In the throes of COVID-19, the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and Alliance for Performance Excellence engaged Walden University to study how leaders of Baldrige Award-winning organizations, top-tier Alliance organizations, and Communities of Excellence used the Baldrige framework and criteria to improve organizational resilience and sustainability. A team of 11 researchers used a systematic research protocol to understand how the use of the Baldrige framework affected performance outcomes. The research findings are insightful and valuable to leaders of organizations from all sectors who seek role-model approaches to navigating challenges. 
Janice K. Garfield, PhD
Dr. Jan Garfield is a researcher and practitioner of quality improvement. She has been an examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 2007, and she chaired the board of directors for the U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award for Virginia and Washington, DC. She is a member of the board for the Alliance for Performance Excellence and serves as a facilitator and mentor for state and national Baldrige programs. She has served as a consultant and coach for organizations that implement the Baldrige framework and criteria. Jan has held a variety of leadership roles in higher education, including director and dean for Northwestern University, director of adult degree programs at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, and associate provost for Columbia College Chicago. She is a team leader for the peer review corps of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and serves on the HLC Appeals Body and specialized corps for change of control.
Meridith K. Wentz, PhD
Dr. Meridith Wentz serves as the assistant chancellor for Planning, Assessment, Research and Quality at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. In this capacity, she leads institutional research, strategic planning, regional accreditation, quality assurance efforts, assessment, and university policy and procedure development. Dr. Wentz has served as an examiner, master examiner, and judge for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for the past 11 years and presents regularly on best practices for data-informed decision making, strategy development and implementation, and performance measurement. She also serves as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.
Marilyn Powell, PhD
Dr. Marilyn Powell is a vice provost at Walden University where she guides the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Human Sciences, the College of Management and Human Potential, the College of Health Sciences and Public Policy, the College of Psychology and Human Services and the School of Integrated Undergraduate Studies (general education). She also oversees the office of inclusive teaching and learning. A licensed psychologist for 20+ years, Marilyn holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Kansas. She also earned a post-doctoral certificate in management from Walden University and a certificate in business administration from the University of Roehampton in London. Marilyn is a member of the 2019 class of Baldrige Executive Fellows.
Suzanne Collins, DBA
Dr. Suzanne Collins is a Writer/Editor with the Aero-News Network, having transitioned to that role earlier this year to pursue a more aviation-centric experience. Suzanne was formerly the Information Technology Manager for a privately held corporation in Virginia where she led a team of administrators, programmers, analysts, and technicians in managing and supporting all aspects of the corporate infrastructure, the deployment/decommissioning of communication systems, applications, and enhancements to the Enterprise Resource Planning system. She has a doctorate in business administration from Walden University, a master’s degree from Old Dominion University, and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Northumbria at Newcastle. She is actively involved in a few aviation-related organizations and is currently training to become a flight instructor.
Michael Dillard, DBA
Dr. Michael Dillard, a retired Brigadier General of the United States Army Reserve, is currently a Claim Service Leader for Allstate Insurance Company in Birmingham, Alabama. He earned his MBA from DeVry University’s Keller Graduate of School Management, his MSS from the United States Army War College, and earned his Doctor of Business Administration from Walden University. As part of Walden’s University Doctor of Business Administration Consulting Capstone program, Michael used the 2019-2020 Baldrige Excellence Framework to evaluate and help leaders of a Maryland nonprofit organization enhance their performance measurement system to demonstrate their organization’s efficiency and effectiveness. Michael also is a recipient of the Baldrige Foundation’s Curt Reimann Baldrige Scholarship.
Allen R. Turner, DBA
Dr. Allen R. Turner is a Special Agent and the Emergency Management Specialist at NASA Glenn Research Center, located in Cleveland, Ohio. He is responsible for implementing NASA’s emergency preparedness, prevention, mitigation, response, recovery, and continuity programs. Dr. Turner previously served as a Preparedness Specialist for the Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Turner is a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Coast. Dr. Turner holds a Doctor of Business Administration with a specialty in Homeland Security from Walden. He also holds a master’s in Strategic Intelligence in Terrorism Studies, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Organizational Behavior, and a bachelor’s degree in Technology Management. Dr. Turner is a graduate of the United Nations - Institute for Training and Research in Global Terrorism and Peace Keeping Operation and serves as an adjunct professor and course developer for Greenville University.