Stephanie Norling
Stephanie Norling serves as the President and CEO of Communities of Excellence 2026, a role she has held since 2014. A recognized leader in community improvement and performance excellence, Stephanie has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the Baldrige-based Communities of Excellence Framework. Under her leadership, the organization launched the National Learning Collaborative, an initiative designed to support communities in adopting and benefiting from the framework. Stephanie continues to serve as a faculty member for the collaborative, mentoring several participating communities to drive sustainable social impact.
Stephanie earned her BA in Anthropology from Tufts University in 1999 and began her career at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Boston as a Project Coordinator. In 2012, she completed her MBA with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of San Diego. Her dedication to performance excellence led her to serve as a National Baldrige Examiner for three years and to join the board of the Alliance for Performance Excellence. In 2023, Stephanie’s contributions to the nonprofit sector were recognized with the Baldrige Foundation’s Award for Leadership Excellence.
Through her passion for fostering collaboration and innovation, Stephanie has dedicated her career to empowering communities to achieve transformative results and improve the quality of life for their residents.
