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Quest Sessions and Schedule

Sessions

Offering more than 25 management sessions to choose from, the Quest for Excellence® is the leading conference designed around performance excellence. All types of topics and formats are available to take a deeper dive into areas important to you and your organization, including opportunities to share your own best practices.

(Preliminary schedule subject to change.)

SUNDAY  |  MONDAY  |  TUESDAY  |  WEDNESDAY

SUNDAY, APRIL 7

12:00–1:00 pm

Pre-Conference Check-In Opens

1:00–4:00 pm (Pre-Conference WorkshopLimited Seating)

Baldrige Beginner and Intermediate Pre-Conference Criteria Workshop (Optional)

Facilitator: Karen Kiel Rosser, Vice President, Chief Quality & Strategy OfficerMary Greeley Medical Center

6:00–7:30 PM  

Opening Reception

Attendees have the opportunity to network with members of the Baldrige community such as Award recipients, Examiners, Judges, Overseers, Fellows, Foundation members, and Alliance program representatives!

MONDAY, APRIL 8

7:00 AM–3:45 Pm                                   

Registration Open

7:00–8:00 AM                                  

Continental Breakfast and Exhibits

8:00–8:30 AM

Opening Remarks by Department of Commerce and NIST Hosts

8:30–9:15 AM

Opening Keynote Presentation, Shola Richards, Unstoppable Resilience: The Keys to Staying Strong During Any Challenge

9:15–9:30 AM 

Stretch Break 

9:30–10:30 AM

Opening Plenary Session – Organizational Resilience

Top executives will speak on the topic of organizational resilience in a Ted-talk style format.

10:30–11:00 AM

Coffee and Networking Break

11:00–12:00 PM

Organizational Resilience Q&A Talk Show

Organizational Resilience Session speakers will answer audience questions.

12:00-12:15 

Baldrige Foundation Remarks

  • Kathryn Eggleston, Chair

  • Al Faber, President and Chief Executive Officer

12:15 PM–1:45 PM

Lunch and Networking

2:00–3:45 PM

Concurrent Sessions Featuring Former Recipients and Invited Guest Speakers

Concurrent sessions will feature former Award recipients and other high-performing organizations speaking on relevant topics of interest, such as leadership and social responsibility, workforce issues, and customers and strategy.

Former Baldrige Award Recipients Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), The Charter School of San Diego, City of Fort Collins, Donor Alliance, Elevations Credit Union, GBMC HealthCare, Inc., Integrated Project Management Company, Inc., Mid-America Transplant, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Southcentral Foundation, University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Other Organizations Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Adventist HealthCare (Baldrige Category Best Practice 2021 Recipient)
Alliance for Performance Excellence
AmericaWorks (NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership Partner)
Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)
Baldrige Program/NIST (Job Quality Toolkit Session)
Communities of Excellence 2026
Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)
Linked XL (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)
NIST Community Resilience Program

TUESDAY, APRIL 9

7:00 AM–3:45 Pm                                   

Registration Open

7:30–8:30 AM                                  

Continental Breakfast and Exhibits

8:30 AM–12:00 PM

Concurrent Sessions Featuring Former Recipients and Invited Guest Speakers

Concurrent sessions will feature former Award recipients and other high-performing organizations speaking on relevant topics of interest, such as leadership and social responsibility, workforce issues, and customers and strategy.

Former Baldrige Award Recipients Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), The Charter School of San Diego, City of Fort Collins, Donor Alliance, Elevations Credit Union, GBMC HealthCare, Inc., Integrated Project Management Company, Inc., Mid-America Transplant, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Southcentral Foundation, University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Other Organizations Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Adventist HealthCare (Baldrige Category Best Practice 2021 Recipient)
Alliance for Performance Excellence
AmericaWorks (NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership Partner)
Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)
Baldrige Program/NIST (Job Quality Toolkit Session)
Communities of Excellence 2026
Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)
Linked XL (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)
NIST Community Resilience Program

10:15–11:00 AM Coffee and Networking Break

12:00–1:30 PM

Baldrige Foundation Awards Luncheon

Awards luncheon honoring the recipients of the 2024 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award, 2024 David Spong Lifetime Achievement Award, and other awards.

2:00–3:45 PM

Concurrent Sessions Featuring Former Recipients and Invited Guest Speakers

Concurrent sessions will feature former Award recipients and other high-performing organizations speaking on relevant topics of interest, such as leadership and social responsibility, workforce issues, and customers and strategy.

Former Baldrige Award Recipients Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), The Charter School of San Diego, City of Fort Collins, Donor Alliance, Elevations Credit Union, GBMC HealthCare, Inc., Integrated Project Management Company, Inc., Mid-America Transplant, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Southcentral Foundation, University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Other Organizations Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Adventist HealthCare (Baldrige Category Best Practice 2021 Recipient)
Alliance for Performance Excellence
AmericaWorks (NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership Partner)
Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)
Baldrige Program/NIST (Job Quality Toolkit Session)
Communities of Excellence 2026
Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)
Linked XL (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)
NIST Community Resilience Program

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10

7:00 AM–11:30 Am                                   

Registration Open

7:00–8:00 AM                                  

Continental Breakfast

8:00–8:15 AM

Opening Remarks

8:15–9:00 AM

Closing Keynote Presentation, Robert O. Martichenko, Building Meaningful Employment Environments™

9:00-9:15

Stretch Break 

9:15–10:15 AM

Closing Plenary Session – Future Emerging Challenges

Top executives will speak on the topic of future emerging challenges in a Ted-talk style format.

10:15–10:45 AM

Coffee and Networking Break

10:45–11:30 AM

Future Emerging Challenges Q&A Talk show 

Future Emerging Challenges Session speakers will answer audience questions.

11:30–11:45 AM

Conference Wrap-Up

Baldrige Program Director, Bob Fangmeyer, will share his reflections on the conference and provide a brief overview on the future direction for the Quest conference and Baldrige Program.

Contacts

  • Baldrige Customer Service
    (301) 975-2036
    NIST/BPEP
    100 Bureau Drive, M/S 1020
    Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1020
Created January 14, 2011, Updated March 10, 2024