A network of state-sponsored Baldrige Award programs has formed an alliance in an effort to bring added recognition—and possibly added funding—to their programs. The Alliance for Performance Excellence was formed about 18 months ago. Operated by an almost all volunteer board of directors, it serves as an information clearinghouse and networking center for the country’s dozens of state Baldrige Award programs. State Baldrige-based award programs (there are currently more than 50) have always operated independently. Although autonomy is important when administering quality awards in locations that are far away from each other, fostering a sense of camaraderie helps the programs practice some of what they preach.

“We’ve always emphasized the importance of benchmarking to organizations,” says Victoria Currie Taylor, APE chairperson and executive director of the Georgia Oglethorpe Award Process Inc. “With this alliance, we can say the state programs are doing it, too.”

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