This week in Washington D.C., the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Inc. presented a Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence to OCPS Superintendent Barbara Jenkins. The Foundation Awards for Leadership Excellence were established to recognize leaders in business nonprofit, government, health care, education, and cybersecurity, who provide exceptional support to Baldrige and the Foundation’s mission. The values of the Baldrige Foundation include: unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and organizational performance excellence, stewardship – accountability above reproach, trust – through teamwork, open communication, transparency, and visionary leadership – focused on results and creating value.
“I am extremely honored to receive the Baldrige Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence in Education,” said Dr. Barbara Jenkins. “Our school district has long been inspired by the Baldrige framework, as it stands for excellence in education and across sectors. I share this award with my phenomenal leadership team, principals, teachers and staff whom I have had the pleasure to lead for a decade. I also share it with an outstanding School Board, who are committed to our dynamic strategic plan. Together, with our families and community, we provide diverse pathways to lead our 206,000 students to success.”
The purpose of the Baldrige Foundation is to continuously improve quality of life. The Foundation’s Leadership Awards were presented during the Foundation Awards Luncheon held as part of the annual Quest for Excellence® conference. After 10 years as the Superintendent of Orange County Public Schools, Dr. Barbara Jenkins also announced her retirement earlier this year. Dr. Jenkins will open the 2022-23 school year, but officially retire in December after dedicating more than 30 years to serving the needs of OCPS students.
