Appointed by the NIST Director, examiners are responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Baldrige Award, as well as other assessment-related tasks. The examiner board is composed of more than 300 leading experts competitively selected from industry, professional, trade, education, health care and nonprofit (including government) organizations from across the United States.
Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition, demonstrating competencies related to customer focus, communication, ethics, action orientation, team building and analytical skills. All members of the board must take part in a nationally ranked leadership development course based on the Baldrige Framework for Performance Excellence and the scoring/evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award. They must also complete an independent review of a Baldrige Award application or other comparable examiner task.
Dr. Mike Pierce currently teaches at Oregon Tech where he draws upon 35+ years of experience which encompasses engineering consulting, project management, risk management, mining, oil, project development, process facilitation and teaching. Dr. Pierce has worked with large corporations and small companies; startup organizations and established corporations; private sector, governmental institutions, and not-for-profit organizations. His problem-solving and innovation skills are bolstered by his passion for learning, academic research, hands-on experience and practice. Dr. Pierce is one of only three examiners in the state of Oregon and one of the few in the nation associated with a university.
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, 119 awards have been presented to 110 organizations (including eight repeat recipients).
Dr. Pierce has taught at Oregon Tech for four years. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, a Master of Business Administration from Alaska Pacific University and a Doctor of Philosophy from Gonzaga University. Dr. Pierce is also a Registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin.
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