InStride Receives Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Awards®

Honored in two categories: Best Leadership Development Program and Best Development Program for Frontline Leaders

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InStride, a leader in workforce development, has been recognized with two Brandon Hall Group Human Capital Management (HCM) Excellence Awards. The SSM Health Leadership Academies, created in partnership with InStride, earned gold in the category of Best Development Program for Frontline Leaders, and Arizona State University (ASU) and InStride’s Capability Accelerators for Leadership Development earned a bronze in the category of Best Leadership Development Program. The HCM Excellence Awards recognize organizations that successfully develop and deploy programs, strategies, technologies, and solutions that deliver measurable business results and advance excellence in Human Capital Management.

"Every year, the HCM Excellence Awards remind us that innovation is ultimately about impact,” said Rachel Cooke, COO of Brandon Hall Group™ and HCM Excellence Awards^® Program Leader. “The organizations recognized this year have demonstrated that great HR and learning strategies don't just improve programs, they strengthen organizations, empower people and deliver measurable business results. We are honored to celebrate their achievements."

InStride and ASU’s Capability Accelerators for Leadership Development

InStride’s Capability Accelerators help organizations rapidly build practical, job-relevant skills in AI, leadership, and business acumen. The cohort-based, role-specific programs are co-designed with employers and leading academic and industry partners like ASU and SHRM to meet specific industry, role, and company needs. Employers including Magna, SSM Health, WinCo, and Desert Financial Credit Union use Capability Accelerators to build skills that hold up on the job, with results including a 28% advancement rate among operations managers and 95% satisfaction among frontline shift leaders.

InStride and SSM Health Leadership Academies

SSM Health, a leading nonprofit health system with 40,000 team members across Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, recognized that navigating a changing healthcare environment requires strong, patient-centered leadership at every level. In partnership with InStride, SSM Health developed the SSM Health Leadership Training Program to build those capabilities, from individual contributors preparing for their first management role to frontline leaders strengthening their people leadership skills.

“The SSM Health Leadership Training Program, powered by InStride, empowers our workforce with the skills, mindset, and real-world experience to lead with compassion, respect, excellence, stewardship, and community,” said Wayne Wright, Vice President of Talent Management at SSM Health. “By investing in contextualized, cohort-based learning, we're building a resilient leadership pipeline that puts patients at the center of every decision and drives meaningful, system-wide transformation.”

“The recognition reflects our team's commitment to innovating on behalf of employee learners while delivering clear business results,” said Craig Maloney, CEO of InStride. “We are honored to receive these awards from the Brandon Hall Group and proud of everyone at InStride who contributed to these latest achievements.”

About InStride
InStride is redefining workforce development for companies committed to growing talent from within. Recognized by TIME as one of America’s Top EdTech Companies, we partner with forward-thinking employers across diverse industries to deliver education and skilling solutions that align learning with business strategy and drive measurable results. Visit InStride.com or follow InStride on LinkedIn for more information and updates.

Press contact
Sophia Puglisi
Communications Manager at InStride
[email protected]
805-889-6273

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