Programs

The Building Evaluation Capacity Initiative (BECI) is a tailored program of consultation and training across two years to build program evaluation capacity in Greater Philadelphia agencies. The program has involved more than 39 agencies and includes oversight of the Philadelphia Program Evaluation Learning Collaborative that is comprised of agencies that have completed the program so as to ensure the sustainability of gains made.

Now beginning its 7th year, BECI is made possible through the generous support of its inaugural funder, the Thomas B. Scattergood Foundation, as well as funding from the Barra Foundation, The Philadelphia Foundation, and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.

BECI began in 2009 with pilot funding to support evaluation capacity building with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. This work led to a successful application to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation by a partnership of agencies and funders, including Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, the Scattergood Foundation, The Consultation Center at Yale, and more than a half dozen Philadelphia agencies and funders, to implement and evaluate the Porch Light Initiative. This early success served as a catalyst for BECI, which has now worked with a variety of organizations in Greater Philadelphia that have varied in size, populations served, and focus, such as behavioral health, education, arts and culture, health and wellness, and human services.

Meet the Project Team

Jacob Kraemer Tebes, PhD, Lead Evaluation Consultant: Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology), in the Child Study Center and of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases); Director, Division of Prevention and Community Research, Department of Psychiatry; Director, The Consultation Center; Chief Psychologist, Connecticut Mental Health Center. Dr. Tebes is a clinical/community psychologist who is renowned for his scholarship in community psychology, and serves as Editor of the flagship journal of the field, the American Journal of Community Psychology. For over 30 years, his work has focused on the promotion of resilience in at risk populations, the prevention of adolescent substance use, culturally-based approaches in practice and research, community and evaluation research methodology, and philosophy of science. He has also provided consultation to federal, state, and municipal agencies as well as community-based organizations on program development and evaluation, and the use of evaluation data to inform practice and policy.
Cindy A. Crusto, PhD, Senior Evaluation Consultant: Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Assistant Chair for Diversity, Department of Psychiatry; Director, Program Evaluation and Child Trauma Research at The Consultation Center. Dr. Crusto is a clinical/community psychologist with more than 20 years of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions in schools and community agencies, and providing related training and consultation. She is interested in culturally relevant interventions for children from racial/ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds and in school-based behavioral health services. Dr. Crusto's research examines the impact of family violence on children and the ecological influences on child and family well-being, and includes rigorous evaluations of community-based initiatives involving substance use and violence prevention, and the promotion of school readiness.
Amy Griffin, MA, Senior Evaluation Consultant: Ms. Griffin has more than 12 years of experience evaluating community-based programs at the local, state, and national levels. She has a Masters degree in Communications, advanced graduate training in Family and Child Ecology, and expertise providing technical assistance and training to state departments and community-based organizations. Her evaluation-related expertise also includes participatory and democratic evaluation methods as well as ecological measurement strategies.
Samantha Matlin, PhD, Senior Evaluation Consultant: Dr. Matlin is Director of Evaluation and Community Impact at the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology), Yale School of Medicine. She has more than 12 years of experience providing program and evaluation consultation to community organizations and conducting community research. She served for four years as the Special Advisor to the Commissioner at the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services where she contributed to the formulation of high priority programmatic initiatives and policy across the behavioral health system. She is committed to learning how contextual factors (such as neighborhood support, violence, trauma, and poverty) contribute to health and the interventions we can do to improve the health status of communities.
Susan Florio, Administrative Associate: Susan is responsible for providing high-level support to The Center’s leadership in administering the organization’s operations. She is the primary contact for matters related to training, communications, and IT infrastructure at The Center. In addition, Susan is the Editorial Assistant for the American Journal of Community Psychology. She has more than 30 years of administrative experience including work in corporate settings at a major pharmaceutical company in regulatory affairs and at a public utility in information technology. Susan joined the staff of the Center in 1992 and has been the recipient of multiple recognition awards for her quality of work and dedication.

The Culture & Diversity Training Program at the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) is a comprehensive training and consultation program to increase awareness and sensitivity to racial and cultural differences within the NHDP and in NHPD law enforcement. The program includes all levels of the Department, officers and command staff, and is intended to promote a positive workplace environment as well as effective and unbiased policing.

Jacob Kraemer Tebes, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology) in the Child Study Center and of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases); Director, Division of Prevention and Community Research, Department of Psychiatry; Director, The Consultation Center; Chief Psychologist, Connecticut Mental Health Center; Program Director, NIDA T32 Postdoctoral Research Training Program in Substance Abuse Prevention

Project Theme(s): Vulnerable Populations & Communities; Mental Health & Substance Abuse; Prevention & Health Promotion; Trauma; Community-Engaged Research & Evaluation; Training, Consultation, and Capacity Building; Systems Change; Trauma

Program Overview: My primary project-based program activities including consultation, training, and program development in the context of my research program (see Research Overview) or the provision of consultation and/or training to build capacity of organizations or systems to enhance their effectiveness. This work is usually carried out in partnership with community-based organizations or state and municipal agencies, and usually is conceptualized from a social justice perspective. The work may also provide opportunities for training and mentor of doctoral or postdoctoral fellows.

Meet the Project Team & Collaborators:
Luiz Casanova
Assistant Chief, New Haven Police Department

Cindy Crusto
Consultant & Trainer, Yale

Dean Esserman
Chief, New Haven Police Department

Susan Florio
Administrative Associate, Yale

Derrick Gordon
Consultant & Trainer, Yale

Jacqueline Hoyte
Sergeant, New Haven Police Department

Max Joyner
Director of Training, New Haven Police Department

Robert Maturo
Sergeant, New Haven Police Department

Jacob Tebes
Consultant & Trainer, Yale

Al Vasquez
Assistant Chief, New Haven Police Department

Nadia Ward
Consultant & Trainer, Yale

For nearly three decades, The Consultation Center at Yale has been a statewide leader in offering violence prevention services to adult offenders and victims of domestic violence. The Center focuses on understanding how women’s daily lives are impacted by the traumas they have been through, which can result in PTSD and/or substance abuse. By working collaboratively with The Greater New Haven Domestic Violence Task Force, Center staff aim to tackle these issues as a community. For more information, visit the Family Violence Program.

Community Mental Health and its Impact on Academic and Behavioral Health Outcomes

Alternative education settings serve a diverse population of young adults who present with unique challenges that impact academic, social, and career outcomes. Dr. Gordon’s research in this area examines primary health and mental health risk behaviors contribute to students’ academic performance and educational attainment. Our goal is to use data collected in this study to inform the development of interventions that support the academic and behavioral health needs of youth in alternative education settings.

Consultation to the EVOLVE and EXPLORE Programs

This program provides training and supervision to facilitators that deliver a State-mandated family violence education program for male and female perpetrators of violence.

Family Violence Prevention Fund Consultation

To understand the needs of families who experience violence and are under supervision of the judicial system.

Connecticut Department of Public Health Collaboration

To develop a culturally appropriate model to provide information on how to positively engage males (including teens) in developing healthy relationships.