Orange County Sterling Council Commitment Mission: Helping people achieve organizational performance excellence through educational programs and networking. Who We Are The purpose of the Sterling Council is to help local businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and health care organizations throughout Orange and Los Angeles County learn the principles of the Baldrige National Quality Award's Criteria for Performance Excellence. This includes such activities as performance excellence training, regional conferences, networking, and awards events. The Sterling Council is one of several Regional Councils for Excellence, chartered by the California Council for Excellence (CCE). CCE is the administrator of California's state's Baldrige Award program known as the California Awards for Performance Excellence (CAPE). The Baldrige Criteria, in existence since 1988, constitute a framework for managing any organization toward greater levels of performance. Although applying for an award is optional, tens of thousands of organizations use the Criteria as guidance for improvement. National Baldrige Award winners outperform the Standard & Poor 500 Index by 4.5 to 1; finalists by 2.8 to 1. The results are remarkable! The Sterling Council Commitment Whether you seek to improve performance in your organization, broaden professional knowledge, or expand your professional network, the Sterling Council is a resource for you. Our program includes leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, information management, human resource focus, and process management and improvement. We share the core values of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence: Agility Customer-focused excellence Focus on the future Focus on the future Management by fact Managing for innovation Organizational and personal learning Social responsibility Systems perspective Valuing staff and partners Visionary leadership

Upcoming Events Contact Information To find out how to get involved with the Orange County Sterling Council of Excellence, contact Tom Harkenrider at (949-283-8107)or email Harkenrider@soka.edu Download the Orange County Brochure