five “most productive” districts in the state by the
Center for American Progress. Burke County Public Schools was also identified by Augenblick,
Palaich and Associates as one of the fourteen “highest achieving” and “lowest spending”
districts in North Carolina. He led a financial turnaround going from a $3.5 million deficit to an
$8.5 million+ positive balance in less than two years!
He has often been recruited to overcome challenges, thereby, previously serving as
superintendent in Taunton, Massachusetts; Kingston, New York; (acting superintendent &
deputy) Boston, Massachusetts; Cobb County, Georgia; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Mercer
County, West Virginia. Dr. Stellar has also been affiliated with school systems in Shaker
Heights, Ohio; Montgomery County, Maryland; Beverly, Massachusetts; and in Ohio – Athens,
Southwestern City Schools and Belpre. He also served as chief education officer vice-president
for Renaissance Learning, Inc. and president/CEO of High/Scope Educational Research
Foundation.
Dr. Stellar is a three time graduate of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He earned his doctorate
in 1973. He has received many awards and honors including the American Association of
School Administrators’ “Leadership for Learning” award and the Dr. Effie Jones Humanitarian
Award.
Named after Malcolm Baldrige, the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Baldrige Award
was established by Congress in 1987. Awards may be given annually to organizations in each
of six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care and nonprofit.
The Award promotes innovation and excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the
achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance
strategies. Since 1988, 95 organizations have received Baldrige Awards, including the 2013
winners: Pewaukee School District, Pewaukee, Wisconsin. (Education) and Sutter Davis
Hospital, Davis, Calif. (health care).
NIST manages the Baldrige Award in close conjunction with the private sector.
For information on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the Baldrige
Award application process, call (301) 975-2036, send an e-mail to baldrige@nist.gov, or visit
http://www.nist.gov/baldrige.
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