Strategic Plan

APPAM Strategic Plan, 2016 – 2020

APPAM revisited its initial 2011 strategic plan, reviewed it, and proposed new goals and objectives to guide the association’s work over the next five years. The yearlong strategic planning effort was led by a committee co-chaired by David Johnson of the University of Michigan and Kathy Swartz of Harvard University. Committee members included Colleen Barry, Johns Hopkins University; Charles Betsey, Howard University; Kenneth Couch, University of Connecticut; John Martinez, MDRC; Jodi Sandfort, University of Minnesota; Michael Shires, Pepperdine University; and Matt Stagner, Mathematica Policy Research. Jane Waldfogel of Columbia University served on the committee as an ex officio member.

A membership survey was administered, and in-depth interviews were performed with thought leaders in the public policy community. Focus groups were also administered at the APPAM Spring Conference. The intelligence gathered through all of these endeavors is the basis of the Strategic Plan Report and Strategic Scorecard.

We thank the committee, especially the co-chairs, for their dedication and commitment over the last year in producing this report.

One of the things that the report created was additional committees to help accomplish the considerable work of the association. We need volunteers for these committees, and encourage you to review the list of committees and, if you’re interested in serving, please email Tara Sheehan and let her know. Committees meet by phone, and the time commitment is minimal. Please note you must be a current APPAM member to serve on a committee.

Thank you for taking the time to read the strategic plan. If you have any feedback on the goals and objectives outlined in the plan, please let us know.

APPAM Strategic Plan, 2011 – 2015

APPAM went through its first-ever strategic planning process in 2011. That plan (and the longer, more detailed full-committee report), along with the amended governance structure, helped guide the association over the last 4 years. During that time, APPAM has seen unprecedented growth in membership, in the size of the Fall Conference, in the number of submissions to its flagship journal, and the number of activities and programs it offers to its members.

The 2011 Strategic Planning Committee was co-chaired by Maria Cancian of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Paul Decker of Mathematica Policy Research. The committee also included Scott Allard, University of Chicago, Sandra Archibald, University of Washington, Angela Evans, University of Texas – Austin, Judy Gueron, MDRC, Ron Haskins, The Brookings Institution and Stephen Raphael, University of California – Berkeley. APPAM was extremely grateful for the committee’s hard work and willingness to commit so much time to this important inaugural effort.

The strategic objectives were deliberately broad to allow the APPAM leadership to execute the plan flexibly. The strategic plan was intended to be a fluid document that would be revisited periodically to update the objectives and strategies. It was revisited again in 2015, and the plan above will guide APPAM through the next five years.