Jennifer Stokes, MBA, CSSBB, PMP, CMQ/OE, is an accomplished Six Sigma Black Belt with over 25 years of experience, including extensive expertise in the automotive and food manufacturing industries. She currently serves as a Senior Business Process Manager at Riverside Health System in Newport News, Virginia, where she partners with diverse process teams to optimize…
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Performance Excellence
In this Introductory course, SPQA offers an opportunity for individuals and organizations to learn the foundations of performance excellence. The program is based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework. The Excellence Framework is a national model for organizational performance improvement. Through questions, the Framework guides organizations to a systemic and integrated perspective of an organization’s process. Process improvement…
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Pathways to Excellence
The Pathways to Excellence Program serves as a valuable resource for organizations seeking to enhance their performance and achieve excellence in their operations. Our structured framework, tiered assessment process, and emphasis on continuous improvement, the program helps organizations at all levels drive positive change and deliver greater value to their stakeholders. Our program is a…
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Mayda Colón
Mayda Colón, is an architect, facilitator, designer, and family-oriented individual. She has over a decade of professional expertise in architecture, policy development, and project and program management. She explores the intersections of art, architecture, and social connection, with a career in fostering human centered solutions, environmental stewardship, and community engagement. She achieved dual master’s degrees…
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Joni Mixon
Joni Mixon is a Senior Program Analyst with the Improvement and Compliance Service (ICS), a Service office under the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), which falls under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Improvement and Compliance Service provides assessment, analysis, and advice to enhance NCA accountability and provide assurance to Veterans and their families. ICS’s vision…
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SPQA Chair Letter
The Benefits of the United States Senate Productivity and Quality Award Pathways to Excellence Program: The United States Senate Productivity and Quality Award (SPQA) Pathways to Excellence Program is a prestigious initiative designed to support organizations in their journey toward achieving operational excellence. Drawing inspiration from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award framework, the program…
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Kindness at Work Pays Off
Excellence involves many aspects of human interaction. Kindness is a valuable attribute and characteristic in high performance organizations. It may not be an item to check off in a process or task, but it is foundational to positive outcomes for organizations. As this article highlights, “Kindness is good for everyone.” Kindness at work fosters a…
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Christelle Temple
Christelle Temple has 27 years extensive experience of postal operations and military service in the areas of program analysis, project management, quality assurance and quality control, supervision, training, instruction, coordination, administration, records management, strategic planning, threat and risk analysis and logistical solution with global applications. Currently, she serves as Branch Chief Defense Mail Services at…
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2024 VHHA Award
The Achievement in Performance Excellence Award is one of the highest honors bestowed by the SPQA program, recognizing organizations that demonstrate exemplary leadership, a strong commitment to continuous improvement, and a focus on delivering outstanding results. In the 2024, Pathways to Excellence Award Cycle, VHHA is recognized due to its unwavering dedication to advancing healthcare…
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VHHA Honored with Award
Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) Honored with Prestigious Achievement in Performance Excellence Award by U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award Program. Richmond, VA — September 13, 2024 — The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association has been awarded the esteemed Achievement in Performance Excellence Award by the United States Senate Productivity and Quality Award (SPQA)…
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