2016 Colleagues' Choice Award

Ms. Elif Karakas is recognized for her diligent work with data and IT systems that has advanced technology, enhanced NIST’s customer focus and operational excellence, and improved data capabilities. Always looking for innovative approaches, she has created and improved databases, automated several processes to save internal and external resources, and demonstrated consistent responsiveness to the needs of both her Baldrige colleagues and the 600+ volunteers who annually apply to become Baldrige examiners and the 400+ examiners who use the Baldrige online examiner application and the online award scorebook. Having taken on a workload that was once completed by two others, Ms. Karakas works extremely hard using technology in ways that enhance the program’s mission to improve the competitiveness of U.S. organizations, consistently earning her colleagues’ gratitude and respect.