In Episode 23, Stephanie Norling and I connect to discuss the ins and outs of the Communities of Excellence program sponsored by Baldrige. The Communities of Excellence program is a framework that is used by self-defined communities to help them define their approach to leadership, establish a strategy for their community, and implement their plan while tracking results.
Stephanie Norling has been Director of Communities of Excellence 2026 since 2014. In her roles as Director, Stephanie participated in the development of the Communities of Excellence Criteria, adapted from the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and launched a National Learning Collaborative of communities to support their use of the framework.
Stephanie serves as a Learning Collaborative faculty and mentors several of the 18 communities participating.
After graduating with a BA in Anthropology from Tufts University in 1999, Stephanie joined the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Boston as a Project Coordinator. After moving to San Diego in 2001, she worked for 12 years at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, first in the Operations Department and later taking a lead role in the Elephant Department at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. In 2012 Stephanie graduated from the University of San Diego with a Master’s in Business Administration and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management. Stephanie also participated as a National Baldrige Examiner for three years.
Episode 22 - Nerding Out and Taking Steps Toward Improved Emotional Intelligence with Gerald Bush
Episode 21 - Nerding Out About Standardizing Then Scaling with Jeanette Renshaw
Episode 20 - Nerding Out Igniting the Fire Starter Within with Jason Barnaby
Episode 19 - Nerding Out About Fatherhood with Ryan Sullivan
Episode 18 - Nerding About Giving with KJ McGlinn
Episode 17 - Nerding Out About Flow and Spiral Impact with Karen Valencic
Episode 16 - Nerding Out About Mental Wealth with Jeremiah Reed
Bonus Episode - Nerding Out about the Book Hidden Brilliance with Author Katie Rasoul
Episode 15 - Nerding Out About Belonging at Work with Katie Rasoul
Episode 14 - Nerding Out About The Leadership Challenge with Andrea Butcher
Episode 13 - Nerding Out About Mindfulness with Shelley Brown from ROI Mindfulness
Episode 12 - Nerding Out About Process Based Management with Travis Lozier
Episode 11 - Nerding Out with Emily Bopp and Dane DeLozier about Enable Management Systems
Bonus Episode - Nerding Out about Lean Coffee with Mark Ryan
Episode 10 - Nerding Out with Jacqueline Martinez About the Future of HR
Episode 9 - Nerding Out with Eric Eicher about a Designer's Mindset
Episode 8 - Nerding Out with Nick Smarrelli About Creating a Values-Driven Culture
Episode 7 - Nerding Out with Julie Kratz About Diversity and Inclusion
Episode 6 - Nerding Out with Amanda Cross About Living Content, Collaborative Authorship, and Becoming a Learning Organization
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