Foundation For The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Inc

TO ENSURE THE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL GROWTH AND VIABILITY OF THE BALDRIGE PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE PROGRAM, AND TO SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

THIS PAST YEAR CONTINUED TO CHALLENGE US IN SO MANY WAYS. WITH THE OMICRON VARIANT INFECTING MORE AMERICANS AT A FASTER PACE, ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN FORCED TO RE- THINK EVERYTHING FROM SUPPLY CHAINS AND MANUFACTURING THROUGH DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. ALL THE WHILE, NEGOTIATING WORKFORCE AND STAKEHOLDER STABILITY, HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELFARE IN NEW WAYS. YET, WE ARE STARTING TO LIFT MASK MANDATES AS MORE OF THE POPULATION BECOMES VACCINATED AND ADDITIONAL TREATMENTS BECOME AVAILABLE. WE HAVE ENDURED WHAT IS HOPEFULLY THE WORST AND BEGUN THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY AS WE LEARN TO LIVE WITH COVID-19. TO ALL THE DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS, EXAMINERS, JUDGES, STATE PROGRAM LEADERS AND THEIR BOARDS, AS WELL AS THE BALDRIGE PROGRAM STAFF, THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FILLED WITH ACHIEVEMENT AND PROGRESS IN PURSUIT OF PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE. AND TO THOSE IN THE GREATER BALDRIGE COMMUNITY- CONSULTANTS, MEMBERS OF ASQ, AND OTHER BALDRIGE-BASED ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATION-THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION. CONTINUING TO ADAPT TO THE CHALLENGES OF A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT, THE BALDRIGE PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE PROGRAM (BPEP) HAD ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR IN FY2021. THE PROGRAM WELL-MANAGED THE MALCOLM BALDRIGE NATIONAL QUALITY AWARD PROCESS TO INCLUDE VIRTUAL SITE VISITS, DELIVERING EXCEPTIONAL TRAINING EXPERIENCES LIKE VIRTUAL NATIONAL EXAMINER TRAINING, AND THE EXECUTIVE FELLOWS PROGRAM WHICH THE FOUNDATION FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED. THIS YEAR, NUMEROUS HIGH-PERFORMING ORGANIZATIONS APPLIED FOR THE NATION'S HIGHEST HONOR FOR PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE AND THE ONLY AWARD FOR QUALITY THAT CARRIES THE SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. AFTER A DEMANDING AND THOROUGH ANALYSIS, THREE ORGANIZATIONS EMERGED AS NATIONAL ROLE-MODELS AND THIS YEAR'S MALCOLM BALDRIGE NATIONAL QUALITY AWARD WINNERS: MIDWAYUSA, COLUMBIA, MO. (SERVICE; ALSO WON IN 2009 & 2015) CHARTER SCHOOL OF SAN DIEGO, SAN DIEGO, CA. (EDUCATION; ALSO WON IN 2015) MID-AMERICA TRANSPLANT SERVICES, ST. LOUIS, MO. (NONPROFIT; ALSO WON IN 2015) ADVOCACY THROUGHOUT FY2021, THE FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO ADVANCE THE BALDRIGE PROGRAM, STATE BASED PROGRAMS, AND COMMUNITIES OF EXCELLENCE 2026 (COE2026) WITH LEADERS AT THE NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS. WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEMBERS OF THE COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE AND RELATED AGENCIES SUBCOMMITTEES AND THEIR STAFFS IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE. WE PROVIDE MEMBERS AND THEIR STAFFS WITH IMPORTANT UPDATES AND DEVELOPMENTS ON THE MANY BENEFITS OF BALDRIGE THROUGHOUT THE NATION AND ACROSS EVERY SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY AND IMPRESS UPON THEM THE EXCITEMENT BEHIND COMMUNITIES OF EXCELLENCE 2026, CYBERSECURITY, AND OUR CONTINUING WORK IN RURAL HEALTH CARE. THE BALDRIGE APPROACH TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN ALL SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY HAS RESONATED WITH POLITICAL LEADERS AT EVERY LEVEL, REINFORCING OUR CONTRIBUTION TO A STRONGER AND MORE RESILIENT AMERICA. WE CONTINUED OUR WORK WITH COE2026 AND BPEP TO COORDINATE SUPPORT FOR "COMMUNITY" TO BECOME THE 7TH BALDRIGE AWARDS CATEGORY THROUGH THE NIST REAUTHORIZATION LANGUAGE. IN EARLY FEBRUARY 2022, THE HOUSE PASSED H.R. 4521, THE AMERICA COMPETES ACT OF 2022 WHICH CONTAINED LANGUAGE SUPPORTING "COMMUNITY" BECOMING THE 7TH CATEGORY OF BALDRIGE AWARDS. NOW WE WILL CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE U.S. SENATE FOR MATCHING LANGUAGE. ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2021, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE LAUNCHED THE JOB QUALITY INITIATIVE. "THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, ALONG WITH WHITE HOUSE AND LABOR DEPARTMENT, ARE TRYING TO BUILD A NATIONAL DIALOGUE ABOUT JOB QUALITY TO HELP GUIDE FEDERAL SPENDING-AND TO HELP BUSINESSES ATTRACT AND RETAIN WORKERS," SAID SECRETARY OF COMMERCE GINA RAIMONDO." THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE BRINGS SOME JOB QUALITY EXPERTISE TO THE TABLE THROUGH THE BALDRIGE PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE PROGRAM...OUR GOAL IS TO LEVERAGE THE BALDRIGE PROGRAM'S EXPERTISE IN DEVELOPING HIGH-PERFORMING ORGANIZATIONS- AND YOUR KNOWLEDGE-TO CREATE A JOB QUALITY FRAMEWORK AND DEPLOY IT IN A WAY THAT HELPS BUSINESSES ASSESS AND IMPROVE THEIR OWN PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS." THE FOUNDATION LOOKS FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THE BALDRIGE PROGRAM AND THIS NEW INITIATIVE IN THE COMING YEAR AS IT DEVELOPS A PRACTICAL JOB QUALITY FRAMEWORK FOR ALL SECTORS. WE CONTINUE TO ENJOY STRONG BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IN THE SENATE FROM BOTH JEANNE SHAHEEN AS THE CHAIR, AND SENATOR JERRY MORAN, THE RANKING MEMBER OF THE CJS SUBCOMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS. MOST NOTABLY, THE ENTIRE SUBCOMMITTEE CONTINUES TO SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS. THIS YEAR, WE HAD THE HONOR OF PRESENTING THE BALDRIGE FOUNDATION AWARDS FOR LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNMENT TO SENATORS SHAHEEN AND MORAN, WHICH HAD BEEN DELAYED DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS. THEIR LEADERSHIP IN RURAL HEALTH CARE, CYBERSECURITY, VETERANS' ISSUES, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND NUMEROUS OTHER AREAS HAVE MADE THEM TWO OF THE NATION'S MOST RESPECTED SENATORS. THIS YEAR, WE WILL BE RECOGNIZING DR. WALT COPAN, FORMER UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY; AND DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST) WITH THE 2022 AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNMENT. WALT WAS A TRUE AMBASSADOR FOR THE BALDRIGE PROGRAM, USING THE BALDRIGE FRAMEWORK WITH HIS SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM AT NIST, SUPPORTING THE BALDRIGE PROGRAM IN THE FEDERAL BUDGET, AND RAISING THE VISIBILITY OF BALDRIGE WITHIN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. WALT ATTENDED EVERY QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE CONFERENCE, BOARD OF OVERSEERS MEETINGS, AND FOUNDATION BOARD MEETINGS EACH NOVEMBER. HE SUPPORTED COMMUNITIES OF EXCELLENCE 2026 BECOMING THE 7TH BALDRIGE AWARDS CATEGORY AND CHAMPIONED PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY BY SHOWCASING THE BALDRIGE FRAMEWORK AND PROGRAM. AS PART OF THE FOUNDATION'S ADVOCACY OUTREACH, WE TRACK EACH STATE-BASED PROGRAM'S HIGHEST AWARD RECIPIENTS, SEND A LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS TO EACH OF THEM, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO APPLY AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL. ADDITIONALLY, WE SEND LETTERS OF CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH U.S. SENATORS, AND THEIR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE SO THEY ARE AWARE OF THESE AWARD-WINNING ORGANIZATIONS. WE ALSO DO THIS FOR NATIONAL AWARD RECIPIENTS AS WELL. FUNDRAISING THANKS TO ALL OUR INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL DONORS, SPONSORS, AND PARTNERS OVER THE PAST YEAR WHO HAVE HELPED US CONTINUE OUR MISSION TO SUPPORT THE BALDRIGE PROGRAM AND PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE IN ALL SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY. THIS YEAR'S GIVING CAMPAIGNS, OUR END-OF-YEAR CAMPAIGN, GIVING TUESDAY, PLANNED GIVING, AND GROWING MEMBERSHIP IN THE MAC BALDRIGE SOCIETY WERE EXTRAORDINARILY SUCCESSFUL AND SIGNIFICANTLY EXCEEDED OUR FISCAL YEAR GOALS FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW DURING THIS GLOBAL PANDEMIC. NO GIFT IS TOO SMALL, FROM INDIVIDUAL GIFTS THROUGH ONLINE DONATIONS RESULTING FROM SOCIAL MEDIA OUTREACH TO TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFTS AS WE GROW MEMBERSHIP IN THE MAC BALDRIGE SOCIETY, COLLECTIVELY, WE ARE ALL WORKING TO ADVANCE THE BALDRIGE FRAMEWORK AND GROW ITS USE ACROSS THE AMERICA AND BEYOND. WE ARE PROUD TO SHOWCASE OUR FY2021-2022 DONORS ON PAGE 110 OF THIS YEAR'S JOURNAL. ON JUNE 1, 2020, WE ESTABLISHED THE BALDRIGE FOUNDATION INSTITUTE FOR PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE. THE INSTITUTE UNDERTAKES RESEARCH PROJECTS, HOST CONFERENCES AND OTHER ACTIVITIES, AND CONDUCTS EXECUTIVE-LEVEL AND ONLINE SKILLS TRAINING. IT PUBLISHES AND DISTRIBUTES A WIDE VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS INCLUDING WHITE PAPERS, AND THE CHRONICLE OF LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT TO HELP ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS IMPROVE THEIR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS. THE INSTITUTE ALSO MAKES AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVE CURATED AND ORIGINAL CONTENT ALONG WITH TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH ONLINE AND CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION. WE HAVE A BEST PRACTICE SHARING ONLINE LIBRARY AND MANY OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES, INCLUDING INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS AND WEBINARS. THE EXCLUSIVE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES AND SHARING OF BEST PRACTICES ALONE CAN PROVIDE ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR EMPLOYEES WITH INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE IN PURSUING THEIR PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE GOALS. THE INSTITUTE IS HELPING THE FOUNDATION MOVE BOLDLY INTO THE NEXT ERA OF BALDRIGE WITH GREAT CONFIDENCE IN OUR FUTURE, THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF OUR INSTITUTE TRUSTEES WHO COMPRISE THE MAC BALDRIGE SOCIETY. THE MAC BALDRIGE SOCIETY IS OUR CAMPAIGN TO ESTABLISH THE INSTITUTE WITH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE FIRST TWENTY MAJOR DONORS WHO ALSO SERVE AS THE INSTITUTE'S TRUSTEES. THE FIRST INSTITUTE TRUSTEES ARE THE BALDRIGE FAMILY, ADVENTIST HEALTH, MIDWAYUSA, AND STELLAR SOLUTIONS. OUR NEWEST MEMBERS IN 2021-2022 ARE ABOUT HEALTHCARE, AND FREESE AND NICHOLS. AS BRIAN COLTHARP, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF FREESE AND NICHOLS SAID IN THEIR PRESS RELEASE "OUR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT JOURNEY AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH BALDRIGE BEGAN IN THE 1990S AND SINCE THEN HAS HELPED ELEVATE OUR LEVEL OF SERVICE TO OUR CLIENTS, OUR EMPLOYEES, AND OUR COMMUNITIES." ACCORDING TO COLTHARP, "THE BALDRIGE FOCUS ON BUILDING AND MAIN