Program Assessment

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Date: Thursday, August 9, 2007
Time: 3:00 — 5:30 p.m.

A key component to achieving good outcomes in Neighborhood Networks programs is having a valuable assessment in place. This session explores two levels of assessment; first, understanding the tools available for program assessment and second, its incorporation into programs for tracking and evaluating outcomes. Participants are presented with the logic model that was developed by a Grantee Partner of Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s Stepping Stones initiative. There is also an overview of the free Web-based tools available on www.innonet.org. This workshop is provided by the NNNC.

Materials:
Program Assessment Presentation

Presenters:

Lecester Johnson
Executive Director
Academy of Hope

Lecester Johnson has more than 15 years of experience developing and managing adult literacy and workforce development programs. Johnson is currently the executive director of Academy of Hope, a community-based, adult education school located in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Academy of Hope, Johnson was the deputy director of programs at Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC), a Model Neighborhood Networks center in Washington, D.C. While at CPDC, Johnson created the corporation’s career assessment and college resource center and the adult education and workforce training programs known as Career and Skill Enhancement (CSE). She also developed the innovative telehealth training program funded by a Department of Commerce Technology Opportunity Program and the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. Johnson managed the award-winning adult programs for over six years. Johnson also helped to raise nearly $6 million in revenues, improved adult program retention from 60 percent to 80 percent, and helped to develop CPDC’s reputation for outstanding adult education and workforce development programs. A certified vocational evaluator (CVE), Johnson holds a master’s degree and an educational specialist degree (Ed.S.) in vocational evaluation and transition special education from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Pam LeConte
Assistant Research Professor
George Washington University

Nisha Patel
Program Office
Washington Area Women’s Foundation

Nisha Patel has more than 10 years of experience working on policies and programs that impact low-income families. As a program officer at the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, Patel’s work is focused on Stepping Stones, a multiyear, regional initiative to build the economic security and financial independence of low-income, women-headed families. Patel’s Stepping Stones portfolio is concentrated in the areas of workforce development, childcare, and early education. Prior to joining the Women’s Foundation, Patel was a senior policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), where her work over five years included policy research, analysis, and advocacy related to implementation of welfare, workforce development, and work support programs. Patel also worked at the National Legal Aid and Defender Association where she was program coordinator for the Project for the Future of Equal Justice, an initiative focused on increasing access to civil legal services for low-income families nationwide. Patel has also served as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University. She serves on the board of directors of Bread for the City, a nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive services to low-income individuals in Washington, D.C. Patel holds a master’s degree in social work (MSW) from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

Shital Shah
Program Manager
Innovation Network

Shital Shah specializes in the evaluation and measurement of programmatic and organizational performance and impact. Shah is proficient in design and implementation of trainings and direct-service programs. Shah has seven years of professional experience in the nonprofit arena, with positions ranging from international and domestic direct service to management. The majority of her work has been in the areas of children, families, and youth development. While in graduate school, Shah was a consultant to a major nonprofit and a New York City councilmember on children’s services projects. Both of these jobs required her to conduct organizational assessments, as well as give recommendations to improve each organization’s performance. Shah received concurrent bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees from The George Washington University and a master’s degree in nonprofit management and social policy from Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy in New York City.