Ohio Army National Guard strikes gold again! Takes top honors in Army Communities of Excellence program for National Guard

Photo By Capt. Jordyn Craft | The Ohio Army National Guard is the gold winner in the 2018 Army Communities of Excellence competition among all Army National Guard submissions. The annual ACOE competition measures and recognizes the best performing installations and communities in the Army. In this file photo, four Soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment show their Buckeye State pride as they spell out “O-H-I-O” during the unit’s overseas mission in 2017 conducting joint training alongside Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army personnel. About 300 of the unit’s Soldiers were deployed for nearly a year. (Courtesy photo)  

COLUMBUS, OH, UNITED STATES

03.23.2018

Story by Bill Pierce 

Ohio National Guard Public Affairs

The Ohio Army National Guard is the gold winner in the 2018 Army Communities of Excellence competition among all Army National Guard submissions. An awards ceremony will take place on May 17 at the Pentagon.

The ACOE uses the Baldrige Excellence Framework that focuses on innovation and improvement, and is often used as guidance for self-assessing an organization’s improvements and progress. The OHARNG earned the award based on assessment criteria in seven categories, including, leadership, strategic planning, customer focus and results.

Maj. Gen. Mark Bartman, Ohio adjutant general, said he recognizes the innovations implemented by the Ohio National Guard Soldiers and civilians not only during the assessment period for the competition, but every day throughout the year.

“I am incredibly proud of the Soldiers and civilians who contributed to the Ohio Army National Guard’s selection for top honors as the Army Communities of Excellence Award Gold winner for the Army National Guard,” Bartman said. “This award is a testament to their unparalleled professionalism, commitment and expertise.”

The competition consisted of two rounds, an application process and a site visit, with evaluators from across the country.

The Ohio National Guard uses an innovative 3-year process focused on their Soldiers becoming experts on the Baldrige Excellence Framework. The program confirms the commitment to sustaining a culture of excellence within the organization.

“The ACOE program is truly in our organizational DNA,” said Maj. Danielle Reese, director of the Ohio Army National Guard’s Office of Performance Excellence. “Each year, a team of Soldiers is chosen to learn the Baldrige Excellence Framework. These Soldiers advance each year, graduating to a higher level, which increases their knowledge of the process. The end result is a results-focused and integrated management system.”

ACOE is a Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) program that emphasizes strategies to achieve a performance-driven management system, maximize efficiencies, innovation, sustainability and continuous process improvement in installation management. The annual ACOE competition measures and recognizes the best performing installations and communities in the Army.

The Ohio National Guard has previously taken top honors in 2015, 2009, 2006, 2004 and 2003, and was named Rookie of the Year in 2002.

Learn more about previous Ohio Army National Guard ACOE performances on the ONG website:

09/09/15: Ceremony recognizes Ohio Army National Guard as Army Community of Excellence

http://ong.ohio.gov/stories/2015/Sep/090715-ACOE.html


05/01/15: Ohio Army National Guard earns top Army award for overall
organizational excellence for fifth time

http://ong.ohio.gov/information/press_releases/2015/150501-Log09.pdf


04/24/09: Ohio Army National Guard wins excellence award

http://ong.ohio.gov/information/press_releases/2009/09-21%202009%20ACOE%20Award.pdf


05/01/06: Ohio Army National Guard wins excellence award

http://ong.ohio.gov/information/press_releases/2006/20060503a.pdf

• Date Taken: 03.23.2018
• Date Posted: 03.23.2018 14:04
• Story ID: 270432
• Location: COLUMBUS, OH, US