The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced that Gerry Agnes, President and CEO of Elevations Credit Union, has been appointed to the Board of Overseers for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The Baldrige Award is the nation’s highest honor for organizational innovation and performance excellence.
The Board of Overseers consists of 12 distinguished leaders representing all sectors of the U.S. economy and the organizations eligible for the Baldrige Award (manufacturing, small business, service, health care, education and nonprofit). These leaders evaluate the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP), provide policy guidance and assess how the Baldrige Award serves the national interest.
Agnes directs Elevations Credit Union’s strategic objectives, which focus on employee engagement, a loyal membership and superior financial performance. In the midst of the financial crisis of 2008, he led the charge to pursue the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige effort rallied the Elevations team to outperform both in-market competitors and credit unions nationwide, and in 2014, Elevations was named a Baldrige Award recipient by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.
Named after Malcolm Baldrige, the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Baldrige Award was established by Congress in 1987. Awards may be given annually to organizations in each of six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care and nonprofit. The Award promotes innovation and excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. Since the first group was recognized in 1988, 124 awards have been presented to 115 organizations (including eight repeat recipients).
NIST manages the Baldrige Award in close conjunction with the private sector.
The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program also offers the 2019–2020 Baldrige Excellence Framework: Proven Leadership and Management Practices for High Performance,which includes the world-emulated Criteria for Performance Excellence; Baldrige Excellence Builder;Baldrige Cybersecurity Excellence Builder; nationally ranked leadership training; and the Baldrige Collaborative Assessment and other assessment tools. For information on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the Baldrige Award application process, call (301) 975-2036, send an email to baldrige@nist.gov, or visit http://www.nist.gov/baldrige.
Gerry Agnes.