Marie Baucom Williams

Marie Baucom Williams is now retired and lives on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, a fitting adventure for an Outward Bound Alumna who enjoys hot air ballooning, ultra-light and sailplane flights, and bungee jumping.

Ms. Williams retired in July 2004 from her position as President and CEO of the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) in Nashville. She was the founder of the benchmark organizational improvement and recognition program, Tennessee Quality Award (TQA), which became the TNCPE, and during her tenure with the public-private, nonprofit organization, she recruited, developed, trained, and mentored over 2,000 volunteers serving on the Board of Examiners. Those examiners then assisted more than 1,000 Tennessee businesses, hospitals, schools, and colleges to improve their capabilities and results. In addition, she spoke to over 100,000 leaders regarding the benefits of performance excellence criteria.

TQA experienced great success under Ms. Williams’ tutelage, with Tennessee-based Pal’s Sudden Service, Eastman Chemical, and Caterpillar Financial Services joining Federal Express as winners of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards.

With the Tennessee Department of Education, TQA developed a Baldrige in Education Initiative, recommended by University of Tennessee research for adoption in all schools within the Volunteer State. Through partnership with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Work Force Development, TQA developed a program for statewide Adult Education Centers and Career Centers.

The TQA became a model for 43 states and other countries, including Mauritius (an island republic in the Indian Ocean), Australia, and New Zealand, leading the U.S. State Department to appoint Ms. Williams as Visiting Scholar to establish the Mauritius National Quality Award.

In recognition of her work, Ms. Williams received a 2004 Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence honorary Excellence Award. She was the subject of a State of Tennessee joint Senate/House resolution recognizing her significant contributions to Tennessee, received an honorary master’s degree from Tennessee Technological University’s School of Business Administration, and attained the title of “Kentucky Colonel” for her involvement with the Bluegrass State.

Currently, Ms. Williams is a member of the advisory board of the ETSU College of Business and Technology, and she sits on advisory boards at Tennessee Tech. In addition, she is a member of Signature Management’s board of governors.

Her career encompasses an array of public service, including five years as a judge at ETSU for the former College of Applied Science and Technology’s Teacher Award Program, serving as president of the Bristol Chamber Foundation and of the Greater Bristol Area Chamber of Commerce, developing the first-ever joint work of the Tri-Cities Chambers of Commerce. She was a board member on the ETSU Regional Economic Development Board, founding board chair of Volunteer Bristol, and founding board member of the Bristol Regional Medical Center Hall of Fame. Her service as a judge extends to participation in determining the Girl Scouts of America National Award and the General Shale President’s Award.

Ms. Williams, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, is married to Michael Williams and is the mother of three sons: Miles Small, Hank Williams, and Bob Williams.