Executives Selected for Highly Regarded Baldrige Executive Development

Sixteen executives have been selected to the prestigious Baldrige Executive Fellows Program, the only executive leadership fellowship that provides one-on-one access to leaders of Baldrige Award recipient organizations and the opportunity to learn role-model leadership strategies from these high-performing executives. 

The Baldrige Executive Fellows will use the Baldrige Excellence Framework as the foundation as they study how world-class organizations and their senior leaders achieve strategic and operational excellence and stimulate innovation. Within a collegial environment, the Baldrige Executive Fellows will have a unique opportunity to compare the perspectives of executives across sectors, share candid advice on leadership challenges, and use the insights they gain to address a strategic challenge or opportunity within their own organizations.

From April 2017 through April 2018, the new cohort of Baldrige Executive Fellows will tour the sites of the following Baldrige Award recipients: Freese and Nichols, a multidiscipline consulting firm that offers services in engineering and architecture; K&N Management, the licensed developer for Rudy's "Country Store" & Bar-B-Q and the creator of Mighty Fine Burgers, Fries and Shakes; Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control; and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. The Fellows will also have face-to-face opportunities to network and discuss strategies with senior leaders from Baldrige Award recipients Charleston Area Medical Center Health System, the Charter School of San Diego, Hill Country Memorial, PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Sector Practice, and the most recent Baldrige Award recipients: Momentum Group, Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation Center-Mountain Valley, and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital. Further, the Fellows will have opportunities to engage with national leadership award winners and other Baldrige Executive Fellows alumni. In addition, the Fellows will participate in two Baldrige Quest for Excellence® conferences, as well as facility tours, behind-the-scenes tours, and interactive leadership roundtables.

Following is the 2017 cohort of Baldrige Executive Fellows:

• Angela Brandt, Chief Operations Officer, ProMedica Physicians Group
• Antonio DePaolo, Director of Lean Transformation, Sheppard Pratt Health System
• Mishaela Durán, Director, Office of Regional Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families
• Veronica Muzquiz Edwards, Owner and CEO, InGenesis
• Matt Fenwick, Vice President for Strategy and Relationships, American Hospital Association
• James Karstetter II, Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer, Western Maryland Health System
• Cindy Lewin, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, AARP
• Ryan Lilly, Medical Center Director/Chief Executive Officer, VA Maine Health Care System
• Michael McDermott, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mary Washington Healthcare
• Alysha Metzger, Director, Human Resources, Hill Country Memorial Hospital
• Anu Gupta Mullick, Chief of Staff, Sibley Memorial Hospital
• Cynthia Pellegrini, Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Government Affairs, March of Dimes Foundation
• Kristen Pulio, Vice President of Revenue Management, Adventist HealthCare
• Kirk Soileau, Chief Executive Officer, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center
• Courtney Thomas, Executive Director, Allegany County Human Resources Development Commission, Inc.
• Michele Wall, Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer, The American Board of Pediatrics

Since its inception in 2011, the Baldrige Executive Fellows Program has been nationally recognized with LEAD Awards as among the very best U.S. and global continuing education programs in leadership development. The LEAD Awards, highlighted in Leadership Excellence Essentials magazine and presented by HR.com, recognize and honor corporations, educational institutions, and individuals that excel in offering top leadership initiatives and programs on a local to global scale. In 2017, Baldrige was the only state or Federal government program to be recognized, often in the first or second slot, within its LEAD award categories, highlighting leadership, organizational development, and human resources. Before 2015 and the change of category types, the Baldrige Executive Fellows Program was highlighted in the Baldrige Program’s multiple first-place honors in the government and military category of the Leadership 500 Excellence Awards. For more information on the Baldrige Executive Fellows and how to apply, go to https://www.nist.gov/baldrige/products-services/baldrige-executive-fellows-program.

In conjunction with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the private sector, the Baldrige Program manages the Baldrige Award, which was named after Malcolm Baldrige, the 26th Secretary of Commerce, and established by Congress in 1987. The Baldrige Award promotes innovation and excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. The Baldrige Program also currently offers the 2017–2018 Baldrige Excellence Framework: A Systems Approach to Improving Your Organization’s Performance, which includes the regularly revised and world-emulated Criteria for Performance Excellence; Baldrige Excellence Builder, an entry-level version of the framework; Baldrige Cybersecurity Excellence Builder, a self-assessment tool to measure an organization’s cyber risk; and the Baldrige Collaborative Assessment and other assessment services and resources. For information on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, the Baldrige Excellence Framework, and the Baldrige Award application process, visit https://www.nist.gov/baldrige, call (301) 975-2036, or send an e-mail to baldrige [at] nist.gov (baldrige[at]nist[dot]gov).

The Baldrige Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, supports the Baldrige Program and its offerings through fundraising and advocacy, working to ensure the long-term financial growth and viability of the Baldrige Program and to support organizational performance excellence in the United States and throughout the world. To learn more and support the Foundation’s efforts, visit http://baldrigefoundation.org/.