Last week I had the privilege of attending the Baldrige Quest Conference. It was an energizing and thought-provoking few days spent with leaders from healthcare, education, government, nonprofit and industry, all united by the goal of building organizations that perform at the highest level through leadership, systems thinking and people engagement.
In my January letter, From the CEO: Aligned in purpose | AME and Baldrige, I shared how closely AME and Baldrige align. Seeing it come to life at Quest made that alignment even more real.
As I listened to keynote speakers and role-model organizations share their journeys, I was struck by how naturally the Baldrige framework and the work of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence fit together.
Baldrige provides the systems view of organizational excellence, demonstrating how leadership, strategy, customers, workforce, operations and results must be integrated for sustained performance. AME provides the practitioner community with the hands-on continuous improvement mindset that brings those systems to life on the shop floor, in hospitals, in offices and in classrooms every day.
Josh Racette, President & CEO, The Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
Josh Racette, President & CEO of The Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, shares, “As we look ahead, I see the synergy between the Baldrige Foundation and the Association for Manufacturing Excellence as a natural fit, grounded in Baldrige as America’s Quality and Excellence Framework and a shared commitment to helping leaders be intentional about how their organizations operate and improve every day."
"When you bring them together, you create something stronger: a clear way to align leadership, people and processes, so results aren’t left to chance. This synergy is essential if we are serious about strengthening the competitiveness of American industry and ensuring excellence becomes the standard, not the exception.”
We heard from inspiring leaders and keynote speakers, including Molly Baldrige, Shane Yount, Jason O. Harris, Dr. Latitia McCane, Tamera Fields Parsons, Sonja Wulff and Dr. JoAnn Sternke. Their messages reinforced themes deeply familiar to all of us at AME:
- Leadership sets the tone for excellence.
- Culture and workforce engagement are strategic advantages.
- Continuous improvement is not a program. It is how high-performing organizations operate.
- Results come from alignment, not isolated initiatives.
Dr. Latitia McCane, Director of Education, The Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School
Dr. Latitia McCane represented AME and delivered a powerful keynote address.
She shared, “Presenting 'From crayons to careers: Workforce development begins in childhood,' at the Baldrige Quest Conference reinforced a simple truth: workforce development doesn’t start at adulthood, it starts with early exposure, belief and opportunity. The engagement and shared commitment in the room made it clear we are all responsible for building stronger pipelines for the future.”
Additional keynotes and sessions offered leaders actionable insights across leadership, strategy, diversity, innovation and operational effectiveness.
Jeff Fuchs and Tim Hobbs
AME presenter Jeff Fuchs delivered a presentation, “From tools to system: A crosswalk of lean and the Baldrige Excellence Framework” and Tim Hobbs delivered a powerful message in his session, “Creating a passion for innovative problem solving: A problem solver's journey.”
Jeff shares, “It was thrilling to meet so many new friends striving toward performance excellence! I found so many experienced and interesting people at the Baldrige Quest for Excellence Conference. Their knowledge was different from mine, yet so complementary! I look forward to learning more and sharing more toward our mutual benefit. Thank you, Kim and AME, for the chance to be part of this enlightening exchange!”
Tim said, “It was an honor to share my problem‑solving journey at the Baldrige Quest for Excellence Conference on behalf of the AME family. The experience was truly energizing, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from so many like‑minded industry leaders.”
Across keynote addresses and breakout sessions, several core themes emerged:
- Systems thinking & strategic alignment - integrating mission, vision and measurable strategy to shape long-term success.
- Operational resilience - building organizational systems capable of adapting to change while maintaining performance excellence.
- Workforce engagement & culture - inspiring leadership and human-centric approaches that strengthen workforce involvement.
- Innovation & continuous improvement - practical tools and frameworks, including lean and the Baldrige criteria, to boost competitiveness and enterprise performance.
Together, these perspectives create a powerful roadmap for any organization seeking sustainable performance excellence.
I left the Quest for Excellence proud of the work our AME community is doing and energized by the opportunity to continue strengthening the connection between AME’s continuous improvement network and the Baldrige systems framework. Baldrige and AME both define what excellence looks like at the organizational level and AME members demonstrate how to achieve it at the operational level.
Thank you for the work you do every day to make excellence real inside your organizations. You are true examples of the principles highlighted throughout this conference.
I look forward to seeing you at the AME Charlotte 2026 Lean Summit in May and continuing this journey of sharing, learning and growing. There are still a few seats left. And you may see some familiar faces from the Baldrige Quest there.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
