Staff Contacts: Lesli Johnson

National experts visit ILGARD to meet with students, faculty and staff.

ILGARD provides meeting and project facilitation assistance to local and state government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Staff design and conduct focus groups and large group meetings to allow for community input on projects and assist in project planning and evaluating.

In addition, staff members facilitate regional partnerships such as the Mayors' Partnership for Progress. The Mayors' Partnership is a group of mayors from the cities and villages in an 11-county region in Southeast Ohio who cooperate on issues such as economic development and tourism, and who meet regularly with state and federal representatives to promote regional issues.

In partnership with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, county human services directors, children services, and child support enforcement agency directors of Ohio Appalachia, ILGARD provides products and services, such as the Appalachian Partnership for Welfare Reform APWR), to assist counties in their welfare reform efforts.