Quest Sessions and Schedule

Sessions and Workshops

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. 

(Preliminary schedule subject to change.)

SUNDAY  MONDAY  TUESDAY  WEDNESDAY  

SUNDAY, MARCH 30

12:00–1:00 pm

Pre-Conference Check-In Opens

1:00–4:00 pm (CONCURRENT SESSIONS, Limited Seating)

Baldrige Beginner Pre-Conference Framework Workshop (Optional)

Facilitator: Pattie Skriba, VP Performance Excellence, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital (retired) and Former Chair, Baldrige Judges Panel

Intermediate Pre-Conference Framework Workshop: Moving from Interest to Action (Optional)

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, MARCH 31

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

Michael Flores, Chancellor, Alamo Colleges District
Charles Grim, Secretary of Health, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health
Stephanie Garcia-Vause, City Manager and Chief Executive Officer, City of Henderson
Brian Coltharp, Chief Executive Officer, Freese and Nichols, Inc.
Tom Raffio, President and Chief Executive Officer, Northeast Delta Dental

11:00–11:30 AM

Stretch Break

11:30 AM–12:15 PM

Q&A Talk Show session featuring 2024 Award Recipients

Michael Flores, Chancellor, Alamo Colleges District
Charles Grim, Secretary of Health, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health
Stephanie Garcia-Vause, City Manager and Chief Executive Officer, City of Henderson
Brian Coltharp, Chief Executive Officer, Freese and Nichols, Inc.
Tom Raffio, President and Chief Executive Officer, Northeast Delta Dental

12:15 PM–1:45 PM

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.

2024 Baldrige Award Recipients Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Alamo Colleges District, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, City of Henderson, Freese and Nichols, Inc., Northeast Delta Dental

Former Baldrige Award Recipients Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Elevations Credit Union, GBMC HealthCare, Inc., Integrated Project Management Company, Inc., Mary Greeley Medical Center, Mid-America Transplant, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Southcentral Foundation, University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Other Organizations Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Alliance for Performance Excellence 
AmericaWorks (NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership Partner Speaker)
Baldrige Program/NIST (Baldrige Framework and Award Criteria Session) 
Communities of Excellence 2026 
Leader Excellence LLC (Former Award Recipient and Baldrige Judge) 
Lean 3P Associates (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)

3:45–4:00 PM Break 

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 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.

2024 Baldrige Award Recipients Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Alamo Colleges District, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, City of Henderson, Freese and Nichols, Inc., Northeast Delta Dental

Former Baldrige Award Recipients Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Elevations Credit Union, GBMC HealthCare, Inc., Integrated Project Management Company, Inc., Mary Greeley Medical Center, Mid-America Transplant, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Southcentral Foundation, University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Other Organizations Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Alliance for Performance Excellence 
AmericaWorks (NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership Partner Speaker)
Baldrige Program/NIST (Baldrige Framework and Award Criteria Session) 
Communities of Excellence 2026 
Leader Excellence LLC (Former Award Recipient and Baldrige Judge) 
Lean 3P Associates (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)

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.

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.

2024 Baldrige Award Recipients Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Alamo Colleges District, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, City of Henderson, Freese and Nichols, Inc., Northeast Delta Dental

Former Baldrige Award Recipients Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Elevations Credit Union, GBMC HealthCare, Inc., Integrated Project Management Company, Inc., Mary Greeley Medical Center, Mid-America Transplant, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Southcentral Foundation, University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Other Organizations Participating in Quest Concurrent Sessions
Alliance for Performance Excellence 
AmericaWorks (NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership Partner Speaker)
Baldrige Program/NIST (Baldrige Framework and Award Criteria Session) 
Communities of Excellence 2026 
Leader Excellence LLC (Former Award Recipient and Baldrige Judge) 
Lean 3P Associates (Association for Manufacturing Excellence Partner Speaker)

3:45–4:00 PM Break 

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.
Workforce: Team Member Empowerment and Engagement: Fueling the Fire, Javier Mendez, Director of Human Resources and Kris Neiman, Manager of Organizational Effectiveness, 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

Robert Kleiner, Director, External Operations, Northeast Delta Dental
Cindy Milrany, Chief Strategy Officer, Freese and Nichols, Inc.
Javier Mendez, Director of Human Resources, City of Henderson
John Krueger, Under Secretary of Medical Staff and Quality, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health
Stephanie Vasquez, Chief Program Officer AlamoPROMISE, Alamo Colleges District

11:45 AM–12:00 PM

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.