Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award
Synergy recognizes that the critical components of any extraordinary organization are the quality as well as the continuity of the leaders.
2023 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award: MG John C. Harris, Jr.
Major General John Harris served as the Assistant Adjutant General for Army since January 11, 2011. He began his military career in 1981 when he enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard. He received a commission in 1984 through Officer Candidate School.
2022 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award: Dr. John Chessare
The Baldrige foundation is honored and delighted to recognize Dr. John Chessare, President and CEO of GBMC Healthcare as the 2022 recipient of the Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award. His unwavering servant leadership has been instrumental in the success of GBMC Healthcare in receiving the 2020 Baldrige national quality award and in navigating the unprecedented challenges of the covid 19 pandemic. Watch his acceptance speech from the 2022 Foundation Leadership Awards presentation which occurred at the 33rd Quest for Excellence Conference, April 5, 2022.
2021 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award: Michael Ugwueke
The 2021 Foundation Leadership Awards presentation occurred virtually, along with the 32nd Quest for Excellence conference, in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The presentations were made in a virtual ceremony, along with the 2020 awards, on April 14, 2021.
2020 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award: Jayne Pope
The 2020 Foundation Leadership Awards presentation, originally scheduled for March 26, 2020, was postponed along with the 32nd Quest for Excellence conference in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The presentations were made in a virtual ceremony, along with the 2021 awards, on April 14, 2021.
2019 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award: JoAnne Sternke
Dr. JoAnn Sternke, who led the Pewaukee School District in Wisconsin to the 2013 Baldrige National Quality Award, delivers remarks upon receiving the Baldrige Foundation Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award, April 9, 2019.
2018 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award presented to Nick Macchione
2017 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award presented to Mary Searcy Bixby
Mary Searcy Bixby accepts the 2017 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award
2016 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award presented to John R. Heer, Jr.
Foundation Chair George Benson introduces John R. Heer, Jr. who addresses the Quest for Excellence conference about leadership and organizational culture as he accepts the Foundation’s 2016 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award.
2015 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award presented to Katherine Gottlieb
2014 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award Recipient: Sister Mary Jean Ryan
The Baldrige Foundation is privileged to honor Sister Mary Jean Ryan, Franciscan Sister of Mary, with the 2014 Harry S. Hertz Award. As President and CEO of SSM Health Care (SSMHC), and now as board chair of that St. Louis-based, healthcare network, Sister Mary Jean demonstrates visionary leadership and embodies the Baldrige core values while pursuing performance excellence in every facet of operations. Our judges reviewed the evidence of Sister Mary Jean’s remarkable achievements.
2013 Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award: Harry S. Hertz
Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award announced by Dr. George Benson, Chair of the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and Dr. Kenneth R. Cohen, CEO for The Synergy Organization, an evidence-based executive search firm. On April 7, 2013, during the 25th Gala celebration to honor the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program’s first quarter century, Dr. Hertz was presented with the first Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award for his outstanding contributions to the Baldrige community.
The Baldrige Foundation And The Synergy Organization Announce The Award, Recognizes Servant Leadership and Stewardship
Building on the leadership legacy inspired by retiring Baldrige Performance Excellence Program Director Dr. Harry Hertz, the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (Foundation) and The Synergy Organization announce the Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award.
Starting in 2014, the award will recognize the leader who best embodies servant leadership and stewardship exemplified by Dr. Hertz during his almost 18 years leading the Baldrige Program. “Harry Hertz has been a true champion of making the goal of performance excellence achievable for organizations in all sectors of our economy; his leadership will be sorely missed.” said Dr. George Benson, the Foundation’s Chair. “The next director will be asked to continue the work begun by Dr. Hertz including the emphasis on innovation management and intelligent risk in the continuous improvement process.”
On April 7, 2013, during the 25th Gala celebration to honor the Baldrige Program’s first quarter century, Dr. Hertz himself was presented with the first Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award for his outstanding contributions to the Baldrige community. On the acceptance of the surprise award, Hertz said, “I have had the privilege of working with some of the most outstanding people I’ve ever met, and I don’t think I deserve an award for that. I’ve been awarded over and over by your support, by your friendship, by the wonderful people I’ve met along the way, by my colleagues at the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and by the program that I’ve had the privilege to lead.”
As the founding sponsor, The Synergy Organization, an evidence-based executive search and assessment firm, will be raising money to help fund the Foundation Endowment and ensure the Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award continues in perpetuity. Kenneth R. Cohen, Ph.D., founder and president of Synergy, said he committed to the Baldrige performance excellence journey eight years ago, becoming inspired by exceptional leaders. “One of these leaders who impressed me right from the start is Dr. Harry Hertz. Over these years, my respect and appreciation for him as a leader has grown immensely,” said Cohen. “He selflessly promotes the Baldrige Program and Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence for all of the right reasons and exemplifies the role of a choreographer, who loves to put others in the limelight and to help them shine.”
Source: Taken from Baldrige Foundation press release.
The Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award recognizes exemplary leaders whose behavior reflects the Baldrige Core Values. Individuals from all sectors may be nominated. Recipients will be publicly recognized by the Baldrige Foundation at the annual Quest for Excellence.