Two U.S. organizations will receive the 2025 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s only presidential honor recognizing performance excellence. The award, based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework and administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, highlights organizations that focus on organizational resilience and demonstrate strong, systematic approaches to achieving and sustaining high performance. Nor Lea Hospital…
Read More
Our Board of Examiners
Below are the names of the individuals who sacrificed time and family to review and provide helpful feedback to the organizations that submitted an application for the Senate Productivity and Quality Award. These persons comprise the esteemed membership of our Board of Examiners. We post their names here in recognition of the significant investment in…
Read More
SPQA Chair Letter
This post considers Deming’s view of leadership as an intentional, measurable, and improvable system of practice. Dr. Edwards Deming, born in 1900, was one of the most influential figures in the international quality movement. In his book, Out of the Crisis, he included 14 points for management. He stated that leadership’s job is to create the conditions so people can…
Read More
2026 Quest for Excellence
Learn how your organization can achieve outstanding performance! Attend the premier showcase of Baldrige Award recipients March 29 –April 1, 2026, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Baltimore MD, the official Conference of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, brought to you by the Foundation for the Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award. Join us at the…
Read More
Jan Garfield, PhD
Janice K. Garfield, PhD, CQE. Dr. Jan Garfield is a nationally respected higher-education strategist, Baldrige master examiner, and senior academic leader with a distinguished career spanning faculty, dean, and provost roles. She has guided universities through academic renewal, accreditation transitions, and mission-centered transformation. Through her consulting practice, Prometheus Higher Education Engineers, Jan advances institutional foresight,…
Read More
Theresa Card
Theresa Card, MA, RN, CLSSBB, CPHQ is a healthcare quality and performance improvement leader with extensive experience advancing clinical excellence and organizational performance. Theresa began her healthcare career as an ICU nurse at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She now leads system-level initiatives in quality, patient safety, and operational improvement, applying Lean Six Sigma…
Read More
Baldrige Advanced Training
Advancing Performance Excellence In this follow-up to the Introduction course, SPQA offers experience-based learning to apply key performance excellence principles. The program is focused on the systems thinking value of the Baldrige Framework and how this creates a differentiation with other improvement models. Content focuses on the learning, integration, and relevance dimensions of organizational maturity…
Read MoreBaldrige Basics Training
Foundations of Performance Excellence In this Introductory course, SPQA offers an opportunity for individuals and organizations to learn the foundations of performance excellence. The program is based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework. The Excellence Framework is a national model for organizational performance improvement. Through questions, the Framework guides organizations to a systemic and integrated perspective of…
Read More
2025 Eastern State Hospital
The Achievement in Performance Excellence Award is one of the highest honors bestowed by the SPQA program, recognizing organizations that demonstrate exemplary leadership, a strong commitment to continuous improvement, and a focus on delivering outstanding results. Congratulations to our 2025 award honoree, Eastern State Hospital (ESH). Their dedication to relentless advancement has set a benchmark…
Read More
2025 Discovery Recognition
The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) completed SPQA Discovery in May 2025, a Pathways to Performance Excellence (Tier III) milestone. Pathways milestones include a Tier IV Award Recognition also based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Embracing the performance improvement journey signifies a critical leadership commitment and a superior focus on customers, stakeholders,…
Read More
Jennifer Stokes
Jennifer Stokes, MBA, CSSBB, PMP, CMQ/OE, CPHQ, is an accomplished Six Sigma Black Belt with over 25 years of experience, including extensive expertise in the automotive and food manufacturing industries. She currently serves as a Senior Business Process Manager at Riverside Health System in Newport News, Virginia, where she partners with diverse process teams to…
Read More