8 a.m.-Noon |
Registraion/Information Desk
Madison Concourse, 2nd Floor Foyer |
8:30-10 a.m. |
Plenary Session 5—Evaluating Our Ethics
Madison Concourse, 2nd Floor, Wisconsin Ballroom
There are ethical requirements most are expected to meet, and then there are the ethical demands of being an auditor/evaluator. The space between the floor of ethical behavior and the expectations of the public for evaluators is important for us to recognize if we are to succeed. In this session our presenters will explore both Big “E” and little “e” ethics in the context of legislative evaluation and, particularly, with respect to our data responsibilities
Panelists: Mark Quiner, NCSL Center for Ethics in Government
Anne Sappenfield, Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau
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10:15-11:45 a.m. |
Concurrent Session 11—Recruiting and Onboarding Evaluators
Madison Concourse, 1st Floor, Assembly
Recent data suggests a decline in the number of public policy graduates nationwide. In addition, evaluation offices indicate it takes more than one year to onboard new staff to a level that offers the organization a return on investment. In this session, we examine strategies for recruiting new staff, building effective relationships with the public policy institutions that train future evaluators and consider ways to onboard staff quickly in order to equip them to contribute more substantially to the work of the organization.
Moderator: Emily Johnson, Texas Sunset Advisory Commission
Panelists: Professor Hilary Shager, Associate Director, Robert M. La Follette School of Public
Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Suzanna Pratt, Washington Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee
Kristen Rottinghaus, Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit
Kyle Swalls, Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau
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10:15-11:45 a.m. |
Concurrent Session 12—Using Tools for Data Analytics
Madison Concourse, 1st Floor, Senate AB
Contemporary program evaluation relies increasingly on the evaluator’s skill in understanding and using data. In this session, we will explore tips and tricks for using Excel, ACL, SQL, R, and ArcGIS/ArcMap successfully in our work.
Moderator: Jon Courtney, New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee
Panelists: Andy Brienzo, Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit
Zane Kelly, Washington Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee
Chris Magee, Louisiana Legislative Auditor
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11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. |
Lunch and Plenary 6—The Conversation Catalyst
Madison Concourse, 2nd Floor, Wisconsin Ballroom
The Urban Dictionary defines a conversation catalyst as “the introduction of a new thread in a conversation, made to keep an otherwise flagging conversation ongoing.” In this roundtable discussion, the moderator will introduce several “new threads” to glean the perspectives of others in the room. If you don’t see your capital idea represented elsewhere in the 2017 seminar agenda, this is an excellent opportunity to solicit input from fellow attendees.
Moderator: Joe Chrisman, Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau
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1:15-2:15 p.m. |
Concurrent Session 13—NLPES Award-Winning Session
Madison Concourse, 1st Floor, Senate AB
Each year, NLPES recognizes the hard work done by legislative performance audit and program evaluation offices by offering awards in four categories for which an office may submit a nomination or application: Outstanding Achievement Award, Excellence in Evaluation Award, Excellence in Research Methods Award, and Certificates of Impact. In this session, the winner of the 2017 Excellence in Research Methods Award (Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor General) describes its winning work. In addition, members of the NLPES Executive Committee, Awards Subcommittee, discuss the overall awards program and the opportunities it presents for the involvement and recognition of member organizations.
Moderator: Melinda Hamilton, Michigan Office of the Auditor General
Panelists: Jon Courtney, New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee
Emily Johnson, Texas Sunset Advisory Commission
Marcia Lindsay, South Carolina Legislative Audit Council
Darin Underwood, Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor General
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1:15-2:15 p.m. |
Concurrent Session 14—Writing ABCs
Madison Concourse, 1st Floor, Assembly
Good evaluation reports demonstrate three principles of writing: accuracy, brevity and clarity (ABCs). This session will unpack each principle to understand how best to translate technical information to a non-technical audience.
Moderator: Joel Alter, Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor
Panelists: Yvonne Benn, Michigan Office of the Auditor General
Kiernan McGorty, North Carolina Program Evaluation Division
Robert Romig, Texas Sunset Advisory Commission
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2:20-3:20 p.m. |
Concurrent Session 15—Evaluating Transportation Programs: Avoiding the Highway to the Danger Zone
Madison Concourse, 1st Floor, Senate AB
Many states are confronted with aging transportation infrastructure, including bridges, highways and mass transit alternatives. In this session, we consider approaches used to evaluate transportation programs for efficiency and effectiveness while avoiding the highway to danger.
Moderator: Shunti Taylor, Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts
Panelists: Joe Murray, Montana Legislative Audit Division
Noah Natzke, Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau
Jennifer Sebren, Mississippi PEER Committee
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2:20-3:20 p.m. |
Concurrent Session 16—Accepting Feedback
Madison Concourse, 1st Floor, Assembly
We train our team leaders and managers on ways to provide meaningful and constructive feedback to staff, but how much time is spent to teach all staff the skills necessary to accept feedback well? In this session, we offer a framework for accepting feedback that works for any individual in any organization.
Speaker: Joe Chrisman, Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau
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3:30-4:30 p.m. |
Plenary Session 7—Reflecting Capital Ideas for Legislative Evaluation
Madison Concourse, 2nd Floor, Wisconsin Ballroom
The field of legislative program evaluation is a challenging and rewarding profession. In this session, three leaders describe their own emerging “capital ideas” about the profession, its challenges and its future.
Panelists: Joe Chrisman, Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau
Scott Frank, Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit
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2017 NLPES Professional Development Seminar Concludes |