Board Excellence Certification & Development Program by UT Center for Industrial Services

It is no secret that an organization must have strong leadership to achieve excellence. John C. Maxwell said, “A leader is one that knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”  The highest level of leadership in many organizations is the Board of Directors (“Boards”), yet there are very few professional development opportunities designed specifically for Boards. 

Recognizing this need, the UT Center for Industrial Services developed a Board Excellence Certification and Professional Development Program. Board participation in these UT CIS programs models a commitment to excellence and sends a strong message to the leadership, workforce, customers, and stakeholders of any organization. 

The foundation of the Board Excellence Certification and Professional Development Program is the Governance Elements, which are based on the Baldrige Framework for Excellence, and a set of industry or sector specific standards or best practices. Because of this balance of governance and industry or sector standards, the UT CIS Board Assessment and Professional Development Program fits any board. Local economic development boards, industrial development boards, small businesses, and others are ideal boards for this program

The Board Excellence Certification and Professional Development Program includes: a Board self-assessment survey, an assessment of policy, process, execution, effectiveness, and performance including threshold ratings, executive summary and detailed report of strengths and opportunities, professional development outline, best practices resources, and formal Board Excellence Certification from UT IPS. 

Could your Board of Directors and organization benefit from modeling excellence via the Board Excellence Certification and Professional Development Program? Contact tamera.parsons@tennessee.edu for more information.