The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has named Dr. Haldane Davies, vice president for Business Development and Innovation at the University of the Virgin Islands, to the Board of Examiners for the 2015 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige Award, the nation’s highest honor for organizational innovation and performance excellence, is the only formal recognition of both public and private U.S. organizations given by the president of the United States.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and humbly do so on behalf of the University and the people of the Virgin Islands,” said Dr. Davies.
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 350 leading experts competitively selected from industry, professional, trade, education, healthcare and nonprofit 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 Criteria for Performance Excellence and the scoring/evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award.
In addition to his role as vice president of Business Development and Innovation, Dr. Davies serves as executive director of the Foundation for the University of the Virgin Islands. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Administration with a focus on higher education from Andrews University and certificates in related areas from Harvard University, Cornell University, the University of the West Indies, and Yale University. He leads the University’s agenda to create new and innovative opportunities for income generation through targeted expansion, sustainability and growth of programs, strategic partnerships, contract acquisitions, and entrepreneurial activities. Dr. Davies established the UVI Institute for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness, spearheaded the development of the UVI Strategic Plan, established the UVI PULSE Institute and the USVI Certified Public Manager Program, served as a Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation site visit chair, and led the process that resulted in UVI receiving the Carnegie Elective Community Engagement Classification.
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, healthcare 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 1988, 99 organizations have received Baldrige Awards, including the 2014 winners: PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Sector Practice, McLean, Va. (service); Hill Country Memorial, Fredericksburg, Texas (healthcare); St. David’s HealthCare, Austin, Texas (healthcare) and Elevations Credit Union, Boulder, Colo. (nonprofit).