Our Board of Examiners

Below are the names of the individuals who sacrificed time and family to review and provide helpful feedback to the organizations that submitted an application for the Senate Productivity and Quality Award. These persons comprise the esteemed membership of our Board of Examiners. We post their names here in recognition of the significant investment in…

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Benefits of an Examiner

Below are 20 benefits of being an Examiner. The tremendous professional development opportunity of being a hard-working, engaged examiner offers: A resume-noticeable accomplishment, Public recognition of accomplishment including a certificate and employer letter signed by Virginia’s Senators, Continued personal learning and professional development – sharpening skills and adding knowledge valuable to other types of certification…

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Workshops, coming soon!

Baldrige Excellence Framework Workshops: These sessions provide an introduction to the Baldrige Excellence Framework, concepts and Criteria.  Using the Case Study of a fictitious organization, the training includes large group discussion, and small group exercises to help participants learn or expand their understanding of the Criteria and how it may assist their individual or organizational…

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2024 Award

Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association 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…

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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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Chris Green

Dr. Christopher Green has been the Director of Quality and Safety at Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia since 2019.  Chris is responsible for the management and oversight of hospital quality improvement, hospital safety, risk management, and health information management in collaboration with the administrative and clinical leaders of the hospital. Colleagues know Dr. Green…

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Sunil Sinha

Sunil Sinha, MD MBA FACHE FACP, has served in a variety of clinical and administrative leadership roles including Vice President for Quality and Population Health and Medical Director for Provider Network and Value Based Care at Sentara Health Plans (SHP) in Virginia. Previously he was the Chief Medical Officer of the BJC medical group in…

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Nyrma Soffel

Nyrma Soffel, Office Manager for the City of Harrisonburg’s Department of Community Development, is at the center of customer services related to development and building projects that come to City Hall. Nyrma has wide-ranging experience in operational quality control and assurance, and in Six Sigma and Lean methodologies. Her focus on service-oriented process improvement and…

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SPQA Chair Letter

Board Chair Message  The Baldrige Framework focuses on organizational improvement and excellence. Recently, the format of the award program itself changed. More than the process for submitting applications, the focus shifts to sustainable performance, organization resilience, and results. These concepts moved to the forefront of the award program process. It is easy to understand the…

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2023 Awards

Eastern State Hospital (ESH) & Educational Employee’s Supplementary Retirement System of Fairfax County (ERFC) Thank you to our 2023 award honorees, Eastern State Hospital (ESH) and the Educational Employee’s Supplementary Retirement System of Fairfax County (ERFC). Their dedication to relentless advancement has set a benchmark in delivering superior service to customers, stakeholders, and employees alike….

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2024 February Spotlight

Kim Humphrey At SPQA, our support in helping organizations on their journey to excellence leverages the talents and experiences of our volunteer workforce. Each workforce member has a unique story to tell. In this article we have interviewed Kim Humphrey to get her story. Why did you choose to become a Board Member for SPQA? …

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SPQA Chair Letter

Board Chair Message 1/16/2024 Since 1983, the US Senate Productivity and Quality Award (SPQA) has been recognizing organizations for outstanding performance. The Medallion of Excellence was awarded in 1983 to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA and to Philip Morris USA, Richmond, VA. The enduring testimony is that organizations want to improve using a disciplined approach….

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Baldrige for Beginners

SPQA will be providing a Baldrige for Beginners training session on the following date: ►Spring 2025 – Register coming soon. In this Introductory course, SPQA offers an opportunity for individuals and organizations to learn the foundations of the Baldrige Excellence Framework using the Baldrige Excellence Builder to help achieve long-term success. The Baldrige Performance Excellence…

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