The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) is seeking applicants for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners for the 2016 award cycle.
The Examiner Application is now available online and will be open until January 7, 2016.
Serving as a Baldrige examiner is an opportunity for personal and professional development and growth. It is an opportunity to work as part of a diverse team of professionals from all sectors of the U.S. economy. Examiners are volunteers who want to make a difference and help drive breakthrough improvement in their own organizations, as well as learn and promote identified role-model practices to advance the nation.
Baldrige examiners are part of an elite group of more than 400 professionals who commit their knowledge, skills, and time to help evaluate applicants for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award—the only Presidential award for organizational performance excellence. The board is composed of senior leaders and experienced management professionals from across all sectors of the U.S. economy, including manufacturing, service, small business, health care, education, government, and nonprofit. Examiners make a major contribution to the national effort to recognize and promote performance excellence, and they benefit from an unparalleled networking and educational experience.
BPEP has a particular interest in potential examiners who are chief medical officers, physicians, nurses, and other clinicians; senior leaders of medium and large organizations; community college administrators; K-12 principals, administrators, and superintendents; and financial professionals. We are also seeking individuals with senior-level experience in nonprofit organizations, particularly utilities and other government organizations, as well as individuals with knowledge of and experience working in joint ventures and other complex governance structures.
Examiners have the unique opportunity to explore in-depth examples of best practices, innovation, planning strategies, and ways to engage customers and the workforce, which builds their professional acumen. A Baldrige examiner brings back all of that valuable learning to his or her own organization.
Examiners are selected based on knowledge of the Baldrige Framework and Criteria for Performance Excellence, industry expertise, good oral communication, good written communication, skills at leading a team, and team-participation experience. More information on who should apply is available online.
As part of the Examiner Preparation course, examiners evaluate a case study (a fictitious Baldrige application) and engage in peer learning; in-depth Criteria training; and facilitated team, leadership, and technical writing training. Baldrige examiners then volunteer 100+ hours in the evaluation of an actual Baldrige Award applicant, which includes independent and consensus reviews, and may include a site visit review.
Examiners attend a training course focused on the Baldrige Framework and Criteria for Performance Excellence and their role in the Baldrige Award process (see Terms and Conditions of Appointment). After Examiners receive notification that they have been selected for the board, they will have the opportunity to choose among these training sessions via an online system:
In 2014 and 2015, BPEP received the first place award in the government and military category of the Leadership 500 Excellence Awards, an annual recognition of the world's best leadership development programs and initiatives. The honor for 2015 was announced on March 31, 2015—World Leadership Day. The success and impact of both the Baldrige Executive Fellows Program and Baldrige examiner training were acknowledged as major reasons for the honor.
Read testimonials of why others serve and watch a video that features Baldrige examiners sharing their experiences on the board.
The application for appointment to the 2016 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners will close Thursday, January 7, 2016, at 6 p.m. ET. Complete information is available on the Become a Baldrige Examiner page. Contact examappl [at] nist.gov (examappl[at]nist[dot]gov )for more information.
For those professionals who don't have the time to commit to being a Baldrige examiner this year, they can still benefit from the training by participating in the Baldrige Examiner Training Experience (BETE). Registration for the BETE opens mid- January 2016.