The Alliance for Innovation is an international network of progressive governments and partners committed to transforming local government by accelerating the development and dissemination of innovations. We seek out innovative practices, challenge existing business models, exchange knowledge, and provide products and services that help our members perform at their best. Together with our partners, International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and Arizona State University (ASU), we promote excellence in local government and build a community of practice in local government innovation.

At the 2007 Transforming Local Government (TLG) Conference, the former Innovation Groups, ICMA and ASU partnered to establish the new Alliance for Innovation. ASU was selected as the research partner to expand the research capability of the Alliance for Innovation. Click to read the History of the Alliance for Innovation. The Alliance delivers new approaches to research, innovation and the development of best practices. We bring together the best local government practitioners in the country along with private-sector partners and academic scholars.

Through experimenting, learning, sharing and adapting, the Alliance has created a community of practice built by members dedicated to innovation. This community is accelerating the adoption of new ideas while furthering the work of local government. Participation in the Alliance provides our members unlimited opportunities to connect and to share information and ideas needed to make their communities the best places to live, work, play and prosper. Through a blend of services, resources, information tools, publications, networking opportunities, workshops and conferences specifically targeted to local government, the Alliance can help you identify how to build success for your community. Link to Member Benefits to learn more!

The American Society of Quality is a global community of people dedicated to quality who share the ideas and tools that make our world work better. With individual and organizational members around the world, ASQ has the reputation and reach to bring together the diverse quality champions who are transforming the world’s corporations, organizations and communities to meet tomorrow’s critical challenges.

ASQ provides the quality community with training, professional certifications, and knowledge to a vast network of members of the global quality community.

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, ASQ champions people passionate about quality in more than 150 countries. ASQ Global operates National Service Centers in India, China, and Mexico, and has a regional service center in the United Arab Emirates, serving the Middle East and North Africa region. ASQ’s global offices provide local access to the quality community, career development, credentials, knowledge, and information services.

ASQ also collaborates with a network of World Partners® spanning 20 countries and further extends its global reach through a network of 22 registered service providers that deliver licensed ASQ training and certification exams in a specified territory and works with QUALI, headquartered in Brazil, to provide certification exam refresher training.

ASQ’s Vision: By making quality a global priority, an organizational imperative, and a personal ethic, ASQ becomes the community for everyone who seeks quality concepts, technology, or tools to improve themselves and their world.

ASQ’s Mission: To increase the use and impact of quality in response to the diverse needs of the world.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA^®) was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement's major executive associations:

• International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP);
• National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE);
• National Sheriffs' Association (NSA); and the
• Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).

The purpose of CALEA’s Accreditation Programs is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence.

Specifically, CALEA’s goals are to:

• Strengthen crime prevention and control capabilities;
• Formalize essential management procedures;
• Establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices;
• Improve service delivery;
• Solidify interagency cooperation and coordination; and
• Increase community and staff confidence in the agency.

ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional local government worldwide. The organization’s mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and fostering professional management to build better communities.

ICMA identifies leading practices to address the needs of local governments and professionals serving communities globally. We provide member support, publications, data and information, peer and results-oriented assistance, and training and professional development to thousands of city, town, and county leaders and other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA's members affect millions of people living in thousands of communities, ranging in size from small villages and towns to large metropolitan areas.

The Quality Texas Foundation helps businesses, hospitals, schools, government agencies and non-profits improve performance. Quality Texas educates, trains, assesses, provides feedback and recognizes organizations committed to a journey of excellence. Quality Texas encourages use of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and other methods that drive efficiency and effectiveness. This saves jobs, improves communities and creates a stronger state and nation, and ultimately a better world for mankind.