A. Blanton Godfrey is an Honorary Member of the American Society for Quality and was Chair of ASQ’s Board of Directors in 2022. He has been a Fellow of the Society for almost 40 years; he received the Edwards Medal in 1991; he received the Distinguished Service Medal in 2010; and he received the Lean Six Sigma Forum’s Six Sigma Achievement Award in 2019. He is also a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Royal Society of Art. In 2008, he received the C. Jackson Grayson
Distinguished Quality Pioneer Medal from the American Quality and Productivity Center, “In recognition for innovation in the promotion of quality for all mankind and for his leadership in blending quality and innovation in product development, strategy and higher education.”
Blan has a B.S. in Physics from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in Statistics from Florida State University. He joined the Quality Theory Department at Bell Laboratories immediately after receiving his Ph.D., and he became head of the Department in 1982. In 1987 he left Bell Labs to become Chair and CEO of Juran Institute, Inc. Under his leadership the Institute expanded its reach to over 60 countries. In July 2000 he accepted the position of Dean and Joseph D. Moore Distinguished University Professor in the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University. After stepping down from Dean in 2014 to August of this year, he taught undergraduate courses in entrepreneurship and graduate courses in Lean Six Sigma. Although officially retired now, he is still working with five Ph.D. candidates in various areas of Lean Six Sigma, Artificial Intelligence, Fiber and Polymer Science, and Textile Technology Management.