Adjunct faculty Anne McIntyre-Lahner teaches “Program Development & Evaluation” and frequently conducts Public Service Executive Leadership Collaborative (PELSC) workshops on program evaluation and performance management. Anne is also the President of a performance management consulting firm called Action to Outcomes.

Dr. Ron Schack teaches “Performance Accountability and Management” and “Advanced Quantitative Methods,” and is the Managing Director of The Charter Oak Group, LLC.

Both have work for the State of Connecticut with Anne serving at the Department of Children and Families and Ron at the Department of Labor. They collaborate often on consulting projects and are currently evaluating the Hartford Best Chance Reentry Program and the Bridgeport Reentry Welcome Center. Anne and Ron are also working with the Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee to develop measures for community violence prevention projects. The Committee is a joint executive branch and legislative branch committee.

This spring, they made two presentations at the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) Annual Conference in Minneapolis. The first presentation, “Working with Communities and Providers To Build the Right Measures,” was made as part of the Marc Holzer Public Performance Symposium. This presentation focused on challenges and best practices related to developing performance measures in community settings. The second presentation, “Measuring Performance Through An Equity Lens,” was given during the ASPA section on Public Performance and Management. Their presentation provided guidance on how to develop measures of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

This fall they will publish a book entitled “Working With Data in The Public Sector: From Fear To Enthusiasm” (Routledge). Their book describes two kinds of data fear, examines the possible sources of such fear and offers an array of tools for dealing with these fears. It will contain a data fear self-assessment that will allow individuals to see where they are on a data fear-comfort continuum. An organizational self-assessment will also be available. The book will discuss how to develop and sustain and data driven culture, moving past these fears to improve organizational performance and accountability. We look forward to reading their book and sharing more information soon!