Last month, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves called five organizations to congratulate them on receiving the 2024 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s only presidential award for performance excellence. 

Now that the initial celebrations have quieted, the real power of the Baldrige Award begins —sharing of best practices so that other U.S. organizations can learn and improve.

Part of Public Law 100-107, which established the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award on Aug. 20, 1987, is that U.S. organizations will “learn how to manage for high quality by [the Baldrige Award winners] making available detailed information on how winning organizations were able to change their cultures and achieve eminence.” Baldrige Award-winning organizations do this by publicly sharing their award application summaries, posting contact information, and presenting at the Baldrige Quest for Excellence® Conference on their specific strategies and innovations that led to role-model results. At that conference, March 30-April 2, 2025, in Baltimore, the Baldrige Award recipients will also be recognized by the U.S. government in a formal ceremony. In addition, some Baldrige Award recipients host sharing days at their sites, inviting the interested public to learn more about their best practices in person.

“In addition to demonstrating organizational resilience, each [Baldrige Award] recipient is enhancing the lives of American workers, improving our infrastructure, and enriching the quality of life in communities across the nation,” said Deputy Secretary Don Graves.

The 2024 Baldrige Award Recipients 

Alamo Colleges District (Texas) provides affordable or tuition-free education to eligible students to help end poverty, enhance economic and social mobility, and meet workforce demands. “Throughout the Alamo Colleges District, we are transforming lives through the Baldrige framework,” said District Chancellor Mike Flores. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication and vision of our board, along with the efforts of our exceptional faculty and staff who have worked for years to achieve this milestone. We are grateful for this honor as we strive to achieve our moon shot. Our win is our community’s win.”

Chickasaw Nation Department of Health (Oklahoma) provides inpatient, outpatient and population health services to the Chickasaw people, as well as other eligible federally recognized Native American people, across a 13-county service area in southern Oklahoma. “Since first compacting to provide our own health services 30 years ago, our employees have committed themselves to excellent and convenient care for our patients,” said Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby. “We will continue to strive for improved health outcomes for First Americans. … We look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the success of organizations across the country by sharing our approach to achieving health care excellence.”

The City of Henderson (Nevada), founded in 1953 and named a “city of destiny” by President John F. Kennedy, is the second most populous city in the state. “We started working toward this goal more than 14 years ago, implementing major continuous improvement programs and enhancing how we collect and use data in our organization to drive meaningful results for our community,” said Mayor Michelle Romero. “This amazing achievement spans multiple city leaders, touches every city department, and reflects our commitment to the citizens and businesses of Henderson. We all share in this incredible affirmation of our efforts!”  

Freese and Nichols Inc. (Texas) is a privately owned engineering, planning and consulting firm with offices in 12 states. Its projects range from water supply reservoirs and wastewater treatment plants to state highways and flood risk reduction programs. “Winning this award again reflects every employee’s hard work and dedication,” said CEO Brian Coltharp. “The rigorous Baldrige application process provided us with invaluable feedback that will help shape our future efforts and strengthen our role as sustainable partners for our colleagues and clients. As we celebrate our 130th anniversary this year, winning our second Baldrige Award reaffirms our role as a trusted adviser to our clients and inspires us to continue working to be a national role model for business excellence.” 

Northeast Delta Dental (New Hampshire) provides prepaid dental insurance coverage and benefits to employers (including associations and union groups) and to individuals. “Northeast Delta Dental has a deep-seated, unwavering commitment to quality, service and innovation,” said President and CEO Tom Raffio. “This award confirms that the collective effort of our highly skilled, dedicated employees, upholding the highest standards in every aspect of our operations, results in consistent performance excellence. … I’m a longtime proponent of using Baldrige principles to help organizations and communities achieve their goals and be strong and healthy in sustainable ways.”  

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program is a public-private partnership within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, dedicated to promoting U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology. The program has fostered the adoption of proven leadership, management and operational best practices, and supported a global community that values people, organizational learning, continuous improvement, and those striving for sustained excellence.

The program is funded in part through user fees. Key partners include the nonprofit Alliance for Performance Excellence, a network of Baldrige-based regional and state award programs, and the Baldrige Foundation, which provides advocacy but does not have a role or influence in the annual Baldrige Award process.