Allison Carter Named to Chair the Panel of Judges for Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

Washington, DC – September 10, 2020 –The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced that S. Allison Carter, Director at Guidehouse in Washington, DC, has been named by the Secretary of Commerce to chair the Panel of Judges for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige Award is the nation’s highest honor for organizational innovation and performance excellence.

All applicants for the Baldrige Award are evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas defined by the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence: leadership; strategy; customers; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce; operations; and results. Based on these assessments, the highest-ranking applicants are chosen for an on-site visit by a team of examiners to clarify questions and verify information in their applications. As one of 12 judges on the panel, Carter will be responsible for selecting which applicants receive site visits, and ultimately, which applicants are recommended to the Secretary of Commerce as Baldrige Award recipients.

Allison Carter is a Director in Guidehouse’s National Security Segment, responsible for leading teams to deliver advisory services to clients across the US Federal Government, with a specific focus on the Department of State. Her key areas of expertise include organizational transformation, human capital, program evaluation and continuous improvement. In 2014, Allison led Guidehouse to become the first large professional services firm to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and she continues to play an active role as a quality champion.  Allison holds an MA in Organizational Management from The George Washington University, and a BA in Psychology from Tulane University. She is a certified professional facilitator, project management professional (PMP), and change management professional (CCMP). Allison resides in Ashburn, VA with her husband and children, both human and canine.

About the Baldrige Award 

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, 129 awards have been presented to 121 organizations (including eight two-time award recipients). The 2019 winners are Adventist Health White Memorial, Los Angeles, CA (health care); Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), Pittsburgh, PA (nonprofit); City of Germantown, Germantown, TN (nonprofit); Howard Community College, Columbia, MD (education); Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, Oak Brook, IL (nonprofit); and Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames, IA (health care).

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, Baldrige Excellence Builder, nationally ranked leadership training, and other assessment tools. For information on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the Baldrige Award application process, call (301) 975-2036, send an e-mail to baldrige@nist.gov, or visit http://www.nist.gov/baldrige. Media with questions, needing background, or wishing to arrange interviews with Baldrige Program officials should contact the NIST Public Affairs Office at (301) 975-2762.