TPE: A Stronger Pathway to National Recognition
For organizations committed to performance excellence, the pathway to national recognition is becoming clearer, more connected, and more valuable than ever. Since 1998, The Partnership for Excellence (TPE) has helped organizations strengthen their performance improvement efforts through training, best-practice sharing, and assessments based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework.
Serving organizations across Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania, TPE has long been part of a broader national movement to help organizations learn, improve, and pursue excellence in a disciplined way.
What Changed in the National Baldrige Process?
In 2026, the national Baldrige program introduced significant operational changes. As part of those changes, the Alliance for Performance Excellence (Alliance)—a consortium of 25 state, regional, and national programs—has taken on administration of the national award process on behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
This includes examiner recruitment, examiner training, applicant evaluation, and formal recommendations. The Alliance’s expanded role reinforces the importance of strong regional programs like TPE in preparing organizations for national-level recognition.
Two Eligibility Pathways for 2026 Applicants
For the 2026 cycle, potential applicants may qualify for the national award process through one of two standard eligibility pathways:
- Receiving the Baldrige-based Top Tier Award from an Alliance member program, such as TPE, within the last four years (2022–2025).
- Receiving a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award site visit within the last two years (2024–2025).
Eligible applicants that participate in the 2026 award process will receive automatic finalist status, including a site visit in 2026 and recognition at the 2027 Quest for Excellence® Conference. Baldrige recipients will be selected from among all finalists.
A More Streamlined and Consistent Process
The 2026 national award process also includes several important process improvements. These include further streamlining, stronger alignment of award criteria with the Baldrige Excellence Framework, and an improved scoring rubric.
Together, these updates are designed to increase evaluation consistency while also serving as a thoughtful maturity pathway for organizations and communities at every stage of their performance excellence journey.
Why This Matters for the TPE Regional Program
TPE has been fortunate to see 17 organizations from its five-state region receive the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. With the recent changes to the national process, the connection between state and regional recognition and the national award cycle is stronger than ever.
That means organizations working through TPE’s regional program may have a more direct and meaningful pathway toward national recognition in the years ahead.
One example is WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center, a 2022 TPE Platinum Level Governor’s Award for Excellence recipient. Because of these national process changes, the organization will have the opportunity to receive a national site visit this year.
As shared by MarJean Kennedy, Vice President of Marketing, Development, and Strategic Initiatives at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center, “For Camden Clark, the TPE process has been much more than preparation for an award—it has been a disciplined pathway for strengthening our organization, aligning our leaders, and improving the way we serve our patients, employees, and community. TPE has provided organizations like ours with the objective feedback, aligned structure, and encouragement needed to advance performance excellence and pursue national recognition for our work.”
She further stated, “The recent changes to streamline the national Baldrige process, along with the opportunity to participate in an in-person national site visit, allow us to personally showcase the work of our teams, the progress we have made, and the culture of excellence we continue to build. We are excited to continue our performance excellence journey with the support and feedback of TPE and the Alliance. I would encourage any organization seeking to improve processes and outcomes to consider engaging with TPE or the Alliance partner in its area.”
The Regional Pipeline Is More Important Than Ever
These national-level changes make regional programs like TPE even more essential. Organizations that want to build toward national recognition need a regional experience that is aligned, credible, disciplined, and genuinely valuable.
Through assessment, feedback, examiner development, and partnership, TPE helps organizations grow before they pursue national recognition. That preparation matters—not only for award eligibility, but for long-term organizational learning and improvement.
Start Where You Are
Not every organization is ready for a full award application, and not every organization needs to begin there. The revised structure will help organizations enter the process at the right level and move forward with greater discipline over time.
TPE will continue building a pathway that allows organizations to start where they are, strengthen their systems, and progress toward higher levels of performance excellence.
How to Engage with TPE
If your organization is ready to learn, improve, and explore the pathway to recognition, TPE invites you to take the next step. You can engage by serving as an examiner, becoming a TPE member, starting the Advising & Partnering program, or applying as a full applicant.
The pathway to national recognition begins with a commitment to excellence—and TPE is here to help organizations take that journey with confidence.
Margot L. Hoffman, Ph.D.
President & CEO
The Partnership for Excellence
