In a recent blog, I provided many reasons to apply to be a 2025 Baldrige examiner. The benefits of serving in this volunteer role were conveyed by three highly experienced Baldrige examiners with career expertise from the business, K-12 education, and healthcare sectors. Each served as an evaluation team leader in previous years, and the revamped process was launched in 2024. 

But wait: There are more reasons to apply to be a Baldrige examiner! Consider what two other highly experienced examiners—this time with backgrounds in higher education and nonprofit and government organizations—recently conveyed about the value of being a Baldrige examiner. 

 
Kristin Stehouwer

Kristin Stehouwer

Dr. Kristin Stehouwer is a master examiner who has served in 15 cycles of the annual Baldrige Award process since 2004, as well as serving as a member of the Baldrige Award’s Judges Panel for three years. Stehouwer is academic vice president and provost at Northwood University in Midland, Michigan.

She shared the following thoughts about the examiner experience.

On the value of being an examiner: “I would recommend being an examiner as one of the most powerful professional development experiences I have had in my career. As examiners, we gain an in-depth understanding of organizations pursuing excellence. 

“Applicant organizations are truly inspiring in how they have a relentless focus on serving their stakeholders and reinforcing a culture of excellence. While applicant information is confidential, as examiners we learn what is possible and how role-model organizations truly integrate their efforts to fulfill their respective missions in measurable ways.”

What Stehouwer has learned about high-performing organizations from being an examiner: “As a Baldrige examiner over the years, I’ve learned that role-model organizations—which demonstrate their excellence through measurable results—share an overriding quality of maintaining a focus on their people and their [organizational] culture to deliver their stellar results.”

How recent changes to the Baldrige process have improved it for examiners: “In 2024, I was on a team that included experienced examiners, and we marveled throughout the process about how much more streamlined it was than in prior years. 

“As in prior years, we reminded ourselves to ‘trust the process’—something our [examiner] mentors had always advised. The enhanced focus on results over processes simplified the initial assessment phase and yet allowed us to conduct a meaningful, in-depth evaluation.”


Peter LaBonte

Peter LaBonte

Peter LaBonte is a master examiner who has served in 13 cycles of the annual Baldrige Award process. He is employed by Milwaukee County (Wisconsin) as program manager of employee engagement. 

LaBonte shared the following insights based on his examiner experiences.

Reasons to become a Baldrige examiner: “There are at least three primary reasons for becoming a Baldrige examiner:

“One, the opportunity to serve: As a Baldrige examiner, you are helping an organization, and that benefits everyone.

“Two, the opportunity to learn: Most individuals who become Baldrige examiners probably consider themselves to be lifelong learners. Being a Baldrige examiner is an incredible professional development opportunity.

“Three, the opportunity to connect with other like-minded individuals: Becoming an examiner means joining the Baldrige community. As an examiner, you will build lifelong relationships with professionals from across the country and have the opportunity to learn not just from the organizations you assess but also by working with other examiners on a team.

“Being an examiner has been incredibly important of my professional development and my professional life.” 

How recent improvements to the Baldrige Award evaluation process make examiners’ work easier:  “The streamlined process in 2024 made things easier for examiners by simplifying the award criteria, focusing primarily on results, using evaluation rubrics, and [having] a shortened timeline. 

“The 2024 Baldrige Award process helped me to learn about role-model organizations through the evaluation of the applicant’s responses and through the partly virtual and partly in-person site visit.” 

What examiners will learn in reviewing 2025 Baldrige Award applications:  “Examiners will gain a much better understanding of the Baldrige Award Criteria and how using [the related but more comprehensive Baldrige Excellence Framework] can help an organization improve. 

“Examiners can learn a great deal about best practices without breaching the confidentiality of the applicants. The annual Quest for Excellence conference is another great opportunity to learn, as there are presentations from Baldrige Award recipients and other role-model organizations.”

His advice to examiners who serve for the first time in 2025: “It is important to remember that every examiner who has ever served was also a new examiner at some point. The learning curve may appear to be daunting, but trust the process and leverage the resources available to you and you will find great value in the examiner experience.” 

Become a Baldrige examiner

Finally, here are some key points of information for those interested in volunteering as a Baldrige examiner in 2025:
• All examiners receive virtual training prior to their volunteer assignment and are also supported by peers throughout the evaluation process.
• Examiners are assigned to teams to assess an applicant organization’s performance based on their Baldrige experience levels and employment history in order to ensure sufficient experience levels and a cross-sector mix of industry expertise on each evaluation team.
• Although the annual award evaluation process and assessment criteria have been continuously improved—with major changes implemented in 2024, including an increased emphasis on organizational resilience and long-term success—the Baldrige Award is still the nation’s highest and only presidential-level honor for U.S. businesses and other organizations that demonstrate excellence and are willing to share their nonproprietary best practices across key performance dimensions. 

Key dates in the 2025 Baldrige Award process for examiners include June 17, when examiners will begin analyzing applicant organizations’ performance results (submitted via an online application), and July 30, when each examiner team will finalize and reach consensus on a collaborative evaluation of an applicant’s performance results. Examiners will work online and when it’s convenient for them individually during this period, with each team determining its own work schedule within the parameters of these two key dates.

In addition, for examiners who indicate they are available and are selected to participate in a site visit of a finalist organization, Aug. 19 is when site visit planning between applicants and examiner teams will begin, and Sept. 24‒Oct. 1 is the week when examiners’ combination of virtual and onsite interviews with finalist organizations will occur.

It’s not too late to apply. Complete the 2025 Examiner Application today.

Published Jan. 14, 2025, by NIST.