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Baldrige Fellows Program Key Information

2025–2026 Application: Now Open

Deadline: December 16, 2024
(Selection decisions will be made in January 2025.)

How to Apply

To apply, submit the following documents:

  1. Your resumé, including email, postal address, and telephone contact information; and the name and email address of an assistant or alternate contact person
  2. An organizational chart that includes names and titles showing your position within the organization
  3. A recommendation letter from your highest-ranking official showing the organization's support of your participation in the program
  4. A list of key competitors (in order that we may avoid creating a cohort that would be unable to share effectively due to competitive situations)

Contact
Dawn Bailey
Baldrige Performance Excellence Program
301.975.3074
dawn.bailey [at] nist.gov (dawn[dot]bailey[at]nist[dot]gov)

Secure Email File Transfer
Packages can be submitted through the NIST secure file transfer site. Please follow directions below.

  1. Submit email address to dawn.bailey [at] nist.gov (dawn[dot]bailey[at]nist[dot]gov) to be invited to use the file transfer site
  2. Create an account and password and select register
  3. Sign into account
  4. Upload package, send to dawn.bailey [at] nist.gov (dawn[dot]bailey[at]nist[dot]gov), and check transfer is complete
  5. Sign out of account

Selection Process

Selection decisions will be based on (1) sector mix, (2) appropriate level within the organization, (3) likelihood to follow through, (4) diversity, and (5) no direct competitors with participating award recipients or other Fellows. Candidates will be notified of the decision by January 10, 2025. Tuition payment of $35,000 is due by February 16, 2025. The fee covers all materials, as well as a standard hotel room and at least four meals for each session.


KEY DATES 

2024-2025 Cohort Schedule

April 7-10, 2024
Program Kickoff
35th Quest for Excellence Conference®
National Harbor, MD

May 15-16, 2024
Towson, MD

September 17-18, 2024
Kansas City, MO

January 22-23, 2025
Los Angeles, CA

March 29, 2025
Capstone Presentation
36th Quest for Excellence Conference®
Baltimore, MD

 

2025-2026 Cohort Schedule*

March 30-April 2, 2025
Program Kickoff
36th Quest for Excellence Conference®
Baltimore, MD

June 5-6, 2025
Fort Collins, CO

October 2025
TBD

January 21-22, 2026
Pentagon City, VA

March 28, 2026
Capstone Presentation
37th Quest for Excellence Conference®
Baltimore, MD

*Dates and locations subject to change
 


What Executive Fellows Are Saying

true payoff

Steven Schloss, United States Golf Association
__________________________________

The Fellows Program provides senior leaders the tools, framework, relationships, and best practice sharing in a highly interactive and thought provoking environment. We tend to move quickly and take little time out to learn and invest in our own growth. The one-year program commitment will have a true  payoff personally and for my organization for the long term. 
 

Resources

2025 Baldrige Fellows Information Packet Word
Journey to Excellence PDF, originally published in ASQ’s Quality Progress
A Crowning Achievement for Your Own Organization
Peer Learning, the Baldrige Fellows Program, by Harry Hertz, from Leadership Excellence July 2012 PDF
Benefits for Participants PDF

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice
OMB Control #0693-0076
Expiration Date: September 30, 2025

A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with an information collection subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 unless the information collection has a currently valid OMB Control Number. The approved OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0693-0076. Without this approval, we could not conduct this information collection. Public reporting for this information collection is estimated to be approximately 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information collection. All responses to this information collection are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden to the National Institute of Standards and Technology at 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, Attn: Robert Fangmeyer, Director, Baldrige Program, robert.fangmeyer [at] nist.gov (robert[dot]fangmeyer[at]nist[dot]gov).

Privacy Act Statement

Authority:  The National Institute of Standards and Technology Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 271 et seq. (which includes Title 15 U.S.C. 272) and section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 3710a.The Baldrige Awards Program was created under public law 100-107 The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987. 5 U.S.C. App.-Inspector General Act of 1978, § 2; 5 U.S.C. App.-Reorganization Plan of 1970, § 2; 13 U.S.C. § 2; 13 U.S.C. § 131; 15 U.S.C. § 272; 15 U.S.C. § 1151; 15 U.S.C. § 1501; 15 U.S.C. § 1512; 15 U.S.C. § 1516; 15 U.S.C. § 3704b; 16 U.S.C. § 1431; 35 U.S.C.§ 2; 42 U.S.C. § 3121 et seq.; 47 U.S.C. § 902; 50 U.S.C. App. § 2401 et seq.; E.O. 11625; 77 FR 49699 (Aug. 16, 1012).

Purpose: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) oversees the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) which is the nation' s only Presidential award for performance excellence and offers a wide array of award-winning products and services, including the world-renowned Baldrige Excellence Framework. The function/purpose of the information collections is to support the needs and activities of the internal and external customers in support of this mission.

Routine Uses: NIST will use this information to conduct necessary government business for the processing and the support needs of the BPEP. Disclosure of this information is permitted under the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. Section 522a) to be shared among NIST staff for work-related purposes.  Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: COMMERCE/ DEPT- 18: Employee Personnel Files Not Covered by Notices of Other Agencies; COMMERCE/DEPT-23: Information Collected in Connection with Department of Commerce Activities, Events, and Programs.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary, however, this information is required to obtain authorization to gain access to and participate in the specified BPEP activity.  The failure to provide accurate information may delay or prevent you from participating in the activity. Submitting voluntary information constitutes your consent to the use of the information for the stated purpose.

Contacts

Created September 3, 2013, Updated October 16, 2024