About
Founded in 2000, AIU’s Evaluation, Grants, and Data (EGD) Department provides research and evaluation services to state and local educational organizations and nonprofits that want to assess the difference they are making in the lives of children, families, and communities.
EGD’s goal is to help our partners capture the impact of the work they do, their strengths, and opportunities for improvement. Our team strives to make data accessible and easy to understand so our partners can make informed decisions about the programs they provide, leading to positive outcomes.
Project Pages
Our Values
Collaborative: We start every project by listening to our partners to understand their needs and the context of the system in which they operate so we can create an evaluation plan that works for them and their stakeholders.
Flexible: We believe that program evaluation is a journey. As new findings are discovered and as programs evolve, we must also adapt.
Holistic: We know that our partners operate in difficult and changing environments. By approaching evaluation from a systems perspective, we help our partners gain insight into often-overlooked areas that may impact their achievement of successful outcomes.
Practical: We know how busy our partners are on a day-to-day basis, so we make every effort to design evaluation projects that build on what exists and fit into the current ecosystem.
Applied: We work with partners to streamline data collection so they have results to meet external requirements and internal needs so data results are utilized in the most efficient and effective manner.
Our Services
EGD’s team collaborates with our partners to turn their innovative ideas into successful, sustainable initiatives. Our comprehensive services are individualized to meet client needs and are rooted in a commitment to social impact, innovation, and sustainability. By leveraging our expertise and collaborative approach, we aim to empower you to make a lasting difference in your community and beyond.
Strategic Program Development
We collaborate closely with our clients to conceptualize, design, and structure effective programs. With sustainability in mind from the start, our team can help you to define clear objectives, develop a detailed roadmap, and create a robust framework for ongoing implementation. We can also help you navigate your data results so you can make data-driven decisions for efficient and effective programming.
Grant Writing & Funding Acquisition
Securing funding is a critical step in turning your vision into reality. Our team’s expertise in crafting compelling grant proposals and navigating funding opportunities can help increase your chances of obtaining the financial support you need.
Program Evaluation & Reporting
EGD can help you measure the impact and effectiveness of your program by creating robust program monitoring and evaluation frameworks that provide valuable insights for continuous improvement and contribute to accountability and reporting requirements for funders and stakeholders. Plans may include clarification of goals and outcomes, creating quantitative and/or qualitative data collection plans, creating evaluation surveys and tools, conducting data analysis, and creating reports or infographics to communicate results.
Capacity Building & Training
EGD provides capacity-building training and technical support to strengthen our partners’ skills and knowledge about program implementation and evaluation so they can execute and sustain their programs. Training can be individualized to your needs and may cover topics such as grant writing, theories of change and logic modeling, impact assessment, and data interpretation and reporting.
Our Team
Sheila Bell
Sheila Bell is the program director for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Evaluation, Grants & Data department. In this capacity, she is responsible for securing, managing, and coordinating local, regional, and state program evaluations, including PA 21st Century Community Learning Centers, The PA Migrant Education Program, and the PA Educating Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program. She is also responsible for planning, developing, and coordinating collaborative grant proposals for AIU programs, school districts, and other community organizations.
Prior to this role, Sheila served as the program director for BCRC, Inc., where she directed a wide range of services to help people with intellectual, developmental, and psychiatric disabilities. Sheila also served as the portfolio director for Community Health Initiatives at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Pharmacy, Program Evaluation and Research Unit, and worked at Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services for over 20 years, most recently as the assistant executive deputy director for Integrated Program Services, where she led several initiatives focused on advancing cross-system integration to improve the quality and efficient delivery of human services in Allegheny County. Sheila is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and political science and a master's degree in social and public policy from Duquesne University.
Jim Ross
Jim Ross is a senior evaluation coordinator at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Evaluation, Grants and Data Department, holds an M.A. in applied statistics and a B.S. in statistics, each from the University of Pittsburgh. In this capacity, Jim creates and maintains the data file for Pennsylvania’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program. He also develops data files and conducts data analysis for several additional state and local EGD projects including Pennsylvania’s Migrant Education Program and the Pennsylvania 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Jim spent the early part of his career in the consumer packaged goods industry conducting market research and producing revenue forecasts for entire product lines. After nine years in that role, he transitioned to a consulting role at the AIU which led to his current position.
Jesse Thornton
Jesse Thornton is an Evaluation Specialist at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Evaluation, Grants, & Data Department. In this role, he assists with state and local evaluations focused on education, mental health, and the arts including the PA 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, Project SEEKS SES, and the Pittsburgh City Theatres’ Young Playwrights Program. Role responsibilities include data collection, analysis, visualization, and dissemination. Prior to this role, Jesse worked with people from diverse populations as a Registered Behavior Technician for children with autism spectrum disorder and as a Residential Specialist for older adults living with mental disabilities. Jesse holds a Master of Public Health and a Certificate in Evaluation of Public Health Promotion and Health Education Programs from the University of Pittsburgh, and a BA in Psychology from West Virginia University.
Falon Weidman
Falon Weidman is a senior program evaluator with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. She works on the evaluations of several statewide and local programs, including 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program, PA Humanities Teen Reading Lounge, and CareerReady PA. Falon joined the intermediate unit in April 2021, following the completion of her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She has several years of experience in the education and nonprofit sectors, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Our Partners
- 21st Century Community Learning Centers
- Career Ready PA
- Pittsburgh City Theatre
- PA Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH)
- PA Humanities
- Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)
- PDE Migrant Education Program
- The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
- Pittsburgh Opera
- Remake Learning
- SEEKS Social/Emotional Supports
- transformED
- Trust Arts Education
Contact Us
For more information about EGD and how we can support you, please reach out to us:
Sheila Bell, Program Director
412-394-5821
Sheila.Bell@aiu3.net
Jim Ross, Senior Program Evaluator
724-777-3846
James.Ross@aiu3.net
Jesse Thornton, Evaluation Specialist
878-220-4568
Jesse.Thornton@aiu3.net
Falon Weidman, Senior Program Evaluator
412-394-1347
Falon.Weidman@aiu3.net