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Offering numerous sessions to choose from, the Quest for Excellence® is the leading conference designed around the Baldrige framework. 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.
Facilitator: Karen Kiel Rosser, Vice President, Chief Quality & Strategy Officer, Mary Greeley Medical Center
6:00–7:00 PM
Baldrige Award Ceremony honoring the 2024 Recipients
Alamo Colleges District, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, The City of Henderson, Freese and Nichols, Inc., Northeast Delta Dental
Presided over by Baldrige Foundation, Department of Commerce, and National Institute of Standards and Technology Officials
7:00–8:30 PM
Celebratory Reception honoring the 2024 Recipients
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, MARCH31
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 Speaker, Tucker Bryant, The Poet’s Keys: a Guide to Unlocking Innovation
9:15–9:45 AM
Coffee and Networking Break
9:45–11:00 AM
Opening Plenary Session featuring 2024 Award Recipients
Networking Lunch; Baldrige Foundation Remarks; Luncheon Keynote Speaker, José Pires, Go for Extraordinary: Unleashing the Power of Great Enduring Leaders and Organizations
2:00–4:45 PM
Concurrent Sessions Featuring Former Recipients and Invited Guest Speakers
Concurrent sessions will feature current and 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.
Chickasaw Nation Department of Health Carrie Law, Under Secretary of Operations, Hospital, and Clinics John Krueger, Under Secretary of Medical Staff and Quality
Strategy
Freese and Nichols, Inc. Cindy Milrany, Chief Strategy Officer Brandon Huxford, Group Manager
Customers
City of Henderson Rosa Reynolds, Administrative Manager in the Department of Performance and Innovation
Process. Practice. Perseverance – 25 Years of Baldrige At University of Wisconsin-Stout
University of Wisconsin-Stout Brenda Krueger, Strategic Planning Specialist Julie Zaloudek, Associate Vice Chancellor of Curriculum Quality Liz Menzer, Executive Director, Wisconsin Center for Performance Excellence
Operational Continuity
Northeast Delta Dental Robert Kleiner, Director, External Operations
Leadership
GBMC HealthCare, Inc. John Chessare, President and Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Candiello, Vice President, Quality and Patient Safety
Communities of Excellence: What’s New and What’s Next
Communities of Excellence 2026 Stephanie Norling, President and CEO
Workforce
Alamo Colleges District Linda Boyer-Owens, Associate Vice Chancellor for Talent, Organization, and Strategic Innovation Veronica Garica, President, Northeast Lakeview College
3:45–4:00 PM Break
Workforce
Chickasaw Nation Department of Health Marty Wafford, Under Secretary of Support and Programs Kevin Meeks, Deputy Secretary
Finance
Freese and Nichols, Inc. Gwen Perez, Chief Financial Officer Mazen Kawasmi, Group Manager
Achieving Exponential Benefits by Pursuing a Culture of Continuous Improvement and People-Centric Leadership
Lean 3P Associates Allan Coletta, Founder Association of Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker
Strategic Planning Process and its Continual Evolution
Mid-America Transplant Kevin Lee, Chief Executive Officer
TUESDAY, APRIL 1
7:00 AM–3:45 Pm
Registration Open
7:00–8:00 AM
Continental Breakfast and Exhibits
8:00–9:45 AM
Plenary Session Featuring keynote presentations by Ron Norris, Beyond Automation – How AI is Reshaping Knowledge Retention & Workforce Excellence, and Michael Koralewski
9:45–10:15 AM
Coffee and Networking Break
10:15 AM–12:00 PM
Concurrent Sessions Featuring Former Recipients and Invited Guest Speakers
Concurrent sessions will feature current and 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.
Brand Differentiating Service
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Speaker to be announced
Retention Strategies that Engage the Workforce
Mary Greeley Medical Center Penny Bellville, Executive Director of Talent
Operational Continuity
City of Henderson David Weiser, Assistant Director of Finance
Cross-Sector Strategies for Addressing Complex Community Issues
Communities of Excellence 2026 Christel Gollnick, Founder and President, JUPER Communications, Associate and Faculty, COE 2026 Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, Medical Director, Saratoga Community Health Center, Clinical Associate Professor, Albany Medical College
Leadership and Governance
Northeast Delta Dental Robert Kleiner, Director, External Operations
Knowledge Management
Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) Michael Gerusky, Chief Performance and Strategy Officer
Four Keys to Organizational Resilience
Leader Excellence LLC JoAnn Sternke, Owner
Operations
Alamo Colleges District Amy Bosley, President, Northwest Vista College Deborah Gaitan, Vice Chancellor for Student Success - Interim
12:00–1:45 PM
Baldrige Foundation Awards Luncheon
Awards luncheon honoring the recipients of the 2025 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award, 2025 David Spong Lifetime Achievement Award, and other awards.
Alan Mulally, Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Ford Motor Company and Former Executive Vice President of the Boeing Company Presented by the Baldrige Foundation
2:00–4:45 PM
Concurrent Sessions Featuring Former Recipients and Invited Guest Speakers
Concurrent sessions will feature current and 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.
Community Engagement
Chickasaw Nation Department of Health Sheryl Goodson, Executive Officer of Primary Care and Public Health Rebecca Chandler, Executive Officer of Nutrition Services
Customers
Freese and Nichols, Inc. Alan Greer, Chief Business Development Officer (Infrastructure) Thomas Haster, Chief Business Development Officer (Water)
Workplace Safety: Addressing Disruptive Behaviors in Ambulatory Care Settings
GBMC HealthCare, Inc. Eve Bowmaster, Senior Director of Quality and Patient Safety
Building an Effective Knowledge Management Program and System Through the Use of AI
Elevations Credit Union Maura Horn, Vice President, Learning and Development
Integrated Care, Data and Information Management, and Workforce Development
Baldrige Best Practice Spotlight
Southcentral Foundation Michelle Tierney, Executive Vice President of Organizational Development and Innovation Steve Tierney, Senior Medical Director of Quality Improvement
Getting the Right Information to the Right People at the Right Time
Integrated Project Management Company, Inc. Larry Meyer, Baldrige Program Leader
Strategy
City of Henderson Polly Walker, Director, Department of Performance and Innovation
Leadership and Governance
Alamo Colleges District Thomas Cleary, Vice Chancellor for Planning, Performance, Accreditation, and Information Systems Francisco Solis, President, San Antonio College
3:45–4:00 PM Break
Community Engagement
Northeast Delta Dental Erin Holt, Director of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Beyer, Senior Manager, Corporate Giving
Elevating Leaders, Organizations and Communities: What Alliance Programs Offer You
Alliance for Performance Excellence Laura Kinney, Board Chair, Partners PEX Denise Shields, Board Chair, California Council for Excellence
Leading Healthy Communities: A Baldrige-Based Approach to Engagement and Sustainability
Baldrige Performance Excellence Program Jamie Ambrosi, Business Specialist Kelly Welsh, Program Manager
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2
7:00 AM–11:30 Am
Registration Open
7:00–8:00 AM
Continental Breakfast and Exhibits
8:00–8:15 AM
Opening Remarks
8:15–9:00 AM
Closing Keynote Speaker, Rami Goldratt, Leveraging Theory of Constraints to Maximize Flow and Long-Term Success
9:00–9:30 AM
Coffee and Networking Break
9:30–10:45 AM
One Key Takeaway Plenary Session featuring the 2024 Baldrige Award Recipients
Guarantee of Service Excellence, Robert Kleiner, Director, External Operations, Northeast Delta Dental Baldrige as our Business Framework, Cindy Milrany, Chief Strategy Officer, Freese and Nichols, Inc. Team Member Empowerment and Engagement: Fueling the Fire, Javier Mendez, Director of Human Resources, City of Henderson Quality of Life: Our Mission, John Krueger, Under Secretary of Medical Staff and Quality, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health AlamoPROMISE: Transforming Access, Communities, and Futures, Stephanie Vasquez, Chief Program Officer AlamoPROMISE, Alamo Colleges District
10:45–11:00 AM
Stretch Break
11:00–11:45 AM
Q&A Talk Show Session featuring 2024 Baldrige Award Recipients
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.