Following three consecutive record-breaking years saving lives through organ donation, CORE's Susan Stuart Receives Baldrige Foundation Award Recognizing Leadership Values and Principles

PITTSBURGH , May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) announced today that Susan Stuart, president and CEO, is a recipient of the 2022 Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence from the Baldrige Foundation. Stuart is one of only 11 individuals to receive the national distinction, which recognize outstanding leaders who employ "The Baldrige Framework" in their management values and principles. The Baldrige Program is a presidential level initiative, which has been credited with improving the quality of health care and performance of nonprofits nationwide.

CORE, the nonprofit organization that facilitates organ, tissue and cornea donation throughout the region, has experienced three consecutive record-breaking years under Stuart's leadership. Most recently in 2021, CORE made possible nearly 700 life-saving organ transplants and offered healing and restored sight to more than 99,000 people across its service area of western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, New York.

"I am so honored to receive the 2022 Baldrige Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence. I credit CORE's Baldrige journey for empowering us with the ability to save more lives than ever before—the most significant indicator of performance excellence," Stuart said. "This is not only a proud moment for me, but also for the dedicated staff, board members, hospital partners, volunteers, donors and families who help CORE accomplish our life-saving mission."

Stuart also led the organization through its journey to becoming a 2019 Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award winner. The Presidential-level honor from the Foundation's partner organization recognizes exemplary U.S. organizations and businesses that demonstrate an "unceasing drive for radical innovation, thoughtful leadership and administrative improvement." She has been a vocal advocate and supporter for Baldrige ever since, providing counsel to other business leaders in pursuit of the accolade.

"Baldrige helps thousands of organizations across the country and around the world, in all sectors of the economy, pursue performance excellence which, in turn, makes a positive difference in people's lives," said Al Faber, President and CEO of the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Inc. "The Foundation Awards for Leadership Excellence were established to recognize leaders who provide exceptional support to Baldrige and the Foundation's mission, helping to sustain Baldrige into the future and promoting the positive impact of Baldrige on organizational and community success."

Specifically, Stuart represented the Nonprofit sector in this year's class of awardees. She accepted the award at Foundation Awards Luncheon outside Washington, D.C. in April.

Under Stuart's 18-year tenure as CORE's president and CEO, she has led the organization to increased donor registrations and transplantations, and to more lives saved than ever before. Yet, the need for registered organ donors remains critical. A new person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 10 minutes, and nearly 2,600 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia alone. Despite this, only half of Pennsylvanians and a third of West Virginians are registered as organ donors.

One person can save the lives of eight by donating organs and heal the lives of 75 through tissue donation. Anyone can sign up to be a donor, regardless of age or medical history. Register as an organ, tissue and cornea donor today at registerme.org/core.

About CORE:
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 57 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, New York. CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues and corneas for transplant within our service region and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities we serve. CORE's mission is to Save and Heal lives through donation, ultimately ending the deaths of those on the transplant waiting list, while maintaining integrity for the donation process, dignity for the donors, and compassion for their families. CORE is a winner of the 2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a presidential-level award that recognizes non-profits for their innovation and excellence. For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7. 

About The Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Inc.:
The Baldrige Foundation was created as the private partner to the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program in 1988. Its mission is to ensure the long-term financial viability of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and to support organizational performance excellence throughout the United States and the world. The Baldrige Program, located at NIST within the U.S. Department of Commerce, is a separate entity and is solely responsible for managing and administering the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. For more information on the Baldrige Award process please visit: https://www.nist.gov/baldrige/baldrige-award.

CONTACT:
Katelynn Metz
CORE Marketing/Communications
[email protected]
412-963-3550
202-309-5116

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SOURCE Center for Organ Recovery & Education