Department of Transportation 
Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration - Group Facilitation

The services provided under this contract required facilitation skills, report writing, data collection and analysis (data elicited during facilitation), and meeting graphics. The work involved consulting with program office staff and facilitating breakout groups to elicit action items, compiling the actions identified for tracking and follow-up, and summarizing the meeting results. Co-Author and co-investigator Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration.  

Group Facilitation/Community Engagement 
Alternative Housing Design for Disaster Mitigation and Energy Efficiency

Project lead on a research study funded by  California State University Long Beach/U S Department of Housing and Urban Development -Alternative Housing Design For Disaster Mitigation And Energy Efficiency. As principal investigator, staff directed a six-month research study that focused on developing cost-effective, energy-efficient, and disaster-resistant housing with particular emphasis on conditions within Omaha, NE. Coordinated the work of three consultants and convened a one-day community outreach symposium to include professional and citizen buy-in on research findings.

Team members provided the Resident Advisory Board (RAB) of the Housing Authority of the City of Baltimore with technical assistance toward strengthening the participatory role of the Resident Councils in implementing their grants for resident-centered management. This Group Facilitation effort included training and counseling on property management principles and efficient operation of properties to understand the role of RAB.

Department of Health and Human Services

Senior staff worked with the leadership of the Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) to establish the overall project objectives and goals, individual meeting objectives, and the meeting activities that would be most successful in building consensus and support among the Small Business Specialists for future actions. As part of pre-meeting planning and preparation, staff designed and administered multiple surveys, questionnaires, and data collection tools to help identify areas requiring particular emphasis, the allocation of time and resources in daily organizational functions, and the motivation and willingness of specialists to support the organizational consolidation. Staff facilitated each session, designing the meeting approach and agenda to accomplish the objectives.   Each session used different tools, techniques, and capabilities associated with facilitated workshops. Sub-group and individual tasks were combined with full group discussions to develop concepts, analyze courses of action, and construct final recommendations or decisions for the organization. Staff provided organizational next steps and actions to continue the change management effort for the period between seminars.

Meeting Planning

The team coordinates with the customer/program staff to identify the projected dates for the meeting and completes the initial scheduling of travel arrangements for participants and the use of facilities and support equipment.

Health and Human Services

Senior staff provided conference logistical support services and program support for the NIH-NIA Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project workshop meeting on the NIH Campus. Staff furnished services, such as serving as a liaison between the Government and the participants; Coordinated travel and hotel reservations and reimbursements for airline/train/personal vehicle expenses for participants traveling from nationwide and international locations. Staff was responsible for communicating with the conference venue staff to arrange details of the conference set-up vendors, troubleshooting, receiving, and transferring messages to participants and assistance with ground transportation to local airports/train stations as requested, and closeout, Providing meeting participants with a logistical package that includes information about the meeting location, hotel, transportation options (e.g., Metro map, map of meeting location, and list of restaurants). Preparing 120 resource material folders, including a final agenda, participant list, and other written materials required by the meeting organizers. 

Housing and Urban Development - Office of Community Relations and Involvement Training and Technical Assistance Conference Logistics

Staff managed and provided logistical support for the National HUD Conference and a one-day training and technical assistance conference for public housing authorities designated for the "Campus of Learners" program. These two events were concurrently held in the same facility with more than 600 participants. Project management and coordination responsibilities under this contract included:

• Making arrangements for hotel accommodations and meeting space

• Contacting presenters and determining and arranging for audiovisual needs

• Maintaining ongoing contact with the Government Technical Representative

• Developing conference materials, including packets, badges, and signs

• Staffing conference and managing onsite conference requirements

• Preparing and tallying conference evaluations

• Reviewing and processing reimbursements to presenters.

US ARMY G-1 National Conference

Senior staff has been responsible for all conference logistics for this 450-participant conference, including preparation of electronic (web-based) registration, resource material developments, and dissemination; staffing and maintaining onsite program registration desks; and maintaining and staffing onsite work (operations) room during the planned event. One recent example is our work on the U.S. Army G-1 conference held in Chicago, where staff responsibilities included all media presentation and set up, design and preparation of a 60-page event program, development of an attendee database (cross-referenced by agency and attendee name) and coordination of transportation requirements from airport to meeting site.