Becky is a private consultant with an emphasis in group facilitation, strategic planning, issue resolution, and policy development. Drawing upon multiple disciplines, Becky has designed and facilitated a wide range of meetings, retreats and strategic planning processes for both the public and non-profit sectors, and has over 25 years experience in non-profit management, coalition building, and policy change.
During her career, Becky has previously held positions with the WV School-Based Health Assembly and the Governor’s Cabinet on Children and Families, and has served as a government relation’s specialist at Tonkin Management Group to advance public health and child welfare policy issues.
In addition to facilitation and consultation, Becky serves as co-coordinator of Our Babies: Safe and Sound, a statewide educational campaign on infant safety sponsored by TEAM for West Virginia Children. In this position, she is responsible for research, program design, implementation, technical assistance, and facilitation. Most recently, Say YES To Safe Sleep for Babies, an infant safe sleep parent educational program, has been implemented with 16 birthing hospitals and 20 home visitation programs across West Virginia.
Becky is a certified trainer in the Standards of Excellence for the Non-Profit Sector, is a member of the International Association of Facilitators, and has served on numerous non-profit boards. She is a graduate of West Virginia University and Marshall University College of Graduate Studies, and holds a master’s degree in counseling and guidance, with an emphasis in community organization.
Collective Impact is working with the Joint Commission on Sports Medicine and Science (JCSMS) to engage its membership in the Collective Impact approach. JCSMS serves as a convener and catalyst for cooperative ventures. The Collective Impact approach is a commitment of a group of individuals from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem, using a structured form of collaboration. The concept of collective impact hinges on the idea that organizations need to coordinate their efforts and work together around a clearly defined goal if they are to create lasting solutions to social problems on a large-scale. This approach was highlighted in a Stanford Social Innovation Review article titled “Collective Impact”. More recently, with financial support from the Wallace Foundation, the Teachers College of Columbia University engaged in research relating to collective engagement around education reform. Their report (Collective Impact and the New Generation of Cross-Sector Collaborations for Education) describes the development of cross-sector collaborations and presents findings from a scan of initiatives across the United States. With assistance from Collective Impact, JCSMS membership is exploring how the model might be used to address relevant issues facing their member organizations.
Collective Impact worked with the City of Huntington, WV, the Huntington Police Department, Marshall University Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), and other partners on the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) grant. The City of Huntington, Huntington Police Department (HPD) is one of 11 entities in the nation to receive a Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) planning grant focusing on data-driven crime prevention, reduction, and intervention in the City's downtown area. Collective Impact worked with partners to develop and guide a Cross-Sector Partnership in planning, research, engaging residents, businesses and other stakeholders, and developing a community-oriented crime reduction and economic development strategic plan to guide future efforts beyond the grant period. As part of the project, partners organized a "build a better block" community visioning and stakeholder engagement event in the downtown district of Huntington. See the local news story here.
"The WV ATC provides technical assistance and direct services statewide to West Virginians living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. While our primary headquarters is on the campus of Marshall University, in Huntington, WV, staff are positioned at strategic points across the Mountain State. Because we are spread out regionally across the state, agency staff sometimes felt disconnected, and at times struggled to understand the duties of colleagues they don’t see every day. The center asked Collective Impact to facilitate a half-day session designed to break down social and professional barriers. Bruce Decker carried out a highly effective process that helped staff communicate more easily with colleagues, and more readily handle intra-departmental conflict. WV ATC staff enjoyed the experience, and continue to reap the benefits." ~ Dr. Marc Ellison, Executive Director, West Virginia Autism Training Center - Marshall University
