As you may know, I am an incorporator and chairman of the Board of ExcellenceNorth Alliance (ENA), formerly Granite State Quality Council. The mission of the Alliance is simple: share ideas, work together, reach higher, and achieve successes. Our employees provide leadership and guidance to ENA, and we host many of its events. The ENA quality program is based on the criteria for the Malcom Baldrige National Quality program.
The ExcellenceNorth Alliance recently created an award recognizing the achievements of New Hampshire communities named after former Manchester mayor and community leader, volunteer, and philanthropist, Dr. Sylvio Dupuis. The “Dr. Sylvio Dupuis Community Excellence Award” will recognize communities that reflect his lifelong work to improve communities for the benefit of the people they serve. Dr. Dupuis is a former president of both Catholic Medical Center and Notre Dame College, and his leadership has had positive impact on Greater Manchester and the state.
Dr. Dupuis shows the kind of leadership that builds and sustains excellence. Developing arts and education; providing political, economic, and nonprofit project leadership; promoting legal and ethical behavior; and developing a vision, purpose, and values are all hallmarks of his civic involvement. His communication with all stakeholders excels. While his focus is clearly on getting things accomplished, he works diligently to create an environment in which everyone succeeds. These are among the many reasons why ExcellenceNorth Alliance will be giving this newly created award in his name.
The Community Excellence Award will recognize and raise awareness of communities in New Hampshire that, through ingenuity and innovation, are making improvements that benefit economic conditions, quality of life, education, and/or public health. From the standpoint of this award, communities are not limited by boundaries and are defined as a group of people working together with a common goal to provide these benefits to a city/town, neighborhood, or region. The goal is not only to recognize these communities, but also to share successful best practices with the hope that other communities will use them.
ExcellenceNorth Alliance is the region’s nonprofit provider of customized expertise in the Baldrige methodology and other systematic approaches. As the rate of change and disruption continues to dramatically increase across all business sectors, ENA has a forward-looking focus to help Northern New England organizations and communities achieve their goals. For more information on ENA and the “Dr. Sylvio Dupuis Community Excellence Award,” visit https://excellencenorth.org/.
Sylvio Dupuis has been my mentor and friend since I moved to New Hampshire in 1995, and it was he who first encouraged me to build community relationships and helped me to connect with New Hampshire nonprofits that valued my involvement. It is for that reason, in addition to his strong record of community service, that I am particularly excited about this award to be given in his name.
