The Jim Baldridge Outstanding Leadership Award was designed to recognize one outstanding National Junior Angus Association member each year. In 2023, the scholarship awarded by the Angus Foundation will increase to $5,000, up from $2,500. This award honors an NJAA member who exemplifies excellent leadership and character through their Angus involvement and beyond.
In 2013, Bill and Betty Werner of Werner Angus in Cordova, Illinois, donated $50,000 to the Angus Foundation to sustain a permanent endowment fund for the recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Award, in memory of Jim Baldridge. Since then, this NJAA award has been known as the Jim Baldridge Outstanding Leadership Award and has supported many Angus youth in pursuing secondary education.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to provide recipients of the Jim Baldridge Outstanding Leadership Award even more support through this scholarship increase,” said Jaclyn Boester, Angus Foundation executive director. “The Foundation is proud to invest in youth who exemplify the leadership qualities and strong character developed through NJAA involvement.”
Nominations for the Jim Baldridge Outstanding Leadership Award are due May 1. The application form asks applicants to answer three essay questions, and provide their resume and two letters of recommendation. The recipient is selected by a judging committee and will be announced at the 2023 National Junior Angus Show in Grand Island, Nebraska during the awards ceremony.
Since 1998, the Angus Foundation has awarded more than $4.2 million in undergraduate and graduate scholarships.
