2027 Oklahoma Excellence Summit
Mark your calendars for the 2027 Excellence Summit on April 20th 2027. More information coming soon!
Press Release 3/5/2026
OKLAHOMA QUALITY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2026 AWARD WINNERS Formal Awards Ceremony to be Held at Upcoming Oklahoma Excellence Summit Oklahoma City, OK (March 4, 2026) — The Oklahoma Quality Foundation (OQF), the state’s leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing organizational performance and excellence through the Baldrige Excellence Framework, today announced the recipients of the 2026 Oklahoma Quality…
Continuous Improvement Gift
Why Continuous Improvement Is the Best Gift You Can GiveAuthor: Kaitlin Hixon | Director of Continuous Improvement, Oklahoma City Indian ClinicApril 16th, 2025Let’s talk about something powerful that any organization, no matter the sector, can benefit from: continuous improvement.Now, I know the term may sound formal and rigid, but continuous improvement is simply about implementing small,…
Becoming a Baldrige Examiner
What it Takes to Become a Baldrige ExaminerAuthor: Josh Gray | Executive Team Leader, Amada Senior Care Oklahoma Expertise Rooted in Excellence The Baldrige Examiner role isn’t just a volunteer opportunity — it’s a transformational experience. Examiners are at the forefront of evaluating high-performing organizations and helping them grow stronger through structured feedback and insight.…
Strategic Planning (Part 4)
Strategic Planning: (Part 4)Author: Erin Cunningham, MBA | IT Continuous Improvement Engineer, Chickasaw NationMarch 14th, 2025Turning Your Plan Into Reality Through Execution and Follow-UpA solid strategic plan is more than just a roadmap for your organization—it’s a game plan for success. But here’s the catch: it’s only as good as its execution. This is where many…
Championship Leadership
Championship Leadership: The Playbook for Elevating PerformanceHeath Wright, CEO of Oklahoma Quality Foundation03/06/25The Right FocusGreat leadership isn’t about fancy strategies or complicated frameworks—it’s about mastering the fundamentals and executing them daily. Just like in sports, the best teams don’t win because of one incredible play; they win because they consistently practice the basics, refine their…
Strategic Planning (Part 3)
Strategic Planning (Part 3): Aligning the Whole Team Through KPIs and Cascading GoalsAuthor: Erin Cunningham, MBA | IT Continuous Improvement Engineer, Chickasaw Nation February 26th, 2025 What Are KPIs and Why Do They Matter? In our last post, we talked about the importance of leadership involvement in strategic planning. But how do you…
Press Release 02/05/2025
OKLAHOMA QUALITY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2025 SUMMIT & AWARD WINNERS Kim Koch Thompson02/05/2025 Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell to Honor Outstanding Oklahoma Organizations at Annual EventOklahoma City, OK (February 4, 2025) — The Oklahoma Quality Foundation (OQF) invites organizations across the state to join its 2025 Oklahoma Quality Summit on February 19th at the Moore Norman Technology Center (South Penn…
Strategic Planning (Part 2)
Strategic Planning (Part 2): The Importance of Leadership InvolvementAuthor: Erin Cunningham, MBA | IT Continuous Improvement Engineer, Chickasaw NationJanuary 20th, 2025 The Key to Successful StrategyStrategic planning might sound like corporate jargon, but trust us—it’s the game plan for taking your organization from “meh” to “wow.” Last time, we discussed the three key elements for success:…
Unlock Your Leadership Potential with Proven Executive Coaching
Unlock Your Leadership Potential with Proven Executive CoachingAuthor: Heath Wright, Executive Director, Oklahoma Quality Foundation December 26, 2024 Coaching That Delivers Results As the new year approaches, it’s time to ask yourself: What could I accomplish with the right guidance? Whether you’re leading a company, a team, or simply striving to improve, our…
Strategic Planning: The Game Plan for Success (Part 1)
Strategic Planning: The Game Plan to SuccessAuthor: Erin Cunningham, MBA | IT Continuous Improvement Engineer, Chickasaw Nation December 13, 2024 Strategic planning might sound like a corporate buzzword, but it’s actually the secret sauce to taking your organization from “just getting by” to “thriving.” Think of it like a roadmap to where you want to…
Executive Coaching: Tipping Point
The Tipping Point Between Empowerment & ExcellenceAuthor: Heath Wright, Executive Director, Oklahoma Quality Foundation November 7, 2024 Empowering Through UnderstandingIn the nonprofit sector, organizations have a unique opportunity to empower staff and volunteers to make a meaningful impact while pursuing their professional development and passions. However, as any seasoned athlete or artist knows, true excellence requires more than drive; it demands balance, recognition of strengths, and careful management of…
Oklahoma Quality Foundation Recognizes National Award Winner
Oklahoma Quality Foundation Recognizes National Award WinnerLt. Gov. Matt Pinnell and Oklahoma Quality Foundation Acknowledge the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health for National RecognitionNovember 7, 2024OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The Office of the Lt. Governor of Oklahoma, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Quality Award Foundation, proudly congratulates the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health (CNDH) on its remarkable achievement as a 2024…
Case Studies
Don Chalmers Ford | 2016 Application
Momentum Group | 2016 Application
Stellar Solutions | 2017 Application
Elevations Credit Union | 2014 Application
Integrated Project Management | 2018 Application
Charter School of San Diego | 2015 Application
Studer Group | 2010 Application
Baldrige Resources
Application
Tips, Tools & Best Practices
How do I learn more about the criteria?
Check out the #ExcellenceAtADistance series for more information about the criteria and how to apply it to your organization.
How many pages should we allocate to each Category?
How do we learn more about writing an application?
No matter where you are on your excellence journey, TNCPE has a workshop to help you improve performance. We can provide tailored instruction at your workplace on various topics:
Baldrige Framework Books
Baldrige Excellence Builder
Based on the more detailed Baldrige Excellence Framework and Criteria for Performance Excellence, the Baldrige Excellence Builder helps you assess your organization’s strengths and opportunities for improvement against the most important features of organizational performance excellence. By completing and acting on this assessment, you will be better positioned to accomplish your mission, improve your results, and become more competitive.
Baldrige Cybersecurity Excellence Builder
The Baldrige Cybersecurity Excellence Builder is a self-assessment tool to help organizations better understand the effectiveness of their cybersecurity risk management efforts, and identity improvement opportunities in the context of their overall organizational performance. This self-assessment tool blends organizational assessment approaches from the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) with the concepts and principles of the Cybersecurity Framework developed by National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Applied Cybersecurity Division (ACD).
Download the free Cybersecurity Excellence Builder
Criteria Commentary
The Criteria Commentary provides summaries of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence categories and items.
You can download the Criteria Commentary for free: