President Bob Bell is one of four people recently appointed to the 15-member board of directors for the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence.

President Bell

“Dr. Bell has demonstrated a passion for continuous improvement through the excellent performance of TTU, and that’s what the center is all about," says Katie Rawls, TNCPE president. "We welcome his guidance as we work to make Tennessee a better place to live and work.”

The purpose of the TNCPE is to help businesses and other organizations improve performance and increase bottom lines by teaching them how to incorporate Malcolm Baldrige criteria for performance excellence into their day-to-day operations.

Bell’s knowledge of Malcolm Baldrige criteria is significant. He’s served four terms since 1995 on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award board of examiners and was recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in 1998 for his outstanding service to the nation as a quality examiner.

In 1992, the governor appointed Bell as a charter member of the Tennessee Quality Award board of directors, and he has served on the organization’s panel of judges since 1994. Prior to his appointment as TTU president in 2000, Bell served as dean of our College of Business.

The TNCPE, in about a decade, has helped more than 1,000 businesses and organizations improve results and contribute more to the economic vitality of the region.

In addition to Bell, other board appointees include Kenneth Breeden, executive vice president for the Tennessee Valley Authority in Nashville; Dennis Vonderfecht, president and CEO of Mountain States Health Alliance in Johnson City; and John Williams, president and CEO of the City of Jackson Energy Authority.